Category: Press Release

Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) could be the key environmentally positive fuel for fleets as electric van and truck sales continue to almost flatline, believes FleetCheck.

Barrie Wilson, commercial fleet consultant at the fleet software specialist, said that as the majority of the commercial vehicle market was persistently rejecting electrification, greener alternatives needed to be identified.

“There are a huge number of fleets who want to make more environmentally friendly choices but are finding electric vehicle adoption somewhere between difficult and impossible because of range, payload, cost and charging compromises.

“These operators are actively looking for better options. HVO offers a greener option than diesel and can be used in most existing vehicles with the minimum of disruption.

“The general claim made is that it offers a net 90% reduction in carbon emissions. This is something of great value for businesses that have carbon reporting obligations and need to include their transport activities.”

There were a range of disadvantages to HVO that could not be ignored, Barrie said, but many of these had little impact on day-to-day vehicle operations.

“The big downside from an environmental point of view is that HVO is not a clean air option. Its carbon reductions are expressed across the lifecycle, so it has no benefits on a local emissions basis.

“Another issue is that not all manufacturers will honour their warranty if HVO is used in a van or truck. It’s worth checking out the OEM advice, even if you are only planning to use the fuel in older vehicles, but the vast majority can switch from diesel with no impact.”

HVO was starting to appear at more filling stations, he added, with UK Fuels recently adding it to 45 of their outlets.

“Availability is increasing and on a localised basis, many fleets will probably find its adoption viable although if there is no local retailer, you can just use diesel anyway. They’re fully mixable in any ratio. The main issue at the pump is cost – we’re seeing prices around 20 pence per litre more than diesel, which is a considerable difference.

“However, for fleets who are looking for a fuel that enables them to move away from diesel in a greener manner until they feel that electrification is more practical, it does represent a genuine option. We believe it could be the key transitional fuel of the next few years for commercial vehicles, especially if prices can be reduced.

“It’s certainly possible to foresee a situation where operators sidestep the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate in the medium term by continuing to operate their existing fleet on HVO.”

A time saving of 12 weeks annually is being claimed by the fleet team at Broad Oak Property following the adoption of FleetCheck software.

The Staffordshire-based business, which has a 170-vehicle fleet centred on 3.5 tonne vans, is using the company’s Professional level product to replace a range of spreadsheets.

Andy Gill, group facilities manager, said: “Using spreadsheets worked for us initially but became hugely labour-intensive. We relied on the correct data being manually inputted and it reached the point that our fleet grew that big, that fast, that it became unmanageable. If a member of our team forgot to input something, the whole process would break down.

“Switching to FleetCheck has massively simplified our task management. Thanks to automated workflows and centralised data, plus a traffic light system of alerts, our team is saving around two hours daily, equating to reclaiming 12 weeks annually. It’s a massive saving in resources.”

He added that the move to specialist software had also enabled Broad Oak to take a more strategic view of its fleet, rather than just concentrating on day-to-day tasks.

“As a business, we’ve been expanding rapidly in recent years, and just keeping the fleet on the road has become an increasingly time-consuming part of our facilities management in terms of booking services, monitoring compliance and more. Day-to-day fleet management was taking up more and more of their time.

“Now, 90% of fleet functions happen automatically and the workflow is much, much smoother. By automating key tasks such as storing invoices, tracking odometer readings, and scheduling services and MOTs, we’ve streamlined processes, gained real-time insights, and improved our operational foresight.”

Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “Broad Oak is an excellent example of a business whose fleet activities were being held back by their reliance on spreadsheets and who have been able to quantify the resulting savings from adopting fleet software.

“In a very real sense, as a company in our market, the primary competitors are not other fleet software providers but invariably spreadsheets. Many businesses bump along using increasingly unwieldy spreadsheets to manage their vehicles but ultimately, they are just becoming less and less efficient at daily tasks and have little overall operational insight.

“As Broad Oak have explained, switching to specialist software can bring about huge time savings but, perhaps more importantly, it provides the means to take a step back and make the strategic decisions that every fleet needs. We’re very pleased to welcome them on board as a customer.”

“Tinkering” by the Government will not be enough to solve issues surrounding the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, believes FleetCheck.

With the official consultation into the regulations now open, Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, says that more radical action is needed.

“The core problem with the ZEV Mandate is that there is a wide mismatch between real world demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and the artificially inflated supply that the policy creates. Any changes need to bridge that gap, which is especially apparent in the van sector.

“However, the leaked government ideas that we have seen in the press so far – allowing mild hybrids to stay on sale for longer, adding EVs made for export into manufacturer figures, or combining electric car and van sales – look more like window dressing. They might move the percentage targets a couple of points but don’t tackle the fundamental demand-supply issue.

“Really, what has been reported amounts to little more than tinkering and are unlikely to help resolve the problems facing manufacturers in any substantial manner.”

Peter said that the government appeared to be determined to maintain current ZEV Mandate quotas and in doing so, needed to acknowledge that more radical action is needed.

“Labour appears to have a strong political and ethical commitment to the targets and there is nothing wrong with that. Almost everyone acknowledges that transport has its part to play in reducing carbon emissions.

“However, the market needs much higher levels of support if those targets are going to be met. That might mean a 50% reduction on VAT for EVs, as the SMMT has suggested, or some other form of substantial subsidy.”

A deep underlying issue, he added, was that the infrastructure needed to be radically upgraded for people without the potential to install off-street charging.

“Estimates vary but something like 30-40% of people living in terraced housing or apartments can’t install their own charger. Probably the only local options available to them are a couple of expensive, high-speed chargers at their local petrol station and some cheaper but much slower ones at their nearest big supermarket.

“These people are being effectively excluded from the EV market and won’t be able to genuinely consider moving out of their petrol or diesel vehicle until low-cost charging is made available on their street. This needs to change – and quickly. People cannot electrify unless it is made practical for them.”

A 31% increase in vehicle checks to almost seven million was recorded by FleetCheck in 2024.

In total, 6,836,225 driver inspections of cars, vans and trucks were carried out using the company’s apps, with 323,380 faults identified and rectified as a result – up by 14% over the previous year.

The company also saw 3,338 driver collisions and other incidents recorded – an increase of 24%, while 132,045 driver licence checks were completed, growing by 15%.

Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “These statistics relate directly to our products but we’ve released them because we believe they are indicative of an increasing commitment to risk management by the fleet sector as a whole.

“Last year was a good one for us as a company and the key reason in terms of attracting new customers was safety. More and more companies want to adopt digital solutions that allow them to manage their safety inspection needs both to meet their legal compliance obligations and to reduce accident rates from a cost and ethical viewpoint.

“They’re also making use of more advanced technology. For example, the increase in driver collisions and other incidents we’ve recorded is most likely because there’s more use of functionality that allows employees to record details and images that are sent directly to the core fleet management platform. We’re definitely seeing deeper dives into data.”

FleetCheck signed 495 new fleets in 2024, an increase of 28% compared to 2023, and saw a rise in the number of customers it has held for five years or longer rise to 365, up by 141%.

Peter said: “It’s gratifying to maintain our growth trajectory of recent years but also deeply satisfying to see our long-term customer retention figures rising so rapidly. We’re not just signing up users to FleetCheck but they are staying with us in the long-term.”

Easy access to a range of online van fleet driver safety tools is being provided by a new partnership between FleetCheck and Highways England’s Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team.

Driver information cards and online modules created by Highways England are being made accessible through the FleetCheck Driver app, which has been used by fleets totalling almost 260,000 vehicles and related assets to carry out over 28 million inspections since its introduction in 2017.

Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “These resources enable van operators to provide key advice and information to their drivers in an easy-to-understand format.They help to promote essential safety guidelines, reduce costs, improve operating conditions, and ensure vehicles are safe and legal – all while supporting driver wellbeing.”

“To see which employees have seen and understood each section, all app users need to do is view the read receipts to confirm they’ve engaged with and understood the content. It adds a valuable layer to their compliance tracking.”

The Driver app is designed to streamline vehicle inspection processes for smaller fleets, removing the need for manual paper trails while also providing additional features such as fit to drive declarations, fuel purchase details and incident reporting.

Peter said: “The new enhancements we’ve made here are very much in line with the best practice ethos that is at the heart of the Driver app, helping to improve operating conditions, ensure safe and legal vehicles, and promote driver wellbeing at all times. We expect take-up among our van operator users to be high.”

“As a business, we have a longstanding relationship with Highways England and are pleased to be able to integrate their content into our products in this manner. It’s all about trying to make fleet operations as safe as possible for all.”

New, six-point guidance for fleets who are extending the replacement cycles on their van fleets has been launched by FleetCheck.

Barrie Willson, commercial fleet consultant at the fleet software specialist, explained the advice had been created in response to customers who were operating vehicles for longer and seeking advice.

“There’s a couple of trends at play here. One is that many fleets have learnt, post-Covid, that modern vans can be operated economically and safely for longer periods that previously thought. Three-five year replacement cycles are being stretched by a couple of years or more.

“The other is more recent. Some fleets are finding the drive towards electric vans impractical for reasons of range, payload and charging infrastructure, so are actively planning to hang onto their diesel vans for longer.”

The FleetCheck six-point plan says:

• Adhere to manufacturer servicing recommendations
• Ensure vehicles undergo a full technician inspection at least once a year, especially if they have a 24-month service interval
• Action any vehicle recall notices promptly
• Create a policy for pre-use checks and defect management, ensuring drivers have been trained effectively and that compliance is monitored
• Regularly review your driving for work policy to ensure drivers understand their responsibilities
• Analyse maintenance spend by vehicle and driver, and act on those trends

Barrie said: “Really, it’s a question of fleets recognising that the maintenance regime they have used for shorter replacement cycles needs a serious upgrade if they are going to keep vehicles for longer.

“Operators who didn’t previously need to worry about a timing belt change at 100,000 miles, for example, will now need to do so. It should be factored into SMR schedules and some will now need to change the belt twice before eventually defleeting that vehicle.

“Manufacturer recalls, common for brakes, fuel systems, airbags and more, will become more problematic if ignored, while MOT advisory notes will be more common as vehicles age and should be taken seriously rather than treated as advice that can be deferred. Failure to fix these issues promptly will store up problems for the future.”

He added that a strong pre-use vehicle check policy would help ensure that small problems were identified before they become bigger.

“Pre-use checks are the first line of defense against developing problems. Underinflated tyres can burn additional fuel and handle dangerously, and oil leaks become wrecked engines. Checks are a vital part of keeping older, high-mileage vehicles on the road.”

Specialist software could play a vital part in applying these six points to fleets, Barrie said.

“For most operators, fleet management software is the best way to manage extended replacement cycles. For example, our systems automatically flag up manufacturer recalls from the DVLA web site and also provides work-related road risk policy templates.

“Monitoring and analysis of maintenance and repairs for older vehicles through software is an essential part of keeping them on the road as well as implementing the policy enhancements needed to make sure drivers are safe and vehicles efficient.

“Finally, establishing the optimum time for each van to be defleeted is important and accurate maintenance records are needed to calculate the whole life costs on which these decisions are based.”

FleetCheck is excited to be exhibiting at Logistics UK’s Transport Manager Conference this December, where fleet professionals gather to stay ahead on the latest in industry safety, compliance, and legislation. With presentations from expert speakers, including insights from the office of the Traffic Commissioners, this event is an invaluable opportunity for operators looking to keep their fleets compliant and efficient.

Barrie Wilson, our Commercial Fleet Consultant, and Andy Kirby, Director at FleetCheck, will be attending and are ready to connect with forward-thinking fleet operators interested in finding a brighter, more effective way of managing fleet data.

FleetCheck offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to help you manage vehicle and driver compliance seamlessly. With a centralised hub for all your fleet data, you’ll have access to robust reporting tools that enable data-driven decisions. Our real-time insights provide immediate actions to optimise fleet performance, improve vehicle longevity, and drive operational efficiency. With over 30,000 daily users and 25,000 vehicle checksheets completed daily, FleetCheck is trusted by fleets to streamline operations and enhance safety. Let us show you how we can make fleet management easier, safer, and more cost-effective.

Not only will attending count toward your CPD requirements, but it’s also a great opportunity to network with industry peers. There are still spaces available, so don’t miss out! We look forward to meeting you there and discussing how FleetCheck can support your fleet’s success.

BOOKING LINK: https://logistics.org.uk/events/event-forms/transport-manager-2024-enquiry-form

We’re excited to announce that FleetCheck will be attending the upcoming joint conference hosted by CLOCS (Construction Logistics and Community Safety) and Driving for Better Business (DfBB), focusing on the future of road risk management from both safety and commercial perspectives. Join us as industry leaders gather to discuss critical issues impacting fleet operators and the steps they can take to protect their teams, their businesses, and the wider public.

Our very own Barrie Wilson, Commercial Vehicles Consultant, will be presenting at 12:30 pm on the timely topic of Practical Guidance on Managing an Ageing, High-Mileage Fleet. With the ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) Mandate pushing to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles, manufacturers are now indicating they may restrict the supply of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to meet targets. This restriction is likely to lead to a van shortage in the short to medium term, forcing operators to run their existing fleets longer. Barrie will cover the operational challenges and potential safety implications this poses for businesses managing an ageing fleet, while offering best practices for keeping vehicles roadworthy and compliant.

Ensuring Compliance and Safety with FORS Standards

The CLOCS Standard, which focuses on reducing road risk for the construction sector, requires fleets to meet the FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) Silver standard. This standard is crucial for improving work-related road safety and ensuring every driver returns home safely at the end of each day. FleetCheck’s dedicated FORS software helps fleet operators achieve and maintain all levels of FORS accreditation, streamlining compliance and safety protocols. Whether you’re looking to optimise vehicle longevity, drive cost efficiencies, or ensure complete regulatory compliance, our tools are designed to support fleets every step of the way.

How FleetCheck Can Help

At FleetCheck, we are committed to supporting fleet operators with the tools they need to drive vehicle and driver compliance. Our platform centralises all your fleet data, offering robust reporting tools that enable data-driven decisions and real-time insights for immediate actions. With over 30,000 users logging in daily and 25,000 vehicle checksheets completed each day, FleetCheck is trusted to help optimise vehicle performance and support safety and compliance across fleets. From managing an ageing fleet to ensuring optimal vehicle longevity, we help you streamline your operations and make data-driven decisions that keep your fleet running smoothly.

This event promises invaluable insights for fleet operators, from managing risks with an ageing fleet to creating safer roads and improving the image of the construction industry. We look forward to connecting with you at the conference, sharing ideas, and exploring how FleetCheck can support your road safety goals.

At FleetCheck, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, our clients rely on our products and services to keep their operations running smoothly, and we’re committed to delivering a service experience that is supportive, responsive, and dependable at every touchpoint.

Our Client Services team is fundamental to this commitment, providing personalised guidance, training, and support to each customer. With the recent appointment of Kay Saunders as Head of Client Experience (read more in our previous blog), the team now has a renewed focus on elevating the customer experience to even greater heights.

As part of this endeavour, we’re pleased to announce a new structure within our Client Services team. Moving forward, each client account will now have a dedicated, named contact within the team.

What Does This Mean For Our Clients?

This restructuring allows us to deliver a truly personalised experience for our clients. With dedicated, knowledgeable representatives who understand each client’s individual requirements, account history, and operational challenges, customers can enjoy smoother interactions, more efficient support, and solutions tailored specifically to them.

Having consistent points of contact also strengthens client relationships, fostering a foundation of trust and reliability. Clients can feel confident knowing they have a committed FleetCheck representative who is familiar with their business and can proactively anticipate and address their needs – from routine questions to urgent matters.

What Next?

If you are a FleetCheck client, you can expect to hear from your dedicated contact soon – they’ll be reaching out to introduce themselves! In the meantime, if you need assistance, feel free to contact us on 01666 577928 and someone from our team will be happy to help or connect you with your account manager. We’re excited about these changes and confident that they will lead to even more positive outcomes for our clients, as FleetCheck continues to grow and expand.

The October 2024 Budget is likely to have ended the current revival of fleet interest in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) company cars, FleetCheck is predicting.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, pointed out that anyone now paying a 5% benefit in kind on a new PHEV in the current tax year would see a jump to 18% by year four in 2028/29.

He said: “We’ve seen a trend develop during the last year or so with a wave of new PHEVs arriving that have a much-increased electric-only range. This has made them little more expensive from a personal tax point of view than a full battery electric vehicle (EV).

“Quite a few drivers have seen these cars as a useful stepping stone to going fully electric, sidestepping concerns about range anxiety and the charging infrastructure, and they have made their way onto an increasing number of choice lists.

“It’s pretty clear from the Budget that the government wants to strongly discourage this line of thinking. While there is probably only a couple of percentage points difference in benefit in kind between an EV and PHEV for a driver today, that rises to a difference of 7% and 18% in four years. Not many people are going to want to pay that bill.”

Peter added that the move appeared to bring government policy more closely into line when it came to electrification.

“With the recent clarification that hybrids would be allowed to stay on sale until 2035, there was arguably a slight pull against zero emissions mandate targets. Now, it looks like their thinking is much more consistent, especially the fact there will be a high, flat rate for all PHEVs from 2028/29. If you are getting a company car, the government wants it to be an EV.

“Where the new wave of PHEVs probably remain likely to find sales is in the private sector. Individual consumers are showing quite a high level of resistance to EVs for a variety of reasons and PHEVs provide a solution, as long as people are willing to pay the newly increased first year vehicle excise duty.”