Go ‘Green’ & Save Money

In the economic recession, all companies are looking for ways to save money and introducing environmental policies can be an easy way to do this. Speed limiters are one way your company could save money. When a vehicle is operated using ‘bad’ driving habits such as speeding, the vehicle runs less efficiently, and is therefore less fuel efficient. Reducing fuel consumption is one of the best ways that companies can save money, and reduce their carbon footprint. Excessive use of speed is also not good for the vehicle’s engine, and if speed limiters are utilised then this can also reduce a company’s vehicle maintenance bill. This is especially useful if vehicles are outside of their warranty period.

Hybrid & Electric Cars

Hybrid and electric cars will be another way that company’s could ‘go green’ in the future. Some businesses have been trialling these types of vehicles, with modest results currently, but the technology behind hybrid and electric cars is developing all the time and they are definitely a technology to watch out for in the future. So far these businesses have found issues with the amount of battery life on the electric cars, but these have been companies that use them for more ‘heavy duty’ work rather than driving between meetings so don’t necessarily let this put you off. If you have had any experience of trailing hybrid or electric cars for your company then we would really like to know your thoughts.

Telematics & Tracking

Companies have found that telematics, or vehicle tracking as it is otherwise known, has provided them with the tools to make positive changes to their cash flow situation and to their ‘green’ credentials. Data from vehicle tracking systems can help companies to identify if any of their drivers are leaving their engines idling whilst they perform their duties. Good examples of a type of business that may have this issue are companies that provide courier and haulage services. Whilst the driver goes to the door to deliver the goods, they may leave the engine running, not thinking of the environmental and financial impact this could make. Employers can identify these drivers and educate them so this behaviour is minimised.

Vehicle tracking can also reduce fuel consumption by helping your drivers to plan their journeys more effectively, so they take the most fuel efficient route to their destination. If this is coupled with driver training then employees may realise that they do not always need to attend ‘face to face’ meetings, and that they could get a positive result by using a communication tool e such as Skype, online meetings or email/phone. This will also make your employees more time efficient and less fatigued, both improving the performance and safety of the driver when they do need to travel.

Vehicle tracking reduces some of the strain on your office staff when they are spending significant amounts of time calling around drivers to ascertain their position, as it allows them to see all trained vehicles on their PC whenever they need the data. This does not have to be monitored constantly, and the majority of solutions provide back data, sometimes over a period of years. The back data can be used to further improve your company’s operational performance by analysing it and using it for ‘best practise’ training. Of course a considerable monetary saving can be made from the ability the tracking solution provides to direct the closest vehicle to an incoming customer request, again saving fuel. All customer service operatives need to do is log onto the tracking system, identify the customer location, and instruct the driver that is closest to them.

Having a strong environmental policy is good for companies in terms of saving money and improving public relations. In recent years there has been an increasing amount of publicity on environmental matters and companies that can show they care about the environment will be looked upon more favourably than companies that haven’t implemented these procedures. However, the main ‘win’ for businesses is the money that they can save.