Fleet Van October 2014

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October 2014 ÂŁ5 where sold

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CELEBRATING THE BEST IN FLEET 24 awards, one glorious night to remember for the van industry News insight: DVSA

FTA: Overloading

Fleet Van Summit

Profile: Iron Mountain

Fleets targeted in safety compliance crackdown

Do your vans need to go on a crash diet?

Best practice to cut risk and lower costs

Driver initiatives reduce vehicle incidents by 74%

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Awards for excellence

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Contact us Fleet News, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Email – fleetnews@bauermedia.co.uk Editorial Editor-in-chief Stephen Briers 01733 468024 stephen.briers@bauermedia.co.uk Deputy editor Sarah Tooze 01733 468901 sarah.tooze@bauermedia.co.uk News editor Gareth Roberts 01733 468314 Web producer Christopher Smith 01733 468655 Associate editor Trevor Gehlcken Contributors Mark Cartwright, John Charles, Catherine Chetwynd, Simon Harris, Chris Lowndes (photographs)

CONTENTS

6

New and revised models to hit the market, including Fiat Doblo Cargo and Nissan Navara.

9 I FTA Benchmarking: overloading

Do your vehicles comply with weight limits or do they need to go on a crash diet?

9

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14 I Profile: Iron Mountain

Safety programme saves millions of pounds, while driver initiatives reduce vehicle incidents by 74%.

16 I Fleet Van Summit

Experts share their experiences on how to raise standards throughout the industry.

25 I Fleet Van Awards

14

The best in the business named at prestigious event – full report and pictures.

45 I Insight: remarketing

Events Event director Chris Lester Event manager Sandra Evitt 01733 468123 Event organiser Kate Howard 01733 468146 Events co-ordinator Nicola Baxter 01733 468289 Publishing Managing director Tim Lucas 01733 468340 Group marketing manager Bev Mason 01733 468295 Office manager Vicky Meadows 01733 468319 Group managing director Rob Munro-Hall Chief executive officer Paul Keenan

DVSA will target smaller, poorly-performing van operators on safety.

6 I Coming soon

Production Head of publishing Luke Neal Associate editor (production) Andrew Ryan Production editor Finbarr O’Reilly Designer Erika Small Advertising Commercial director Sarah Crown (maternity leave) B2B commercial manager Sheryl Graham 01733 366467 Account managers Wendy Cowell 01733 366472 Laura Holloway 01733 366469 Lucy Herbert (maternity leave) Lisa Turner 01733 366471 Stuart Wakeling 01733 366470 Marcus Woods 01733 366468 Head of project management Leanne Patterson 01733 468332 Project managers Lucy Peacock 01733 468338 Angela Price Kerry Unwin 01733 468327 Telesales/recruitment b2brecruitment@bauermedia.co.uk 01733 468275/01733 468328

4 I News insight

Continuing lack of supply of used stock sees values rise again.

46 I Spotlight: Northgate

Listening to what customers want is part of the firm’s ethos, says sales and marketing director Jon Tobbell.

25

48 I Insight: driver communication Engaging employees can lead to a safer, more efficient fleet.

50 I Renault Master

New engines help revised range remain competitive.

51 I Ford Transit long-termer ‘Wow’ factor earns van plenty of plaudits.

46

ISSN 0953-8526.

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NEXT ISSUE – NOVEMBER

Insight: In-cab cameras Spotlight on how cameras can cut accidents, reduce fraud and protect drivers.

Insight: remarketing Colours and equipment to maximise residual values.

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fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 3

NE W S IN SIGH T

‘My aspiration is for van fleets to be 100% safety compliant’ DVSA chief will target smaller, poorly performing van operators on safety

Alastair Peoples: ‘If there comes a point when education, support, collaboration don’t work, then we have other means at our disposal’

■ Government faces safety dilemma ■ Self-regulation is its preferred option ■ DVSA wants 100% van compliance

The appalling first-time MOT failure rate of vans and their poor record at roadside inspections demand action, but the desire for a new licensing regime appears to have been dismissed by a Government keen on cutting red tape.

By Gareth Roberts he Government faces a difficult decision when it comes to improving the safety record of van operators, according to the chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

It could introduce tough new rules, similar to those faced by HGV fleets, or offer the sector selfregulation without the legislative burden.

“There is a serious choice for Government and policy-makers in how to increase compliance in this market,” explained Alastair Peoples.

“Do we promote a regulatory regime? Do we want regulation similar to the heavy goods vehicle industry, or do we want to provide the incentives and opportunities to self-regulate?”

No appetite for legislation Peoples told delegates at the Fleet Van Summit: “There appears to be no Government appetite for further legislation focusing on the light goods vehicle (LGV) fleet.”

Instead, he said the Department for Transport (DfT) had instructed the DVSA to increase LGV examinations and target its resources better.

But, Peoples warned: “If there comes a point when the education, the support, the collaboration doesn’t work, then we certainly have other means at our disposal.”

For now, however, he said he wants to work with the industry; to improve education and communication, and take on poor-performing operators. He has also set himself the ambitious target of achieving 100% compliance within the sector.

NEED TO KNOW

T

“They [vans] are the greatest threat to road safety.

There may be fewer van-related road deaths, but they’re involved in significantly more accidents” Alastair Peoples, DVSA

4 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

“Road safety is what the DVSA is all about,” he said. “My aspiration, therefore, has to be for 100% compliance. Drivers need to be competent and compliant with the rules and, while it might seem an ambitious aspiration, it’s what we do, it’s what we’re about and we can’t settle for anything less.”

Poor compliance record Poor levels of van compliance have been a cause for increasing concern among road safety organisations and increasingly among ministers.

Peoples told delegates: “Over 50% of LGVs fail their MOT test, compared with 18% for PSVs (public service vehicles including coaches and buses) and 22% for HGVs.” Vans didn’t fare any better with roadside tests.

Almost nine out of 10 (89%) of the LGVs inspected were overloaded and 56% were in poor mechanical condition.

“In terms of compliance, I think it could be argued that there is clear blue water between those that run, operate and drive the LGV fleet, and those of the PSV and HGV fleet,” said Peoples.

However, he warned: “If you are a licensed operator, traffic commissioners will look at the management of your vans.”

Threat to road safety Peoples appears not to have a high opinion of the van sector. He joked: “If you see a van travelling at 60mph on a dual carriageway, it’s probably between second and third gear.”

In fact VOSA, which traditionally focused on HGVs, launched a crackdown on the van sector

50%+

more than half of LGVs fail their MOT test

18%

of PSVs (public service vehicles including coaches and buses) fail their MOT test

22%

of HGVs fail their MOT test

89%

of vans stopped by DVSA were overloaded

56%

of vans stopped by DVSA were in poor mechanical condition

when Peoples was at its helm last summer.

It said it was increasing roadside inspections of vans and other enforcement activity to target issues such as roadworthiness, overloading and towing infringements (Fleet News: July 11, 2013).

At the time, a VOSA spokesman said it would try to educate operators in the first instance, but would fine drivers up to £200 per offence if required.

Peoples told delegates: “They are the greatest threat to road safety. There may be fewer vanrelated road deaths, but they’re involved in significantly more accidents.”

Steep learning curve Whatever the statistics suggest, it has been a steep learning curve for the DVSA. Peoples acknowledged that there is a “limited understanding” of the van sector within the agency.

It has commissioned research to help it identify the at-risk operators and a new MOT computer system will help flag up multiple failures.

“The intelligence we could start to accumulate on the van sector would be at least as good as we have on the heavy sector, which will ensure more effective targeting,” he said.

But Peoples also appealed for industry support to help the DVSA better target its resources. “We don’t want to be concentrating on the compliant; we want to be concentrating on the noncompliant,” he said.

Peoples recognises that not all fleets are the same, with large corporate fleets being compliant at one end of the scale and those that flout the rules – “independent pragmatists” – at the other.

Independent pragmatists “They are ‘one man and his van’, up to 10-vehicle businesses that don’t like people sticking their nose into their business; certainly not the Government, certainly not the DVSA and perhaps not even the trade associations,” he said.

“They are running their vehicles on tyres and brakes that are worn – sometimes past the legal minimum – and believe the result of their risky behaviours doesn’t apply to them.”

However, Peoples believes the correct messaging delivered via less official channels could work.

“Their dislike of authority poses an interesting problem, but I don’t think they are inherently bad people and I do believe education and communication is a great opportunity for us to make a difference,” he added.

To be successful, he believes the DVSA needs to ensure these smaller, non-compliant fleets understand their legal responsibilities and offer them simple, pragmatic solutions.

Time will tell, but with vans outnumbering HGVs seven to one and registrations likely to increase further, the message from Peoples is clear: “I want all our drivers to be using the road safely.”

■ For full coverage of the Fleet Van Summit, see p16-21. For more on overloading, see p9-10

For more on van safety, visit fleetnews.co.uk/vans/safety/

EDITOR’S COLUMN Sarah Tooze, deputy editor, Fleet Van

Alastair Peoples’s speech at the Fleet Van Summit (left) should act as a wake-up call to van fleet operators, particularly those with up to 10 vehicles, who do not take their legal responsibilities seriously.

Earlier this year I interviewed a small van fleet operator who had gone from having a “laissez-faire attitude” (his words) to the company’s fleet to being “a promoter of health and safety and compliance” thanks to undertaking the FTA’s Van Excellence scheme.

“The message that comes through loud and clear from the [Fleet Van Awards] judges is innovate” The company in question, Auto Electrical Services, has reduced risk, cut costs and raised its profile as a result of Van Excellence and was a finalist in the van fleet of the year category in this year’s Fleet Van Awards (turn to page 25 for our full awards coverage).

Auto Electrical Services urges other small van fleet operators to follow in its footsteps.

But what about those van fleets that are already compliant? What should they be doing?

The message that comes through loud and clear from the judges’ comments is ‘innovate’ – it’s a common theme for all the winning fleets.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 5

NE W L AUNCHE S

Refreshed styling and more equipment for revised vans NISSAN NAVAR A FIAT DOBLO CARGO

Fiat has unveiled a mid-life facelift for the Doblo Cargo van, which includes chunky new styling, improved engine performance and a new EcoJet version tuned for improved fuel efficiency.

The van, which is also rebadged as the Vauxhall Combo, has been completely revamped at the front end.

The key engines in the range, the 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre turbodiesel units, benefit from enhanced responsiveness, allowing higher torque to be produced at lower revs – up by 40% in the case of the 1.3-litre unit.

The 90hp 1.3 MultiJet II and 105hp 1.6 MultiJet II engines are also available in new EcoJet versions which offer a reduction in fuel consumption and emission levels thanks to the use of start-stop technology, low rolling-resistance tyres, low-viscosity oil, an ‘intelligent’ alternator, a variable-displacement oil pump and a new aerodynamic pack. All this gives an official fuel economy figure of up to 64mpg and CO2 emissions of 115g/km.

Left-hand drive versions of the Doblo Cargo will get an optional third seat but this won’t be available on British models.

VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER

Volkswagen has given the world a glimpse of the next-generation Transporter by revealing a concept vehicle labelled Tristar which, the manufacturer says, features many of the innovations which will be on the T6 when it goes on sale next year.

Although few details are available, the pick-up version with extended cab, styling bar and short wheelbase pictured here has permanent fourwheel drive with mechanical rear axle differential lock and 30mm additional ground clearance.

According to Volkswagen: “The designers have

6 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

developed a high-precision, new and yet familiar design language: the sharp wrap-around lines, LED headlights and a changed architecture of the whole front give the concept vehicle a wide and purposeful appearance.”

Cargo can be distributed on two separate levels. There is a dust-proof and watertight drawer under the flatbed section, where a deeptread spare tyre is also housed.

The concept’s interior has a 20-inch table and driver and passenger seats which turn and slide, transforming the vehicle into a mobile office.

Nissan is upgrading its Navara for 2015 with a range of new safety features, extra standard equipment and upgraded interior trim.

SE trim level will provide a number of enhancements over the basic XE model, including automatic air conditioning and a combined CD tuner with Bluetooth connectivity. Additional specification also includes side airbags, chrome front grille, cruise control with speed limiter and driver seat height adjustment.

XE, SE and top-of-the-range LE versions are available with a 190hp version of the dCi engine, while the LE models are also available with a 231hp 3.0-litre diesel.

Standard equipment on LE versions includes premium navigation, a reversing camera, roof rails, heated seats, cruise control, privacy glass, rain sensor and electrically-folding door mirrors.

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f TA beNCHM A Rk INg

Do your vehicles comply with weight limits or do they need a crash diet?

Nine out of 10 vans stopped by DVSA are overloaded, but how much of an issue is it and how are operators tackling the problem?

Some companies have a blind spot when it comes to overloading

“We work hard with our suppliers to engineer weight out of the van itself” Adrian Wanford, Balfour Beatty

By Mark Cartwright, head of LCVs, FTA round nine out of 10 vans stopped by DVSA were found to be overloaded.

To put that into context, the DVSA admitted that its activity was targeted at vans which were clearly likely to be overloaded and the total number of vans stopped over the course of a year was around 13,000 – about 0.4% of the 3.4 million vans on the road.

It did get us thinking about how widespread this problem might be and how confident operators were in their ability to manage the weight of an often fragmented fleet.

Operation Tessie was a widely-reported consolidated vehicle check mounted by Wiltshire Police and HM Revenues and Customs in March last year which also highlighted the issue. During the two-day operation, 56 ‘dangerously’ overloaded vans were stopped.

In one of the worst cases, not only did the driver claim to have no idea that he had overloaded his vehicle, he was reportedly aggrieved that he didn’t receive recognition of his load security measures.

A

Are these figures indicative of a wider issue?

We took the opportunity to gauge the opinion of van operators within fTA’s membership.

Our members were asked how confident they were in their vans running within legal weight requirements (gross and axle) on a scale of one to 10, with ‘10’ being ‘very confident’ (see graph, page 10). encouragingly, just over two-thirds rated their confidence at eight or above but that still leaves one-third of operators who must be keeping their fingers crossed.

“We operate vans across the whole of the United kingdom, but our main office is based in the south of england,” said an anonymous fleet manager at a major Uk fleet.

“How can we be sure that vehicles operating out of Scotland are not overweight?”

We hear all sorts of anecdotal stories from operators around the challenges of ensuring their vans remain within their legal weight limits.

One in particular highlighted the corporate blind spot that sometimes goes with van operations; the kind where companies take

13,000 vans were stopped

by DVSA over a 12-month period

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 9

f TA beNCHM A Rk INg

Source: FTA

No 40%

40 number of shovels – as well as a bin of dirt – found in the back of one overloaded van

Do you have a process for checking van weights?

Yes 60% their corporate responsibilities very seriously in other areas of their business, but fail to recognise the need to extend this to their van fleet.

Unaware of weight limits A utility company bought a service provider and, over a few months, integrated its newly-acquired vehicles into its maintenance processes, which included vehicle check weights.

It was somewhat surprised to see that every one of those vans hit the scales at 4.2 tonnes.

When the fleet director met with the transport team, it was oblivious to the fact that there were limits and its defence revolved around the fact that it ‘could shut the doors and they needed all the equipment they had on board’. This highlights the need to raise awareness.

Our survey showed that while a good number of respondents carried out random checks and reinforced the need to remain within limits, a disappointing 40% had no recognised process for checking van weights.

The responses also supported a view that we’ve had within Van excellence for a while.

We broadly define van operators as ‘doing’ (mobile toolboxes) or ‘carrying’ (delivery/distribution vehicles) vans and reckon that the split is around 70/30 in favour of ‘doing’.

‘Most operations fall into these categories although we did have an issue with our ambulance fleets…

‘Doing’ vans present a very different challenge to the

Which is the safest way to load a van? See fleetnews. co.uk/safe-loading

‘carrying’ vans. Most respondents go to a significant effort to identify the best vehicle/racking package for their purposes and carefully assess the equipment to be carried.

They are sure their vehicles in that configuration and load will be within the limits – and then the human factor can kick in.

These vehicle are usually driven by engineers and I’m told that many engineers have some jackdaw genes!

One civil engineering company is only too aware of this tendency and has some pretty extensive policies in place to ensure compliance.

However, it was stuck for words when a van from one of its ‘hole-digging’ teams weighed in half-a-tonne too heavy and it was discovered that it had a selection of 40-plus shovels and a bin of ‘spare’ dirt on board – just in case!

Understanding and meeting the challenges Adrian Wanford, group transport manager at balfour beatty, spoke at our Van excellence conferences this year on the challenges it faced and the processes it had in place to ensure compliance.

“We recognised the issue and worked hard within the business to ensure all our drivers, their managers, supervisors and senior management understood the challenge,” he said.

“We need our engineers to be equipped to do the job they are faced with, but need to be sure we’re compliant.

“There isn’t a ‘magic bullet’. You need a range of interventions.

“We needed to make sure we knew what was supposed to be on any particular vehicle so do to this we established specific inventories.

“We do all we can to set up tool stores on-site so specialised equipment is already in place for our teams.

“We work hard with our suppliers to engineer weight out of the van itself and we’ve invested in portable and on-board weighing equipment.”

What can we conclude? The very nature of van use along with the increasing amount of additional welfare and safety equipment required can conspire to catch out even the most responsible of operators.

Our survey indicates an understanding of this among fTA members, but is this representative of all van users? I’d guess that it isn’t.

The challenge has many facets. Operators need to be confident in their ability to operate within the laws, vehicle suppliers need to ensure they support operators by sharing their expertise – helping those operators who don’t know what they don’t know – and the enforcement agencies need to do one thing: eNfORCe.

How confident are you that your vans operate within their legal weight limits (where 10 is ‘very confident’)?

Source: FTA

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1

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10 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

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p R oF IL E: IR on MoUn TA In

Driver initiatives reduce vehicle incidents by 74% Fleet safety programme saves Iron Mountain millions of pounds

By John Charles afety doesn’t sell say some fleet experts, but promote the financial argument for occupational road risk management and there is no debate.

Testimony to that is Iron Mountain, the global information storage and management company, which has recorded savings of millions of pounds across its UK and Ireland commercial vehicle operation.

Its national logistics general manager, Rory Morgan, was recently named van fleet manager of the year at the Fleet Van Awards (see page 42).

Since last year it has also started migrating its safe-driving processes to its mainland European operations.

The company, which has its UK HQ in London from where it manages a Ford-dominated leased with maintenance fleet of 190 vans plus 140 HGVs, is working with the European Transport Safety Council to promote the case for light commercial vehicle safety across the continent.

Morgan says that pre-2008 the company was “experiencing unacceptable levels of vehicle incidents” and did not have sufficient processes in place to improve the situation to the level aspired to.

Almost six years ago the company, facing “astronomical” insurance premium rises, formulated a business case for a comprehensive programme of driver assessment and training underpinned by a fleet safety policy. The case received leadership support and has ultimately led to significant reductions in the number of incidents and claims costs alongside numerous spin-off benefits.

“Initially we were aware that our costs were high but understood that the opportunity was there to reduce these significantly by introducing basic initiatives,” says Morgan.

“As we have progressed and invested more, we have seen further benefits.”

In 2008, Iron Mountain recorded a significant number of incidents at a cost of more than £500,000. Since then there has been a 74% reduction in incidents and a 63% reduction in own damage and third-party costs across a fleet that covered 8.8 million miles last year – and almost 29,000 miles per van.

There are also unquantifiable savings through service improvements and enhanced reputation

S

“If every business adopted the stance we have, the roads would be safer” Rory Morgan, Iron Mountain

14 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

other highlighted savings include: n A 31% reduction in insurance premiums over the past four years, including a near-9% cut in 2014 n Maintenance cost reductions of 4.5% in the first year of initiatives, but increasing to more than 30% following the installation of GreenRoad’s in-vehicle driver behaviour telematics system across the fleet in 2011 n A 7% fuel saving following defensive driving training Indeed, Iron Mountain’s drivers “are so good”, according to the company’s insurer Zurich, that GreenRoad, which captures more than 100 different vehicle movements based on severity through its system, developed a special performance assessment rating for them. So many were in the ‘good’ zone (99.4%) last year that a tougher new ‘cool blue’ criteria was created and achieved by 90.6%. In addition, 44.8% of those drivers achieved ‘elite’ status.

As a result, GreenRoad says Iron Mountain has recorded the best results across its worldwide customer base.

All Iron Mountain drivers receive an annual driving assessment – there are also online assessments – and potential recruits are put through an assessment drive which they have to pass for a job interview to progress. Additionally, ad hoc assessments are carried out as part of any remedial coaching following an incident or concern over driver behaviour.

The initiatives have seen the company transformed into a beacon of best practice. However, Morgan says: “The journey is far from over. While we have made incredible progress in reducing the number and severity of accidents, we still feel we can help our drivers do even better.” next on the agenda is accreditation to ISo 39001, the internationally-recognised road traffic safety management standard, and tighter telemetry targets.

The initial programme included launching the company drivers’ handbook online, introducing an online risk assessment programme as well as in-house driver assessment and training following the recruitment of trainers. A communication strategy with drivers was also implemented to help develop an on-road safety culture.

Additionally, drivers undertake walk-round vehicle checks supported by a weekly supervisor van audit to further aid health and safety compliance. Ad hoc checks are also undertaken at depot gates by driver trainers and supervisors.

That programme achieved outstanding results and was further improved with the introduction of driver behaviour telemetry, which has been the catalyst for the more recent fall in accident numbers and triggered further savings.

Critically, Iron Mountain acknowledged that managing work-related road risk was not a short-term fix and that it had to be managed on an ongoing basis.

Morgan says: “We now have a risk profile for each of our drivers and the trainers are tasked to reduce the scores collectively. The profile includes many areas of road safety

31%

reduction in insurance premiums over the past four years

7%

fuel saving following defensive driver training

For more case studies, visit:fleetnews.co.uk/ vans/case-studies/

such as driving licence and vehicle incident history.

“Telemetry scores are also fed into the system, as are tachograph and road traffic violations along with online and in-cab driving assessments.”

Managers reward safe driving with high street vouchers and red letter days and help those not doing so to improve.

“Initially we had to work hard, but over time these initiatives have become second nature,” he says. “We use performance indicators and continual development to measure progress and help us to reduce risk and subsequent cost.”

For example, ‘speed by speed zone’ monitoring within the telemetry system has been introduced and reports any violation of more than 4mph above any posted limit, although vans are limited to 70mph. Initially, Iron Mountain discovered that more than 30% of speeding incidents were recorded by 5% of drivers, but numbers have been dramatically cut.

That speed limit compliance improvement has also seen a significant drop in the number of notice of Impending prosecutions received by the company – from 45 in 2010 to 11 last year – suggesting, says Morgan, that employees were not only driving more safely on company business, but also in their own vehicles.

He adds: “There was a thought that introducing driver behaviour telemetry might impact on our productivity, but in fact our ‘on-time’ key performance indicator is consistently 99.97%. It shows that drivers don’t have to speed to get the job done and they feel more relaxed. They also report that their stress levels have reduced drastically. “our routes are arranged through a routing package and set to precise parameters taking into account road speeds

ABOVE: Iron Mountain employees report that driver behaviour telemetry has reduced their stress levels

Rory Morgan helped formulate FTA’s Van Excellence Code of Practice

and time required at each client location.”

Iron Mountain and Morgan have proved that managing occupational road risk delivers significant benefits and he is now spreading the gospel. He says: “We are only too glad to assist other companies to work on their risk reduction and happy to share initiatives and ideas.”

Morgan helped formulate Freight Transport Association’s Van Excellence Code of practice and is chairman of its governance group for the next two years. Iron Mountain was the first company to achieve Van Excellence accreditation and driver Cameron Weir recently won the inaugural Van Excellence Driver of the Year competition. operating a fleet of 250 vehicles in 15 European countries outside the UK and Ireland, Morgan says: “Road safety benefits everyone. If every business adopted the stance we have, the roads would be safer.

“I have received excellent support from the executive and senior management teams because they consider it the right thing to do, but there must be a return on the business plan.”

As well as Morgan’s Fleet Van award, Iron Mountain has collected industry honours from Fleet News, road safety charity Brake, the British Safety Industry Federation as well as a prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

Finally Morgan’s advice to fleet managers: “The basics are relatively easy and not cost or resource prohibitive. Work on getting the fundamentals right first and see the benefits before increasing investment.

“If you do decide to invest in driver behaviour telemetry, do not consider it a ‘silver bullet’, you have to adjust based on the information delivered to manage and increase benefits.”

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 15

F l ee T VA n S uMMI T

By Gareth Roberts and Trevor Gehlcken he Fleet Van Summit has become one of the industry’s leading events, at which Britain’s van fleet operators can hone their skills and learn to run their operations more efficiently and effectively.

Delegates at this year’s event, held at the International Centre in Telford, were treated to a line-up of top speakers, including Alastair Peoples, chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and Mark Cartwright, head of vans at the Freight Transport Association.

Peoples and Cartwright explained how they wanted to raise standards throughout the van industry, while online grocery retailer Ocado shared what measures it is employing to drive down driver risk.

As well as being able to pose questions and listen to real-life case studies, there was also plenty of time for delegates to network and share best practice.

How to raise T standards in the van industry Fleet decision-makers heard from industry experts at the Fleet Van Summit how they can reduce risk, lower costs and comply with new legislation dVsA Asks FOr help FrOm FleeTs

FTA urges FleeTs TO ‘spreAd The wOrd’ Van operators are being challenged to raise standards in their day-to-day operations, while influencing others to follow suit.

Mark Cartwright, head of vans at the FTA, told delegates it was time to turn the screw on any contractors and suppliers that they use.

He said: “It occurred to me when one of our suppliers turned up at our offices with a dirty van which had a door mirror hanging off the side. I thought to myself, do we really want people like that supplying us when we are

Alastair Peoples: ‘we need to build up our knowledge’ The chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has admitted there is a ‘knowledge gap’ within the organisation.

Appealing to fleets for their help, Alastair Peoples told delegates the DVSA has a “limited understanding” about the van sector. “We need to build up our knowledge and we need to identify the biggest at-risk factors,” he said.

The newly-formed DVSA – a combination of the Driving Standards Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency – has been tasked by Government to improve road risk within the van sector.

Peoples paid tribute to the work of the FTA through its Van excellence scheme, but highlighted how thousands of fleets, especially those running smaller operations, were running roughshod over the rules.

“Poor levels of van compliance have been the cause of increasing concern for some years,” he said. This would be tackled through a combination of communication and education, rather than taking a hard-line approach.

However, he asked delegates for their support in order to better direct the DVSA’s resources.

“We do not want to be concentrating on the compliant; we want to be concentrating on the non-compliant,” he said.

16 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

Mark Cartwright: ‘we feel passionately about taking action’

“Professionalising the industry will bring benefits to both society and industry” Mark Cartwright, FTA

2010

year FTA launched its Van Excellence programme

80

accredited Van Excellence members

supposed to be in charge of improving the van fleet industry?”

As a result, it is urging members of the Van excellence programme, run by the FTA, to persuade contractors and suppliers to their individual businesses to sign-up to the scheme.

Cartwright said: “We feel passionately about taking action to professionalise the uK van parc and encourage the commercial success of uK plc.

“Professionalising the industry will bring benefits to both society and industry.”

Since its launch in 2010, the Van excellence programme has attracted more than 80 accredited members, while a further 80 are about to join them.

An industry-led initiative, it aims to improve van compliance, celebrate best practice and represent the interests of the van industry.

However, as well as wanting to target suppliers and contractors, Cartwright wants smaller fleets, where it is believed the biggest problems and misdemeanours occur, to join the scheme.

The FTA is working on a special Van excellence package for fleets of up to 10 vehicles, which will be launched soon. It will include back-up and support from FTA specialists, fleet software and licence checking tools, and special rates payable monthly.

Cartwright concluded: “Van excellence members already recognise the importance of excellence in their operations, but it is now time for all in the sector to join forces and help professionalise this growing industry.”

Sponsored by

giVing liFe-sAVing skills TO driVers David Higginbottom: ‘we can all make a difference’

BT FleeT sAVes milliOns By gOing green The importance of setting up a green fleet policy was brought home to delegates by Dave Bowen, managing director of BT Fleet.

He pointed out that not only does such a move reducenoxious emissions, but it had also saved his operation around £100 million over the past 10 years.

Bowen told delegates that with 35,000 vehicles on his fleet and 75,000 under BT Fleet’s management – using some 40 million litres of fuel each year – his company had a duty to protect the environment by making sure that vehicles were used in the safest and most efficient manner.

BT Fleet tackled its green concerns in three areas: utilisation, downsizing and drivers.

An investigation into whether vehicles were being fully utilised discovered that some were sitting in yards as their drivers had left for other employment.

The result of the investigation was that 6,200 vehicles were sold, avoiding £30m in capital expenditure and cutting CO2.

BT Fleet also undertook a major improvement programme for its vans, in which 25,000 were remapped for better fuel economy. As a result, it has so far saved £5m of fuel and has reduced CO2 emissions by 25,000 tonnes.

Asked if there had been any warranty problems or breakdowns as a result of the remapping, Bowen told delegates: “We have had no problems with this whatsoever and when the vans are sold they may even get a better price with them being chipped.”

BT Fleet also began a major downsizing

“Training has given drivers pointers on wastage such as unnecessary idling” Dave Bowen, BT

Dave Bowen: BT has saved around £100m over the past 10 years

£5m 54%

saving in fuel after BT’s vans had their engines remapped

fall in accidents after 10,000 drivers underwent training

programme and all of its staff have been required to undertake computer-based training, with the worst performers given one-to-one training.

Bowen said: “Training has given drivers pointers on wastage as unnecessary idling, harsh acceleration and avoiding accidents.”

So far 10,000 drivers have received one-toone training and the result is that accidents per 1,000 vehicles have reduced by 54% in the past 10 years. Bowen said further improvements would be harder to achieve, but there were several plans in the pipeline.

Half of the people who lose their lives in road accidents die before the emergency services arrive.

In a bid to reduce this death rate, a new organisation is aiming to train drivers in life-saving skills.

Driver First Assist (DFA), set-up in collaboration with the nHS and the emergency services, is aiming to sign up 70,000 drivers to provide critical support before emergency services arrive.

David Higginbottom, DFA’s CeO, told delegates that for a training fee of £120, its members had the potential to save the uK economy £1.4 billion a year as experts estimate that 46% of roadside deaths could be avoided if skilled help was on hand immediately after a crash.

He said: “Five people leave home each day to drive and never return.

“Road accidents aren’t even reported in the national press any more, but each year the equivalent of eight Airbus A380s full of people die on our roads.

“By signing up to be a DFA member, we can all make a real difference.”

Trained members will be able to accurately pinpoint an accident, give a brief summary to the emergency services, apply life-saving first aid at the scene, give leadership and a calming influence and act as a first point of call when the ambulance arrives.

The training involves a seven-hour practical session at a local ambulance centre plus reading material and a three-yearly refresher. Members are also given a first aid kit to carry around at all times.

“Five people leave home each day to drive and never return” David Higginbottom, DFA

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 17

F l ee T VA n S uMMI T

Sponsored by

OcAdO ‘shAres The BlAme’

Neil Shaw: ‘driver training is not a silver bullet’

risk-BAsed ApprOAch cuTs AccidenT rATe A change in its approach to driver training has helped South Wales Police almost halve its collision rate over a three-year period.

In 2010, there were 736 incidents involving vehicles operated by the force, but by the end of last year that had fallen to 400 – a 45% reduction.

Gareth Morgan, driver training standards manager at South Wales Police, told delegates that it employed a range of measures to drive down its accident rate, but perhaps the key approach was how the force changed the way it appraised its drivers and challenged their behaviour.

He said: “The latest academic research tells us that 90% of road traffic accidents are caused as a result of behaviour, so surely challenging behaviour is the most important step to take in reducing fleet collisions.”

Before the force was able to challenge behaviours that presented a particular driver risk, it had to identify them.

Morgan turned to psychometric testing and, after a 23-year career as a police officer, he is now widely regarded as an expert in the profiling of drivers.

“The driver is not the problem,” he said. “It’s the behaviour and if we can understand that we can challenge it.”

For example, when fatigue was identified as an issue, the force was able to understand why and introduce measures to mitigate the problem, which included a change in shift patterns.

Driver profiling and an evidence-based approach have been coupled with telematics

“The driver is not the problem. It’s the behaviour and if we can understand that we can challenge it” Gareth Morgan, South Wales Police

18 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

Gareth Morgan: ‘90% of accidents are as a result of behaviour’

technology, benchmarking and a driver simulator to achieve success.

South Wales Police has also managed to cut its fleet size by 20%, reduce its hire costs by £250,000 per year and shrink its annual fuel bill by £2 million – savings that are especially important when the public sector is facing further cuts.

“We are a not-for-profit driven organisation,” said Morgan.

“We have to give taxpayers value for money and that’s very difficult in the current climate.”

He told delegates that the South Wales force suffered a £45m cut in the first spending review and faces a further £36m reduction in the next.

“That is significant, which means we have to be more effective and efficient in the way we deliver our driver education and how we manage our fleet,” he said.

Drivers are usually blamed in the event of a collision, but responsibility should also be shared by managers, said neil Shaw, head of training and development at online retailer Ocado.

He said: “Driver training is not a silver bullet that will fix all risks and we must look at the culture of the firm when it comes to road risk. This must come from the top down and must be policed too. You may have a robust safety policy, but if it isn’t enforced, it may as well not exist.”

Ocado also filters out as many unfit drivers as possible before they get a job with the company. Potential employees first have a telephone interview followed by a face-to-face meeting, a licence check and a practical assessment. If the candidate is then taken on, there is then a threemonth probation period.

During that time the recruit undertakes classroom training, a half-day training session on the road and on-the-job work with a mentor. Shaw said: “About 49% of people will fail the assessment and we make no apology for that. Our motto is ‘recruit the best, invest in development and reap the benefits’.”

Another way in which Ocado has cut its road risk is by installing incident cameras in each van cab, which automatically film any incidents when unnatural G-force is detected.

He said: “This is a fantastic tool and in the time since we installed them in 2010, high category activities have reduced by 49% and we have seen a 68% reduction in crash repair costs.”

“You may have a robust safety policy, but if it isn’t enforced, it may as well not exist” Neil Shaw, Ocado

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Cut fleet maintenance costs the ‘green’ way Ivor Searle Fleet Solutions can save your fleet money in an eco-friendly way

I

vor Searle Fleet Solutions supports and helps busy fleet managers and maintenance teams in their day-to-day roles of ensuring vehicles are kept fully operational and roadworthy.

On those unfortunate occasions that a replacement major unit (an engine or gearbox, for example) is required quickly, its team of highly-trained and experienced specialists is there to help.

Ivor Searle Fleet Solutions has a comprehensive remanufacturing programme that includes engines, cylinder heads, turbochargers, gearboxes and associated major units available on a next-working-day basis across most of the UK. All Ivor Searle remanufactured engines are produced to a recognised industry code of practice (BSAU257:2002) and its Soham-based production facilities are accredited to ISO 9001(2008). All products are supplied with a minimum 12-month unlimited mileage warranty covering parts and labour. (Turbochargers come with a two-year warranty).

All Ivor Searle products are supplied with a minimum 12-month unlimited mileage warranty

Business operations director David Eszenyi

For those fleet customers keen to utilise eco-friendly products, Ivor Searle can assist – it has remanufactured engines for more than 60 years and is proud of its ‘green’ credentials.

Each engine it remanufactures reuses about 90% of the donor unit, eliminating the need to use extra raw materials as well as many of the hazardous chemicals often used in the production process.

“Few people fully understand the real benefits of remanufacturing to the environment, but numerous reports state that it is the ultimate form of recycling,” says Robert Waring, Ivor Searle’s Fleet Solutions business development manager.

One of these reports came from Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University, which found that remanufacturing an engine can save 55kg of steel and 8.3kg of aluminium, along with reducing CO2 emissions by 565kg, carbon monoxide by 6.09kg, nitrogen dioxide by 1.01kg and sulphur dioxide by 3.985kg.

Those benefits – and cost savings – have been available to fleets since 2002, when Ivor Searle first began supplying engines to the corporate market. In 2006, it launched Fleet Solutions and subsequently expanded the range of remanufactured parts available to fleet customers.

A new service now available from Ivor Searle Fleet Solutions is diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning, utilising the patented Ceramex Xpurge® process. Blocked DPF units can be returned to full ‘as new’ operational condition within two to four days of collection, returning to fleets complete with a 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty. Pricing is very competitive compared with a replacement unit.

If you would like to discuss how Ivor Searle Fleet Solutions may be able to help with reducing your fleet maintenance costs and assist with returning vehicles with major unit failure to full operational service quickly and efficiently, please contact them, they are there to help you.

If you would like a quotation for a vehicle under your care that may have suffered a major unit failure, call Ivor Searle for free on 0800 917 4703 or e-mail fleetsolutions@ivorsearle.co.uk.

To learn more about Ivor Searle, its products and services, please visit their website at www.ivorsearle.co.uk.

F l ee T VA n S uMMI T

Sponsored by

TAckling drugs And AlcOhOl Ean Lewin: screen for drugs and alcohol on-site

mAke liFe diFFiculT FOr insurAnce FrAudsTers Stephen Dalton: ‘it’s a significant issue’

“When you get lots of money involved it attracts organised crime and that’s the bit we’re interested in” Stephen Dalton, IFB

£1.3bn £2.1bn of fraud is detected by the insurance industry each year

amount of fraud that goes undetected, the insurance industry estimates

Crash-for-cash insurance fraud is a growing problem on the uK’s roads, with light commercial vehicles increasingly seen as an easy target by criminal gangs.

However, Stephen Dalton, head of intelligence at the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), told delegates that fleets could help turn the tide.

Around £1.3 billion of fraud is detected by the insurance industry each year, but it estimates a further £2.1bn goes undetected.

“It’s a significant issue,” said Dalton. “A lot of it is opportunist, but when you get lots of money involved it attracts organised crime and that’s the bit we’re interested in.”

IFB was formed in 2006 by the insurance industry to help coordinate industry efforts to combat fraud.

It represents 38 insurers, representing 98% of the businesses providing private insurance.

Dalton said: “If you are managing a fleet and have a group of drivers reporting back to you on potential crash for cash incidents, call us or get your drivers to call us and we will issue an alert to all the insurance companies.”

Drivers can also help themselves by looking out for unusual braking manoeuvres and vehicles acting in tandem, while vehicles fitted with dash cams can be a great evidential tool. Additionally, said Dalton, if it’s safe your employees should take photos of the driver, occupants and any damage if they are involved in an incident.

Fleets were told how new drink- and drugdriving laws coming into effect from March next year will affect them.

The new rules will mean it will be an offence to be over a prescribed limit for a range of legal and illegal drugs and then drive a vehicle, as it is with drink-driving. ean lewin, managing director of D-Tec International, said changes to drink-driving laws being introduced at the same time will remove the right for drivers who fail a roadside breath test to demand a blood or urine sample at the police station.

This can take place several hours later, by which time the alcohol levels of some drivers who were over the limit when tested at the roadside fall to a legal amount.

Fleet managers and senior management could be culpable if a driver is involved in a serious collision.

“Investigators will look at whether there were any failings and whether you were party to them,” he said.

The threat of legal action should motivate fleets to ensure they have the right measures in place and that should include some form of testing regime, according to lewin.

He said: “Most policies will say drugs and alcohol aren’t acceptable, but how many companies actually screen?

“The simple solution is screen drugs and alcohol on-site so you can get an instant answer and the person can be grounded.

“It’s cheaper, it’s safer and it’s a brilliant deterrent.”

But, he added: “If you’re going to randomly drug test drivers, make sure you have a policy in place.”

“If you’re going to randomly test drivers, make sure you have a policy in place” Ean Lewin, D-Tec International

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 21

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Award sponsors

Van industry honours the best in the business ore than 400 people from van manufacturers, suppliers and fleet operators attended the prestigious black-tie ceremony at the Telford Convention Centre to find out the winners of the 2014 Fleet Van Awards.

It marked a return to an evening awards format after five years of luncheons. The decision to raise the profile of the Awards came on the back of quite a year for the van sector.

This year saw numerous light commercials launches which, together with a more bullish outlook by fleet operators, resulted in a strong year for registrations.

Among the new launches this year were the Ford Transit, Iveco Daily, Mercedes-Benz Citan Compact, Nissan e-NV200, Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro.

Meanwhile, the Citroën Relay, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano saw significant facelifts.

All were up for consideration at this year’s Fleet Van Awards.

However, the Ford Transit Courier wasn’t launched quite in time to make the cut off point for judging.

All of our finalists detailed over the next 12 pages are outstanding companies. Congratulations to all our winners and those entrants that were highly commended.

M

More than 400 people attended the prestigious black-tie event

MEET THE JUDGES Chairman Stephen Briers, Fleet News All categories

John Maslen, Sewells Fleet categories

Mark Cartwright, FTA Fleet categories

Trevor Gehlcken, Fleet Van Manufacturer categories

Simon Harris, journalist Manufacturer categories

Rob Pope, BT Fleet Manufacturer categories

Alastair Houston, Northgate Vehicle Hire Manufacturer categories

Dale Eynon, Environment Agency Supplier categories

Ken Brown, CAP Manufacturer categories

Mark Lovett, Leaseplan Manufacturer categories

Colin Marriott, Centrica Manufacturer categories

Matt Dale, ALD Automotive Manufacturer categories

Darren Bell, G4S Cash Solutions Supplier categories

Sarah Millward, The AA Supplier categories

Lorna McAtear, Royal Mail Supplier categories

Phil Cane, Sainsbury’s Supplier categories

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 27

City Van of the year winner: Fiat Fiorino Sebastiano fedrigo (left), director, fiat Professional, receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions

highly Commended ■ Citroën nemo ■ Peugeot Bipper

finaliStS

■ ford fiesta Van ■ Vauxhall Corsavan

judgeS’ CommentS the fiorino has the right payload and configuration for city use and is backed by excellent manufacturer and dealer support. Strong, highly-efficient engines and low Smr costs put it ahead on running costs and make it the ideal city van for fleets.

Small Van of the year winner: Ford Transit Connect Phil hollins (left), director fleet operations, ford of Britain, is presented with the award by jon lawes, managing director, hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions

highly Commended ■ mercedes-Benz Citan ■ nissan nV200

finaliStS

■ Citroën Berlingo ■ fiat doblo Cargo ■ Peugeot Partner ■ renault Kangoo ■ Vauxhall Combo ■ Volkswagen Caddy

28 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

judgeS’ CommentS in developing this new van, ford listened to the needs of fleets and acted on what it heard. innovation, the latest technology, fuel-efficient engines and peerless on safety, the Connect sets a new benchmark in this sector. Strong residual values mean competitive running costs for fleets, while drivers have an ergonomicallyfriendly vehicle with bags of badge appeal.

award sponsors

MediuM panel van of the year winner: Ford Transit Custom Claire Killwick, general field manager, ford of Britain receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi Capital Commercial vehicle solutions

highly CoMMended ■ volkswagen transporter

judges’ CoMMents finalists

■ nissan primastar ■ renault trafic ■ vauxhall vivaro

sector-leading technology, plus multiple configurations and options, combine with outstanding load capacity to offer fleets a cost-effective vehicle, while pleasing drivers with its smooth, easy driving style.

large panel van of the year winner: Ford Transit

phil hollins (left), director fleet operations, ford of Britain, receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi Capital Commercial vehicle solutions

highly CoMMended ■ Mercedes-Benz sprinter

finalists

■ fiat ducato ■ iveco daily ■ nissan nv400

judges’ CoMMents the new transit is a quantum leap ahead of the old model. the driver experience is excellent, the configurations and options are endless, and the technology is class leading. the transit has multiple best-in-class features, topped by very low fuel consumption and emissions.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 29

award sponsors

Green van manufacturer winner:

Barry Beeston (left), corporate sales director, nissan motor uK, receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi capital commercial vehicle solutions

renault and nissan

judGes’ comments hiGhly commended ■ fiat ■ ford

finalists

as part of the renault-nissan alliance, collaboration has created the best range of low and zero emission vehicles which have been adapted for both brands’ own ranges. they have extended their technology and invested heavily in products beyond internal combustion engines while they are also committed to achieving recyclability targets. combined research and development has resulted in excellence in diesel and electric vehicles.

■ citroën

van of the year winner: Ford Transit Phil hollins (left), director fleet operations, ford of Britain, is presented with the award by jon lawes, managing director, hitachi capital commercial vehicle solutions

hiGhly commended ■ mercedes-Benz sprinter

finalists

■ fiat fiorino ■ ford transit connect ■ ford transit custom ■ isuzu d-max

30 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

judGes’ comments ford has made the best-selling van in the country even better – it has significantly improved every area for both business and driver. the transit is an outstanding driver’s vehicle, fuel efficiency is excellent, the ergonomics and aesthetics are superb and companies can choose from an extensive range of variants. it redefines the benchmark for everyone else to follow.

Pick-uP of the year winner:

isuzu D-Max William brown (left), general manager, isuzu uk, receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi capital commercial Vehicle solutions

judges’ comments highly commended ■ ford ranger

finalists

■ mitsubishi l200 ■ toyota hilux

there is little to split the top two pick-ups, but the d-max’s five-year/125,000-mile warranty and two-year service interval, plus competitive running costs, swayed the decision. We were also impressed by the 3.5-tonne towing limit while strong sales over the past year is further evidence of how much this pick-up appeals to fleets. the d-max has the ruggedness required for a multitude of fleet roles but also appeals to drivers with its easy driving style and comfortable seats.

chassis cab of the year winner:

Vauxhall Movano

highly commended

■ iveco daily ■ mercedes-benz sprinter

finalists

■ fiat ducato ■ renault master

32 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

richard collier (left), national commercial vehicle and b2b sales manager, Vauxhall motors, is presented with the award by jon lawes, managing director, hitachi capital commercial Vehicle solutions

judges’ comments Vauxhall has put a fresh focus on conversions in the past year which helped it to secure this award for the second consecutive time. With the widest range of chassis cab options and configurations on the market, movano benefits from high payload capacity, front- and rear-wheel drive options, and very strong total cost of ownership. the two-year servicing schedule and three-year/100,000-mile warranty will appeal to fleets, as will the excellent back-up support from the dealer network.

award sponsors

Fleet manuFacturer oF the year sebastiano Fedrigo (left), director, Fiat professional, receives the award from jon lawes, managing director, hitachi capital commercial Vehicle solutions

winner:

Fiat Professional judges’ comments highly commended ■ mercedes-Benz

Finalists ■ Ford ■ Vauxhall

last year’s highly commended fleet manufacturer secures top spot after further improvements in product quality and manufacturer support for fleets and the broader fleet sector. it was a tough decision between the top two, but Fiat’s incredible commitment to fleet, excellent model range and willingness to act on fleets’ views made it a worthy winner. the judges pointed to innovations such as Fiat’s parts supply policy which is reducing downtime, and the fact that its vehicles and engines form the basis for many other manufacturers’ own models.

Fleet management and leasing company oF the year winner: Arval

highly commended ■ Bt Fleet ■ leaseplan

Finalists ■ ge capital ■ hitachi

andy Fuller, corporate sales director, arval, receives the award from tracey perry, corporate sales manager, Fiat professional

judges’ comments arval shows genuine engagement of van fleets with new and innovative products and a degree of flexibility that stands out in this category. the judges noted its toolboxes and safety forum, and praised its approach to alternative fuels as in-depth and well-rounded. the process of refocusing its van activities has come to fruition.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 33

award sponsors

Technology iniTiaTive of The year winner:

Ari Fleet UK

highly commended ■ Bca

finalisTs

■ smartWitness ■ Telogis

jason chamberlain, director of sales, ari fleet uK, is presented with the award by Tracey Perry, corporate sales manager, fiat Professional

judges’ commenTs ari’s management software is a step-change for the industry, particularly with its back office integration from third-party suppliers. it responds to fleet needs with a cradle-to-grave solution. There has been lots of talk about big data – this is big data for the fleet sector.

BesT neW ProducT or service winner:

Manheim Commercial Vehicles for Simulcast2

james davis, director of commercial vehicles, manheim, is presented with the award by Tracey Perry, corporate sales manager, fiat Professional

judges’ commenTs finalisTs

■ arval for its light commercial vehicle specifier ■ hitachi for its Trade ready solutions ■ smart Witness for its KP1 journey recorder

34 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

a multimedia approach that is an innovative roll-out of technology. manheim has a clear vision of how to evolve its product and develop the system in the future. highly customer-focused and a real benefit to van fleets.

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award sponsors

Customer serviCe winner:

Manheim Commercial Vehicles

james davis, director of commercial vehicles, manheim, receives the award from tracey Perry, corporate sales manager, Fiat Professional

judges’ Comments

Finalists ■ Halfords ■ Kwik-Fit

Clear and visionary with a real commitment to improving standards. the judges were impressed with manheim’s passion for its people and personal accreditation initiative. its customer charter, training and use of technology show it is moving with the times, while its cross-function working initiative helps staff to get a real understanding of all parts of the business, which serves only to further benefit customers.

van rental ComPany oF tHe year winner: SHB Hire

HigHly Commended ■ Burnt tree vehicle rental

Finalists

■ europcar group uK ■ thrifty Car and van rental

36 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

Paul street, managing director, sHB Hire, receives the award from tracey Perry, corporate sales manager, Fiat Professional

judges’ Comments among a shortlist of the highest quality, sHB Hire stood out thanks to its diverse range of vehicles. it is dominant in its sector but still strives for innovation to take the industry forward. the company has a comprehensive approach to alternative fuels, looking at everything from its own business to its supply chain. sHB Hire has restructured its business and is clear on the benefits for itself and its customers.

TWO WINNING REASONS to choose Manheim Commercials

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Supplier of the year winner: SHB Hire

highly Commended ■ Bt fleet ■ Kwik-fit

finaliStS

nicky Simpson (left), commercial director, ShB hire, is presented with the award by tracey perry, corporate sales manager, fiat professional

judgeS’ CommentS the judges praised ShB hire’s honesty in its approach to the market. it has introduced initiatives resulting from feedback from customers, which shows it engages and listens to fleets. adaptable and diverse with clear examples of continuous improvement, ShB hire is a progressive business that is driving forward improvement – a real positive for fleets.

■ lex autolease

green Van fleet of the year winner: dave edwards (left), senior fleet manager, openreach, receives the award from Barry Beeston, corporate sales director, nissan motor gB

BT Group

judgeS’ CommentS

finaliStS

■ gateshead Council ■ university of Birmingham

38 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

Bt group’s sheer breadth of green activities wowed the judges. Showing outstanding results, the company recognises that ‘going green’ is not just about new developments, but also making best use of existing technology. Bt group’s ability to make continual progress in a business of its size shows a clear top-down commitment to the environment.

award sponsors

Safe van fleet of the year winner: Speedy Hire

ian leonard (left), group fleet services manager, Speedy hire, receives the award from alan Peart, enterprise account director, trimble field Service Management

juDGeS’ coMMentS finaliStS

■ city of london corporation ■ clancy Group ■ Gateshead council ■ iron Mountain ■ Wakefield & District housing

excellent initiatives with no stone left unturned, Speedy hire has an impressive attention to detail. its robust process management means there are no gaps for drivers to fall through – if you work for Speedy, you will comply with its policies. the company is a real leader for safety in the van sector with policies and processes that every fleet could adopt irrespective of size.

van fleet of the year – buSineSS ServiceS

winner: Speedy Hire

Mark Woodworth (left), logistics project manager, Speedy hire, is presented with the award by Simon benson, operations and business development director, halfords autocentres

juDGeS’ coMMentS finaliStS

■ auto electrical Services ■ Siemens

With comprehensive fleet policies that focus on cost, safety and the environment, Speedy Group is an extremely well-run fleet that is constantly innovating with real, demonstrable positive outcomes. the judges described its reduction in vehicle off-road times as spectacular.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 39

Van fleet of the year – construction & building

winner: Travis Perkins adam baillie (left), group fleet manager, travis perkins, is presented with the award

by Mark lovett, head of commercial vehicles, leaseplan uK

judges’ coMMents finalists

■ the clancy group ■ skanska

travis perkins shows a continuous commitment to safety in a high-pressure environment. constantly innovating and improving, this is a complex fleet that never rests on its laurels. outstanding.

Van fleet of the year – public sector & bluelight

winner: west Midlands Ambulance Service

tony page (left), general manager fleet, West Midlands ambulance service, receives the award from john collins, national sales director, enterprise flex-e-rent

judges’ coMMents finalists

■ city of london corporation ■ east ayrshire council ■ open university ■ Wakefield & district housing ■ Wiltshire council

40 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

to see such impressive results on a very high profile fleet is amazing. innovations such as the ‘Make ready’ model which reduces downtime are highly innovative while adding 4x4 ambulances to reduce the need for air ambulances shows original thinking. Well-managed processes have resulted in one of the safest ambulance fleets in the country.

award sponsors

image gallery For more Fleet Van awards images go to: www.fleetnews.co.uk/vans/awards2014

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 41

Van fleet of the year – transport & logistics

winner: network rail

stephen duffy (left), business support manager – road fleet, network rail, is presented with the trophy by ian hughes, commercial director, Zenith

judges’ coMMents

finalists

network rail’s 12 life-saving rules elevate this fleet above its peers. incredible attention to detail across the fleet, from automatic speed limits when towing to a faultless reallocation policy, is aligned to sensible, practical thinking and results in huge cost savings. a worthy winner.

■ iron Mountain

Van fleet of the year – utilities

winner:

alistair patterson (left), fleet manager, national grid, receives the award from dave Bowen, managing director, Bt fleet

national Grid

judges’ coMMents

finalists

■ hVMs ■ Kelly fleet services

42 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

after collecting a highly commended in this category last year, national grid goes one better after 12 months of innovation and achievement. it ticks all the right boxes for cost management, green management and managing risk in a comprehensive approach to running a fleet. the judges commended national grid’s auditing of its supplier partners, its van score cards which measure manufacturer cost of ownership and its van specification process which engages driver feedback.

award sponsors

Van fleet manager of the year winner:

rory morgan (left), national logistics general manager, iron mountain, is presented with the trophy by Ben creswick, business development director, fmg

rory Morgan, iron Mountain Judges’ comments finalists

■ larry Bannon, nhs Blood & transplant ■ Paul tate, siemens ■ John Blakeley, clancy group ■ dermot coughlan, Kelly group ■ alistair Patterson, national grid

rory morgan is consistently at the vanguard of new initiatives as he drives forward the iron mountain fleet. he has achieved great success in a short period of time, but continues to keep the pressure on. morgan’s stamina and desire to keep looking for incremental gains is admirable. he is an influence across the industry and also internally by sharing best practice across iron mountain’s european fleet. he is a figurehead for the fleet and a role model for others.

fta Van excellence lifetime achieVement award winner:

Gary whittam

gary whittam (right) receives the award from rory morgan, national logistics manager, iron mountain, and chairman of Van excellence governance group

Judges’ comments gary whittam is an industry legend. he worked his way through the ranks at ford, starting as a technical apprentice before retiring as commercial vehicles director. he was involved with establishing the transit as the market leader and has influenced many of the vehicle standards and levels of equipment we now take for granted. fta

Van excellence owes a lot to him. he helped develop the standards and lent the scheme significant credibility in its formative years. his unrivalled knowledge helped crystallise the development of the Van excellence code while his reputation opened doors for Van excellence to grow into the industry scheme it is today.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 43

Advertisement feature

LCV values still on a high as supplies remain scarce verage values for light commercial vehicles remained at near record levels in September, according BCA’s latest Pulse report, as professional buyers competed strongly for the stock on offer and supplies of retail-ready vans continued to be scarce.

The average van at BCA sold for £5,560 in September, the third highest monthly average value on record.

Compared to August, part-exchange values increased, while fleet & lease and nearly-new values declined. Year-on-year values remain well ahead by £402 (7.7%), with age falling and mileage static.

Performance against CAP was down by just over a point compared to 2013.

BCA’s general manager – Commercial Vehicles, Duncan Ward, commented: “There can be little doubt that the improving economic background is giving a boost to the used LCV market and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain positive about future prospects. The shortage of good retail quality stock is

A

The average van at BCA sold for £5,560 in September, the third highest monthly average value on record

“The shortage of good retail quality stock is helping keep values firm and competition is high for well-presented vans” Duncan Ward, BCA

helping to keep values firm and competition is high for well-presented vans in good colours.”

He added: “We are now moving into the time of year when the demand for parcel, courier and delivery vans of all types and capacities starts to ramp up, and this will help to keep values firm over the coming weeks.”

£6,550 in September, with CAP performance improving by half a point to 103.5% and retained value against Manufacturer Recommended Price falling slightly compared to August at 36.26%.

Year-on-year, values were up by £142 (2.2%), with performance against CAP down by one and half points on 2013.

Fleet and lease

Part-exchange

Values for fleet and lease LCVs averaged

Part-exchange LCV values improved by £113 (3.1%) in September, reversing three months of decline to reach an average of £3,691.

CAP average comparisons improved by two points to 106.1% and continue to outperform the fleet & lease sector. Year-onyear values remain ahead by £182 or 5.1%, with the average van being both older and higher mileage in 2014.

All LCVs 2012-2014 £6,000

£5,000

Nearly-new £4,000

Sep

Aug

Jun

July

Apl

May

Mar

Jan

Feb

Dec

Oct

Nov

Sep

Aug

Jun

July

Apl

May

Mar

Jan

Feb

Dec

Oct

Nov

Aug

Sept

£3,000

Nearly-new LCV values averaged £12,729 in September with CAP comparisons falling slightly to 99.28% over the month. As always, this has to be taken in the context of the very low volumes reaching the market and the model mix factor.

Europe’s No.1 vehicle remarketing company Log on to bca.co.uk or call 0844 875 3480

rem a rk e t ing

Lack of supply sees used values continue to increase Demand remains strong for retail quality stock as auction hall action hots up

By Trevor Gehlcken he temperatures might be falling as autumn hits the Uk, but things are hotting up in the van auction halls as demand for used vehicles shows no sign of slowing down. at manheim auctions, the average value of vans sold during September was £4,692, which is £438 or 10.3% higher in comparison with the previous year, according to manheim’s market analysis. this rise in values is despite an increase of one month in average age and 263 miles in average mileage. the month-on-month price remains fairly constant at £4,692, compared with £4,701 in august 2014. the strong values in the used van market are also reflected in the percentage of original new price, manheim’s comparison between the used and new price of vans. this measure shows that vans are currently achieving 28% of their original price, compared to 26% a year ago. manheim’s analysis for September shows that the average selling price of small panel vans grew by 14.8% to £4,733 over the past year. Large panel vans over three tonnes gross vehicle weight saw a rise from £4,815 to £5,335 (10.8%) and car-derived vans increased by £132 to £3,363 over the same period. matthew Davock, head of light commercial vehicles at manheim, believes that van prices will continue to increase as winter approaches.

He says: “the market performance has remained very healthy in recent weeks, but stock shortages have remained a concern, which will maintain demand and prices.

“Vendors are typically enjoying conversion rates of 80%-plus and, when stock profile matches buyer requirements, 100% sales are the norm, even with damaged product being snapped up in the absence of cleaner vans.

“We don’t see any significant changes in volume trends, which will contribute towards a continued strong marketplace for the remainder of the year.”

T

10.3%

increase in year-on-year average values at Manheim

£5,560

average price achieved at BCA in September

For the latest news on the remarketing sector, visit fleetnews.co.uk/ remarketing

average values remained at near-record levels in September, according to BCa’s latest Pulse report, as professional buyers competed strongly for the stock on offer and supplies of retail-ready vans continued to be scarce. the average van at BCa sold for £5,560 in September, the third highest monthly average value on record. Compared to august, part-exchange values increased, while fleet and lease and nearly-new values declined. Year-on-year values remain well ahead by £402 (7.7%), with age falling and mileage static. Performance against CaP was down by just over a point compared to 2013.

Duncan Ward, general manager – commercial vehicles at BCa, says: “there can be little doubt that the improving economic background is giving a boost to the used LCV market, and small and medium-sized enterprises remain positive about future prospects. “the shortage of good retail quality stock is helping to keep values firm and competition is high for well-presented vans in good colours.

“We are now moving into the time of year when the demand for parcel, courier and delivery vans of all types and capacities starts to ramp up, and this will help to keep values firm over the coming weeks.” alex Wright, chairman of national association of motor auctions’s commercial vehicle group, added: “For September we are seeing increased demand across all light commercial vehicle sectors with even 4x4 double-cabs performing somewhat better than seen over the past 12 months.

“However, across most LCV sectors, price levels are approaching a high point in the current cycle. “accordingly, in order to extract the maximum return from each lot, vendors should ensure that they consistently present their stock to its best advantage. “if not, the risk is that trade buyers might soon begin to view such LCVs as being overpriced which would lead inevitably to problems.”

what the experts say

“The market performance has remained very healthy, but stock shortages remain a concern”

“The shortage of retail quality stock is helping to keep values firm and competition is high for well-presented vans”

“Trade buyers might soon begin to view such LCVs as being overpriced which would lead to problems”

Matthew Davock, head of light commercial vehicles, Manheim

Duncan Ward, general manager – commercial vehicles, BCA

Alex Wright, chairman, NAMA Commercial Vehicle Group

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 45

Dun gene – co vehi

Sp oT l igh T: nor T hg aT e

‘We believe the best way to procure a vehicle is rental’ Short- or long-term hire allows firms to focus on their business, says Jon Tobbell

By Simon Harris eing the biggest doesn’t always mean being the best. When dealing with large companies, it is often the case that a customer might feel like a mere number buying from a business which isn’t run with their needs in mind.

But customer service is a matter that northgate takes very seriously. it is by far the biggest player in the van rental market in the UK, but listening to what customers want is very much part of its ethos, says sales and marketing director Jon Tobbell.

The company, which started as noble Self Drive in Darlington in 1981, has grown through acquisition of regional rental companies. it became northgate in 1999 and continued to expand. it now has 72 branches throughout the UK and ireland, but because it grew by adding many different businesses there has been a focus on establishing consistency.

Tobbell says: “Since the credit crunch we’ve been trying to create ‘one northgate’. We’ve brought together iT systems, hr, credit control and so on. “an internal reorganisation in 2012 led us to want to engage with customers more and find out what they really wanted. every quarter we ask 600 customers across all types of rental for feedback on every aspect of the rental journey, from ordering to off-hiring.

“We conduct a very detailed analysis, which is discussed by the board for a couple of hours.” he says bringing together what are effectively 31 different businesses has been a challenge, but feels northgate is succeeding. To ensure customers are retained, he says it has been a priority to communicate to customers exactly what the company does and what to expect when using its services. “as the market leader we see it as our job to set the standard and ensure users know we’re completely trustworthy,” says Tobbell.

The impact of canvassing hundreds of customers regularly has been an enviable ‘net promoter score’ (npS), The customer loyalty metric has risen from 14 to 38, companywide, seeing an increase of 171%.

The average npS score in the UK is currently between five and 10, according to netpromoter.com. northgate’s regional npS has risen from 26 to 51, elevating its performance next to some of the best-performing global brands, according to the company.

Vehicles on hire have increased by 4,500 (10.4%) compared to a reduction of 3,300 in 2013. a 21.2% increase in northgate’s total customer base was recorded

B Jon Tobbell: ‘As market leader, it is our job to set the standard’

“A significant number of customers see rental as a complete method of procurement” Jon Tobbell, Northgate

between April 2013 and April 2014. Tobbell says: “We have 800 more customers than 12 months ago. Our customers range from the typical daily rental user, to those who rent vehicles for well over a year.

“A significant number of customers rent vehicles for three years and they see rental as a complete method of procurement. Between 30% and 40% of our vehicles are built to customers’ specifications, as we can supply shelving and racking, as well as speed-limited vehicles.”

He believes the recession has switched more companies on to long-term rental rather than buying vehicles, or committing themselves to fixed contract hire arrangements.

“We believe the best way to procure a vehicle is by rental,” says Tobbell.

“If you contract hire a vehicle, you’re taking on a three-year risk, or whatever the fleet lifecycle of the vehicle is.

“Best practice for businesses these days is to lease buildings, IT and other services. It’s the same with renting vehicles. It allows customers to maintain their focus on their business – whether its construction, facilities management or being a courier company.”

While many customers have sought to reduce the overall capacity of vans, allowing businesses to take advantage of improved fuel efficiency, Tobbell says there has been a subtle reversal of this trend in 2014.

“Many businesses have become particularly costconscious over the past five years and individuals have become aware of cost and capacity,” he says.

“We’ve seen a trend of downsizing, but as the economy has begun to recover we’ve also seen an element of trading back up during the past six months.”

However, some Northgate customers are keen to achieve savings through fuel efficiency, as well as fulfil commitments to a green agenda.

“Customers requesting speed limiters tend to be completely committed to improving their environmental performance and we often see them specify our telematics package,” says Tobbell.

“They really want to monitor the vehicles on the road and look for ways of reducing fuel use and emissions.

“But for other customers, where perhaps their service level agreements require a level of performance and arriving as soon as possible, there is little interest in speedlimited vans.”

Van operators require exacting levels of service from their providers as their businesses depend on their vehicles ability to perform.

72

number of Northgate branches in the UK and Ireland

21.2%

increase in Northgate total customer base compared to 12 months ago

For more industry profiles, visit: fleetnews.co.uk/vans/ case-studies/

Tobbell says: “The van rental market is very different from car rental. The quality of service is different. Customers need a 24-hour breakdown service 365 days a year.

“We are able to recover most vans there and then 85% of the time and get them on their way again.

“If we can’t fix them then we will get the customer to our nearest branch and provide them with a replacement that is at least big enough to do the job, and we transfer all the equipment to the replacement vehicle. It’s very difficult to get this level of service right and to meet expectations.

“In general, there is more competition in the marketplace now than before, which is a good thing from a service perspective as it encourages all of us to improve and find ways of standing out.”

Earlier this year, a large car rental company acquired a commercial vehicle specialist rental company, which could have implications for van rental customers.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car snapped up commercial vehicle provider Burnt Tree for an undisclosed sum, taking its fleet of vans and trucks to more than 25,000.

The agreement includes Burnt Tree’s fleet of 17,000 vehicles (including vans, HGVs, refrigerated trucks and accessible minibuses) and its proprietary fleet management technologies, as well as 20 branches and 400 employees.

Tobbell says the jury is still out on how the acquisition will affect the market.

“Burnt Tree is a well-respected supplier and a heavilyspecialised operation,” he says. “The challenge for Enterprise Rent-a-Car is whether to let Burnt Tree continue its operations unchanged or whether there is integration, and I think that’s the bit the market is looking at right now.”

Northgate has its own plans to focus on, which include improving its NPS as well as opening more branches.

“We have 10 more planned at the moment,” says Tobbell, “Some within the M25, including Enfield and Dartford. We will be seeking to fill any obvious gaps in the network over the next few years.”

One particular service that is currently being trialled and could become more widespread is an out-of-hours maintenance programme.

Tobbell says: “Van rental customers need to know there will be zero downtime. Their vehicles are mission critical. We currently have 10 branches where we are looking at after hours servicing and MOT. “It sounds almost impossible to have a scenario where there’s no disruption to the customer’s service, but it’s increasingly expected and we have responded to that.”

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 47

IN SIGH T: DRI V ER C OMMUNIC AT ION

Driver consultation is a w Engaging employees can lead to a safer, more efficient fleet

By Catherine Chetwynd river forums play a crucial role in the practicalities, health and safety, and efficiencies of keeping people and vans on the road.

“Getting drivers involved at the outset allows us to identify the correct van type, vehicle specification and the right equipment to undertake the work efficiently and safely, and to ensure customers have spent wisely,” says Marcus Puddy, director of commercial leasing for Lex Autolease.

Consultation is also a courtesy, says Steve Duffy, business support manager for Network Rail. “My goal was to think how I would want to be treated if I was driving a van.

If it was your own vehicle, you would take time to research it – and that was what we did,” he says.

The optimum size of a forum depends on the task in hand and the size of the audience, and can range from four to five drivers up to 20 or more. Inviting a number of disciplines to participate also pays off.

British Gas groups generally include a minimum of six engineers who are chosen by business units, operational

D

LIVE AND IN COLOUR Given the difficulties of staying in touch with a mobile workforce, digital communications can play an important role.

BT provides videos of how to perform daily vehicle safety checks is trialing apps.

Computer-based in-vehicle safety training courses include teaching the skills needed to drive a large vehicle, which is aimed at the company’s many young apprentice drivers, whose experience behind the wheel may be limited to the small car they learned in.

BT is considering a dedicated radio station for sharing information. “It is still a new idea but audio is a way of getting information to engineers, rather than their having to collect it,” says Dave Wallington.

British Gas often communicates engineers’ appointments by text and when a new vehicle is due, the user group is considering using videos to show engineers what it will look like, how to operate the equipment, risk assessments and more.

This knowledge will also speed up the handover process when the engineer transfers equipment from the old van to the new.

Taking advantage of digital communications in a creative and compelling fashion allows those who are spending their day behind the wheel to have a safer, more efficient and more enjoyable time on the road.

48 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

management, frontline managers, a fleet account manager and a fleet engineer. These are taken from across the country and bring the total to between 10 and 12 people.

Fleet user groups also include health and safety, which writes the risk assessment for the vehicles and the equipment, and trade union representation “in case there are some considerations we need to get out to the workforce to support some of the decisions we have made”, says Colin Marriott, general manager at British Gas. BT has a motorists management forum, which looks at motor risk, and technical forums that look at vehicle design specs and procurement – all of which involve the trade union, which nominates people who have a particular interest in the subject.

“They tend to be the most neutral party and if we get them on side, that goes a long way to encouraging other people to accept that the vehicles are good,” says Dave Wallington, group safety advisor at BT. The commercial vehicle users’ forum also includes health and safety, and an environmental contingent.

The primary objective of these groups is to give drivers an effective platform for communicating vital information about the vans they drive, particularly as the requirements of the same vehicle can vary according to the job of the driver and the environment in which they are working.

There is no right set of questions to ask, but they could cover space, such as legroom, headroom or carrying capacity. Other questions may cover a vehicle’s heating, fuel consumption and manoeuvrability. Sometimes something as simple as grab handles to facilitate getting in and out can eradicate a problem.

“You have to be prepared to listen, give them channels either to submit directly or through a proxy like the trade unions,” says Wallington.

“If people are driving around in vehicles they are not comfortable in or if they don’t feel safe, you need to be able to get that intelligence quickly and act on it.”

At British Gas, user groups convene ahead of a van acquisition to define the minimum user requirement, which helps identify the choice of manufacturer.

“The group signs off the customer requirement, so we have physical signatures,” says Marriott. “Buying 1,000 vans represents many millions of pounds worth of

win-win situation

“If we get [trade unions] on side, that goes a long way to encouraging other people to accept that the vehicles are good” Dave Wallington, BT

expenditure, so we have to make sure the customer has agreed we have got the specification absolutely right before we order.”

Part of the user group requirement is that management spends a day with one of the engineers. “It is critical. We learn more doing that than we do round the table. We look at what they carry, how they access equipment, what they access least frequently,” he says.

Feedback has resulted changes in racking design, for example, and British Gas invested in lighting in the back of vans so engineers could see equipment in the middle of winter, which also speeded up service.

In addition, “we have equipped the whole fleet yearround with winter tyres”, says Marriott. “The user group and health and safety helped us make that decision.”

This has improved productivity and customer service because engineers can reach still reach properties when minor roads have not been cleared of snow.

When vans for welders were due for renewal, Network Rail asked welding managers to attend a one-day seminar to discuss the problems they had with the current vehicle.

“It boiled down to weight,” says Duffy. “They needed a vehicle that could carry the equipment without having to worry that it was overloaded.

“We put in axle weight-load indicators and a screen in the cab to tell the driver what the vehicle weighs. If it is

10-12

typical size of a British Gas driver forum

For more best practice, visit fleetnews.co.uk/ vans/bestpractice

within 10% of the gross vehicle weight, the screen turns red to indicate the problem,” he says.

Network Rail went to tender and awarded contracts to a manufacturer and a converter in June 2013. In November last year, the company took a prototype vehicle to 12 locations, spending a day at each one talking to welders and finance, and the converters travelled with them, taking on board comments from welders.

“It worked brilliantly, it was a perfect pitch,” says Duffy.

“We have converted about 200 welding vehicles and they are future-proofed for about two years against the equipment that is coming on to the railway.”

BT runs events to show potential vehicles provided by a number of suppliers and this allows employees to drive them before the company commits to purchase.

In addition, “finance has a big role because they pay the bills, and the internal fleet management department will have their engineers crawl all over the vehicles, looking at in-life costs, etc.,” says Wallington.

Consulting drivers is not only common sense but also reaps rewards for employee and employer alike, both in terms of practical applications and duty of care. It is a rare win-win situation.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 49

dRI v eN

LwB MedIuM ROOF 165 eNeRgy BusINess

ReNauLT MasTeR New engines help revised panel van range remain competitive with class leaders

exterior changes include a new grille

Need To kNow

spec

n Available in either front- or rear-wheel drive variants n decent level of standard equipment n Load volume of 13cu m; payload of 1,530kg

Gross vehicle weight (kg): 3,500 Power (hp/rpm): 165/3,500 Torque (lb-ft/rpm): 265/1,500 Load volume (cu m): 13.0 Payload (kg): 1,530 Comb fuel economy (mpg): 40.4 CO2 emissions (g/km): 184 Price as tested (ex-VAT): £28,900

By Trevor Gehlcken here have been so many new vans launched this year that it is easy to forget that some of the evergreen fleet models have also been revised.

One of these is the Renault Master, which now boasts sharper front-end looks and a series of upgrades that see it continue to be competitive against newer models.

Like the new Ford Transit, the Master is available with either front- or rear-wheel drive in gross vehicle weights ranging from 2,800kg to 4,500kg. Our test model is the 3.5-tonne variant in long wheelbase medium high roof format. Prices start at £21,120 but our test model weighs in at £28,900 as it features a number of added extras.

I always thought the Master was one of the best-looking heavyweights and a few careful alterations have made it even more chic – I particularly like the huge Renault diamond and the silver grille.

It now has two trim levels, Business and Business +. Our test model was the lower spec which will be more popular with fleets.

The cab is high, giving a commanding view of the road, and as the driver’s seat was already among the best in class, there was no need to change it.

There is plenty of lumbar support and while many manufacturers are now trying to make their vans feel more like cars, the upright position of the seat means the Master retains a truck-like feel.

I undertook a six-hour journey and arrived at the other end with no back twinges whatsoever.

T

50 October 2014 fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan

40.4

official combined fuel economy (mpg) of renault Master LwB medium roof 165 energy Business

verdicT Renault has almost been forced into making these changes to the Master with the arrival of the game-changing new Ford Transit, winner of the Fleet Van heavy panel van of the year title. The Master might not quite equal the Transit, but it comes pretty close.

“Even in lower spec format, the Master gets a good level of standard equipment” even in lower spec format, the Master gets a good level of standard equipment. electronic stability control (esC) is standard, along with aBs, grip Xtend, Hill start assist and Trailer swing assist. The cab also sees a daB radio with Bluetooth and a usB port. among the options on our van were reversing sensors at £200 and manual air-conditioning at £800. enterprise versions of the rival Citroën Relay get it as standard. Both come as standard features on Business + models, however.

In the cargo area, our van had ply-lining, which added £400 to the price but is essential to keep the rear-end clean for maximum residual value at selling time. This item includes a non-slip wipe-clean floor.

The front-wheel drive models have a lower loading height than the rear-wheel drive variants, which is worth noting for drivers who have to load and unload many times during the course of the day. The van takes 13 cubic metres of cargo, which can be strapped down with a 10 load lashing eyes dotted around the cargo area.

The Master is smooth and quiet underway and handles with pin-sharp efficiency on the corners. The engine in our test model is new to the range – the 2.3-litre twin-turbo 165hp which, while offering a lot of power, will not be adopted by many fleets. Three other options are on the cards: 110hp, 125hp and 135hp. even with 165hp, the Master has an official combined fuel economy figure of just over 40mpg – 7.3mpg more than the engine it replaces.

long -T erM T e S T

lWB hI-rooF econeTIc 125

ForD TrAnSIT ‘Wow’ factor helps impressive Fleet Van Award-winner attract plenty of plaudits Need To kNow n Transit been trouble-free during test n Impressive build quality n engine is quieter and smoother than before

By Trevor Gehlcken his month I said farewell to our long-term Ford Transit, which has been on our test fleet for the past six months.

During that time, I’ve added about 6,000 miles to the clock, but haven’t had to add a drop of oil or a puff of air in the tyres, while reliability has been 100%.

In the 14 years that we’ve been publishing Fleet Van, I have rarely had a vehicle on test that has elicited so many admiring comments from the general public.

I picked the van up from the official UK launch in spring, so at that time many drivers and operators hadn’t seen one of the new models in the metal before.

An instance a week or two ago typified what people were saying about this van.

I was in Waitrose car park in Southend loading up some shopping when a courier driver in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter pulled up alongside and asked if he could have a quick look round, as he was about to replace his 57-plate van with a new vehicle.

There was nothing wrong with the Sprinter, he told me, but the front-end prices of the new ones were much higher than

A stylish dash and comfortable seats

T

“I have rarely had a vehicle that has elicited so many admiring comments from the public”

New Transit is a High roof bodystyles have an quantum leap forward adverse on fuel economy from its effect predecessor

spec Price (ex-VAT): £26,725 GVW (kg): 3,500kg Power (hp): 125 Torque (lb-ft): 258 Official fuel economy (mpg): 39.2 CO2 emissions (g/km): 192 Cargo volume (cu m): 12.4 Payload (kg): 1,462

37.1

Average fuel economy (mpg) during our test

those of the equivalent Transit and he was tempted towards the blue oval. he looked in the back first and was pleased to see that he could stand up in the cargo area, even though he was more than 6ft tall. he also slammed the side door a few times and was impressed with the solid ‘thwunk’ that emanated from it.

This was particularly important, he told me, as he undertook this manoeuvre about 100 times a day – and some vans just couldn’t take that punishment. he was particularly impressed with the dazzling display of lights in the cargo area, although I did point out that they were a £95 option. “Well, I’d definitely order those then,” he replied.

But what clinched it was when he climbed aboard the cab.

Talk about a ‘wow’ factor.

Supremely comfortable seats and a very stylish dash all met his eye and gained approval.

The last I saw of him, he was heading for the nearest Transit dealer to put in his order. I wonder if they’d consider paying me commission!

Summing up this van, it’s a quantum leap forward from the old version in every way.

The engine is quieter, smoother and more refined, the seats are much more comfortable and the van has a ‘ride on rails’ feel that the old one never had.

In fact, it was named heavy panel van of the year at our 2014 awards (see coverage from page 25).

We’ve also been impressed with the fuel economy figures.

Bearing in mind this is a high-roof long wheelbase 3.5-tonne van so is never really going to shine in the frugality stakes, we managed an average fuel economy figure of 37.1mpg with some round-town driving (so the stop-start system did its best) and a very careful usage of the right foot.

That’s a pretty impressive figure, although it must be added that we rarely filled the Transit with much cargo. With a full load on board and a few hills to climb (it’s pretty flat where I live), this figure is unlikely to be replicated.

The only complaint was that as this van was base spec, we didn’t have air conditioning at a time when we had some pretty hot weather and I had to undertake several six-hour journeys.

After sweltering uncomfortably behind the wheel, I would urge all fleet managers to add this little item to the list at buying time – it really is an essential, not a luxury.

fleetnews.co.uk/fleetvan October 2014 51

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