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16.08.2008 Fleets need to incentivise commercial drivers to drive down fuel costs and emissions, say Lysanda

  • Fuel savings of 15-20% are possible through changing driver behaviour
  • Driver incentives will help improve staff retention

Giving commercial drivers a financial incentive to change their driving style to reduce fuel use is the only way fleets are going to drive down their impact on the environment, according to Lysanda.

The emissions software specialist sees it as the only way to change their driving behaviour as the professional driver has to overcome ever more demanding driver conditions to deliver their goods or people on time and within their relevant driver hour limits.

If drivers knew they were going to receive a share of the fuel cost savings they achieved, Lysanda is confident they would change their driving style immediately. Introducing this type of initiative could also address the ever present problem faced by operators of recruiting and retaining reliable drivers. Having extra money in their pay packet each month would give them more of an incentive to stay at a job in the current economic conditions. And it’s a bonus scheme over which they would have direct control.

Van drivers who may be earning less than £20,000 may wonder why they should make an effort to save fuel, when it benefits their bosses financially, but not them”, explains Simon Harris, Lysanda’s Marketing Director. “They read press reports of fat cat wages and rising company profits at a time when their net wage is going backwards. “Offering a share of the money saved when fuel bills drop means that, as well as helping the environment and putting less of a strain on the fleet budget, drivers get a regular bonus in their wallet. It could even help increase employee loyalty.”

Lysanda has fast become an expert in this area as more and more fleets are approaching them to help find ways of monitoring emissions on the move to regulate driving behaviour. Its Eco-LogTM on-board software gathers data about the way a vehicle is being operated while the vehicle is in use, and transmits it back to the fleet management centre, and can also present it to the driver in the their cab.

This enables operators to identify, in real time, the actual level and composition of a vehicle’s emissions and allows the driver to modify their driving to bring those emissions down, reducing fuel consumption in the process. Eco-LogTM is also able to calculate the amount of fuel consumed wasted on a given journey, compared to what was strictly required (taking into account variables such as gradient, load and traffic conditions).

“For this to work, it has to be backed with driver information or training so they know how to bring down their fuel consumption,” says Harris, “and it has to be clearly established and implemented. It could, for example, be written into a driver’s contract, or an employer could run a competition amongst its drivers, with prize money going to the most fuel-efficient driver that quarter.”

Such a scheme could work across the commercial sector. An operator with a fleet of 100 light trucks and vans covering an average of 950 km a week could, after the cost of the Eco-LogTM units is deducted, see annual savings of £250,000 to split with its drivers. This amounts to around £100 per month per driver.

Harris talks more about staff retention. “This is a sector which traditionally sees a high staff turnover, with some drivers moving from job to job, lured by better working conditions or a fatter pay packet. And this presents a real problem to employers trying to maintain a consistent service. By providing the necessary training to help drivers bring down fuel consumption, investing in equipment to accurately monitor that consumption, and allowing drivers to benefit equally with the company from the resulting savings, the fleet manager should have a happier – and more committed – workforce.”

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