Cutting the cost of vehicle operation without compromising safety while keeping in mind the need to switch to zero-emission technology where possible and practical requires the ability to juggle a variety of different balls at the same time. Prudent van fleet managers are likely to require help to keep all those balls in the air – and that is where Fleet Operations comes in.
Winner of the 2024 What Van? Fleet Management Company of the Year award, the independent fleet management specialist has helped light commercial operators achieve a 5% TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) saving year-on-year. A healthy £14.1m was saved by its
clients in 2022, it reports.
Its customers clearly appreciate its efforts. The business is achieving a client retention rate of 97% and a CSI (customer satisfaction index) level of 98%, with an average client relationship length of more than 10 years.
The technology it can offer fleets is a major reason for its success. The MOVE driver app is the latest addition to its MOVE software platform, giving van drivers one-stop-shop access to all the information they need to do their jobs.
Among other things, it has reduced the resources required to manage vehicle checks and defects by 90%.
Odometer data recorded by MOVE is being used to identify vehicles whose mileages mean they could be replaced by an electric van. Fleet Operations can work with the fleet concerned to establish the TCO implications of doing so and recommend suitable models.
The company is supporting electric light commercial adoption by arranging free trials of Maxus eDeliver 9s and eDeliver 3s, equipped with telematics systems to establish duty cycles and charge point locations. As a consequence one Fleet Operations client has recently ordered 10 eDeliver 3s that will replace diesel models.
Managing more than 14,000 vehicles, Fleet Operations argues that the statistics it can cite speak for themselves.
Its clients have saved an average of 80% (£170,000) of their fleet management resource costs, increased compliance rates to in excess of 99%, reduced at-fault accidents by 29% and helped 62% of drivers improve their performance behind the wheel. Fuel costs are down by 13% and the resources needed to manage claims arising as a result of on-highway incidents are down by 72%.
As has been observed elsewhere with these awards, however, the ultimate test of an award-winner’s performance is not what it has to say, but what the users of its goods or services have to say.
Chubb supply chain manager Tom Harvey’s opinion of Fleet Operations is as follows: “Fleet Operations has managed our fleet for more than eight years. It delivers a first-class service, helping to keep our maintenance costs down by carefully evaluating the type of repairs needed, and applying the cheapest market prices for labour and parts. The customer service it provides is rated as excellent by 96% of our employees, with its team interacting with every employee to keep them on the road with minimal disruption to our operations.”
“When it comes to monitoring and forecasting costs it produces clear, regular, reports and produces them on time. Most importantly, it adapts to our processes and follows the procedures we have in place to maintain adherence to our policies,” Harvey notes.
Fleet Operations managed to cut Chubb’s fleet TCO by a whopping £760,236 within 12 months; a laudable achievement.
Highly Commended: PVS Group
PVS Group should be applauded for the wide-ranging scope of the services it delivers to light commercial operators.
Legislative and regulatory advice enables fleet managers to keep abreast of the latest laws surrounding licensing, emissions, duty of care and risk management.
Fleet personnel receive much-needed assistance when it comes to procuring vehicles, vehicle conversions, and service, maintenance and repair support. The provision of tyres, fuel cards, telematics packages and vehicle glass repair and replacement is covered too.
PVS Group can also provide advice on finance and help fleets negotiate the best deal with funding suppliers.
Managing director Marcus Puddy set up the firm in 2015 and has developed a platform called e-Data Integrity, so fleet personnel can make sense of the plethora of facts and figures available to them.
The efforts PVS is making are paying off for its customers. Across the 6,000-plus vehicles now under its guidance, the average annual saving per vehicle is over £1,200.
