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Safe drivers value their vehicles with fleet maintenance costs cut by thousands of pounds as fierce acceleration and harsh braking is confined to the past, according to an analysis by Fleet Support Group of some of the more than 50,000 vehicles on its books.
With the economic turmoil putting fleet cost control under boardroom spotlight, the independent fleet management company says some companies are ‘rewarding’ vehicle abuse by failing to risk-manage their drivers and continuing to employ them.
Maintenance cost comparisons undertaken by FSG highlight that fleets that have introduced the company’s occupational road risk management solution, RiskMaster, were saving up to almost £6,000 per vehicle on a typical replacement cycle compared with businesses that had turned a blind eye to the potential cash benefits.
For example, maintenance cost comparisons on two Ford Transit 2.4 TD LWB vehicles operated on four-year/90,000-mile replacement cycles revealed that, over 64,000 miles, one driver clocked up maintenance bills totalling £8,595. A second driver, over 61,000 miles, clocked up bills of £2,617. The pence per mile (PPM) cost for those two identical vehicles was 13.43p versus 4.29p - a difference of £5,978.
Similarly, data uncovered for two Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTis operated over three years/90,000 miles highlighted one employee clocking up maintenance bills totalling £4,721 over 86,000 miles, while a second driver, who was being ‘managed’ through RiskMaster saw their vehicle cost £1,325 to maintain over 94,000 miles - a difference of £3,396 with PPM figures of 5.49 and 1.41 respectively.
Finally, an analysis of maintenance costs relating to two Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTis managed over three years/90,000 miles by FSG revealed one vehicle costing £6,146 to maintain over its 92,000-mile lifecycle, while a second car being driven by a RiskMaster ‘managed’ employee cost £2,841 over 99,000 miles - a difference of £3,305 with PPM figures of 6.68 and 2.87 respectively.
FSG chairman Geoffrey Bray, who has mounted a long-running road safety crusade since the launch of RiskMaster eight years ago, said: “Different drivers, similar vehicles, hugely different costs to operate, and all because companies are failing to keep a tight rein on expenditure.
“Fleet decision-makers and boards of directors have it within their control to take steps that will significantly reduce vehicle operating costs without impacting in any way on the efficiency of their operation. However, some businesses are simply throwing money away. That is unforgivable at any time, but even more so given the onset of recession as the UK enters 2009.”
Mr Bray added: “Occupational road risk management is about the continuous management of people. If the right actions are taken legal compliance will be achieved, companies will be able to claim the moral high ground and costs will significantly reduce.”
The focal point of RiskMaster is a ‘Permit to Drive’, which means each driver and vehicle annually passing a rigid ‘fit for the road’ examination with quarterly online driver declarations about licences and health status - to ensure employers are completely aware of all issues affecting their drivers. Failure to reply can mean withdrawal of a driver’s ‘permit’.
Typically a ‘Permit to Drive’ is granted following a DVLA licence check, and an online driving assessment that is then used as the basis for any training as highlighted by the assessment, profiling drivers as ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’ risk. Vehicle maintenance records, insurance details and any data on crashes and motoring offences are also fed into the system.
As information is supplied, it is analysed by the RiskMaster software system, which then point-scores a driver’s data. If points rise above a preset level, management is alerted. A driver can qualify for a permit, or a temporary permit, or be denied.
The analysis is a continual process so every driver has a ‘Driver Operating Life Report’ and they are simultaneously measured against their employer’s own specific parameters. Earlier this year a telematics option was added to RiskMaster.
Mr Bray concluded: “RiskMaster is not a cost, it is an investment. It ensures compliance with all health and safety at-work driving legislation and is proven to save companies money.”
RiskMaster is presently being given a radical overhaul and will become even more flexible and adaptable in meeting fleet demands with the launch of RiskMaster II in the first quarter of 2009.
Fleet Support Group (FSG) is the largest independent vehicle management company in the UK and looks after approximately 50,000 vehicles.
The well-established organisation based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, has gained an enviable reputation within the industry by continually concentrating on delivering a consistent, quality service embracing full vehicle acquisition and disposal, vehicle outsourcing, fleet management, risk management and work-related road safety, maintenance management, accident management, breakdown recovery, short-term car rental and truck management.
Within the FSG team, there is significant industry experience and qualifications across the range of services provided. This in turn is supported by an in-house IT operation which is continuously upgrading the internal systems and applications to ensure that, by innovation and product development, FSG leads the field in the provision of vehicle management.
For further information contact: FSG chairman Geoffrey Bray on 0844 8000 700