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Fleet Support Group customers are able to further drive down operating costs as a result of the company signing an additional strategic partnership with risk management organisation Automotional.
Automotional was launched two years ago by road safety experts Andy Neale and Mark Edwards who between them have more than 60 years risk management experience, most of it in the fleet arena.
Automotional’s web-based driver ‘profiler’ is now embedded within FSG’s multi award-winning RiskMaster at-work driving safely solution, while a range of additional services are also available including ‘e-learner’ road safety modules, nationally-available behind-the-wheel training and off-road activities at the company’s Donington Park headquarters.
FSG Chairman Geoffrey Bray said: “Cost management is the single biggest issue facing all businesses and we believe that our partnership with Automotional will bring significant financial returns to clients in the form of fuel and maintenance savings, improved vehicle residual values, reduced insurance premiums and numerous productivity and administration benefits as a result of employees being involved in fewer crashes and driving more smoothly.
“As a business we like to forge partnerships with very well established and respected professionals in specialist areas to enhance our fleet solutions offering to customers and help them to make financial savings and ensure their fleet runs along best practice lines.”
Automotional director and co-founder Mr Neale said: “For most companies, the most significant financial returns as a result of implementing risk management measures are in fuel savings, which we estimate to deliver a minimum budget saving of 7%.
“Introducing at-work driving safety solutions is a no-brainer and organisations get all the other benefits free of charge - health and safety legislation compliance, improved staff morale, reduced absenteeism, administration savings etc.”
Indeed, fleets engaged in the Government-backed Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) programme have achieved MPG improvements of around 16% as a result of encouraging drivers to focus on reducing carbon emissions, improving their fuel efficiency, driving more safely and saving money by using gears better, avoiding over-revving the engine and maintaining a better distance from vehicles in front by not dabbing at the brakes, as well as better road awareness. Other benefits for businesses include prolonging vehicle life.
Mr Neale added: “Our ‘profiler’ is completely flexible and can be tailored to the individual needs of each business. Unlike most driver ‘profilers’ we do not fix the parameters to identify ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ risk drivers.”
He claims that most ‘profilers’ will identify high-mileage drivers as ‘high’ risk, but in some cases, particularly if employees are experienced drivers, that may not be true. Instead, he argues, young drivers travelling low mileages may present the most significant road safety dangers.
Mr Neale said: “We will analyse the potential risks with clients and then will bespoke the ‘profiler’ to determine the extent of the risk among drivers. We don’t risk-rate employees; we provide the assessment tool and link it to clients’ criteria.”
Having determined the extent of drivers’ risk exposure, a variety of targeted interventions are available from Automotional that will significantly improve individual driver safety. In addition, FSG customers will have access to ‘profiler’ data.
The cost of Automotional is included within the overall RiskMaster solution, which as its focal point provides employees with a Permit to Drive following a DVLA licence check and creates an individual and comprehensive Driver Operating Life Report from which data is used to continually assess individual drivers in their driving-at-work activity.
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