Driving for Better Business

Auto Windscreens has changed its options for company cars so that all new choices are electric and will have a fully electrified car fleet by 2026. Its van fleet will also be electrified, but the roadmap is still being finalised. Although Shaun has identified an eLCV with sufficient range, the company needs a range of bespoke external racks, wet weather canopies and a power source for equipment, all of which could affect range and payload. It will start conducting live trials as soon as suitable vehicles are available. Its target is to reach net zero by 2045.

The company has carefully managed its fuel usage and mileage, concentrating on specific focus areas such as:

• Better driver behaviour
• Less idling
• Better job density on journeys.

“We have educated drivers about the value of fuel, putting the monetary cost in terms of real-world purchasing power,” says Shaun, “as well as its impact on emissions. We put pounds and pence in front of them and ask: what could you buy with that? It’s a real eye-opener, and helps support our requests to cut idling and drive more sensitively.”

Although the company has not yet seen a reduction in premiums because of inflation, its premiums have held steady. In 2019 its incidents per 100,000 miles stood at 2.8, compared to 1.7 at the end of 2022. Its claims cost has dropped by 19% since 2019. The type and severity of incident has changed, with the majority of incidents now being low speed manoeuvres, which involve some vehicle damage but no injury. Impacts at junctions, and rear end collisions have reduced. Shaun attributes much of the improvement to the extensive training the company conducted around issues like tailgating, safe pulling-out and distracted driving. Low speed manoeuvres will continue to be a future focus for the fleet in terms of education and training.

Another tack the company has taken is to upgrade its Transit Custom vans to the Transit Trend, which offers far greater driver comfort. They are also equipped with ADAS technology, including emergency braking, lane assist and speed sign recognition. This has brought multiple benefits including:

• Better staff retention
• A greater sense of pride and ‘ownership’ in the vehicle
• Drivers seeing the vehicle as their ‘place of work’
• A more attractive recruitment offer
• The on-road benefits of ADAS.

Use our free Driving for Better Business Benchmarking tool to find out how your fleet compares to others in the industry, and to the current best practice standards. See how your organisation compares in the following areas: - How many incidents your fleet is involved in - How much these incidents cost - Your fleet’s maintenance & fuel costs