Stuart O'Brien, Author at Fleet Summit

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Stuart O'Brien

Government to open 45 ‘Information & Advice’ sites for hauliers

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By Department for Transport

We’re approaching the end of the Transition Period and there will be important changes to border and traffic management arrangements. The UK Government is working hard to make sure commercial drivers and hauliers are prepared for the changes at the end of the year. 

We’re opening more than 40 ‘Information and Advice Sites’ across the UK at key locations on the road network. Five test sites will open at the start of November with the other 40 sites opening in mid-November. 

Staff at the sites will be able to discuss these changes, provide training on new IT systems, and explain how hauliers can best prepare for the end of the year. Support will also be available to commercial drivers in a range of languages as well as materials that can be downloaded digitally in 14 languages.  

The sites will be COVID secure and there will also be a dedicated online haulier portal to make sure drivers and haulier managers have access to all information and 1-1 support they might need. 

Keep an eye on the news section of www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport in the coming weeks for further details on the sites.

New & Improved – DriveTech Online Driver Risk Assessments & eLearning modules

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By DriveTech

New in 2020 and as part of its comprehensive portfolio of driver risk management and driver training products DriveTech, the leader in driver training and part of the AA, has refreshed and improved its online risk assessment and expanded the range of online e-learning modules significantly.

This approach is ideal – even during social distancing and lockdown measures – as they can help to support your driving communities with easy digital access – still helping to keep drivers safe when they are on road.

Online driver risk assessments are a cost-effective and accessible way to assess the risk of fleet drivers. It keeps driver downtime to a minimum but still acts as a highly practical tool to establish the nature and weight of risk that any driver is likely to be exposed to in their specific driving patterns and experience. The online assessment creates a ‘risk exposure’ profile for each driver which can be used to identify drivers who are likely to be at higher risk.

A comprehensive range of e-learning modules are then available to drivers to help inform particular aspects of their driving that might be highlighted in the assessment as being relevant to driving better and safer.

These digital systems are an effective tool that can be completed 24/7 with simple access to a desktop, laptop, tablet or even smartphone. Call DriveTech on 01256 610907 or email us at tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk .

Find out more here: https://www.drivetech.co.uk/global-business-fleet-solutions/training-products-and-services/

There’s still time to register for November’s VIRTUAL FLeet Summit!

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The final Fleet Summit of 2020 will be VIRTUAL – make sure you register today as we only have a handful of places left for next month’s online event.

Still bringing you the same benefits as the physical event, your virtual pass will allow you to sign in and access 2 LIVE industry presentations, as well as your itinerary of 1-2-1 relaxed meetings with budget-saving suppliers.

There is no hard sell at this event, just a great opportunity to gain industry insight and build business relationships to prepare for every eventuality.

Confirm attendance here for 9th November.

Do you specialise in Grey Fleet? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on Fleet Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the fleet market – and in November we’ll be focussing on Grey Fleet solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help fleet buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Grey Fleet solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our features list in full:

Nov – Grey Fleet
Dec – Service, Maintenance & Repair
Jan – Electric & Hybrid Vehicles
Feb – Dash Cams
Mar – Driver Training
Apr – Accident & Risk Management
May – Fleet Management Software
Jun – Telematics/Tracking
Jul – Contract Hire & Leasing
Aug – LPG/Alternative Fuel & Fuel Management
Sep – EV Infrastructure
Oct – Duty of Care
Nov – Grey Fleet
Dec – Service, Maintenance & Repair

November’s Fleet Summit has gone virtual – Register today!

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The second Fleet Summit of the year has now gone VIRTUAL – make sure you register today as we only have a handful of places left for next month’s online event.

Still bringing you the same benefits as the physical event, your virtual pass will allow you to sign in and access 2 LIVE industry presentations, as well as your itinerary of 1-2-1 relaxed meetings with budget-saving suppliers.

There is no hard sell at this event, just a great opportunity to gain industry insight and build business relationships to prepare for every eventuality.

Confirm attendance here for 9th November.

Do you specialise in Duty of Care for the fleet industry? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on Fleet Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the fleet & logistics market – and in October we’ll be focussing on Duty of Care solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help fleet buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Duty of Care solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our features list in full:

Oct – Duty of Care
Nov – Grey Fleet
Dec – Service, Maintenance & Repair

Last few places left to attend next month’s Fleet Summit!

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Click here to confirm your free pass for the 8th & 9th October – Whittlebury Park, Northampton.

Or if you cannot make the above date then we have a handful of places left for our November Fleet Summit here.

As our guest, you can gain access to insightful seminars that focus on the Fleet industry and its challenges. PLUS, your attendance is entirely FREE.

Your pre-arranged bespoke itinerary, means that all you need to do is join us on the day!

Click here to register for one of our final places

Or if you have any questions about the event or your guest pass, then contact us today.

Contract hire expected to ‘leap’ for company vehicles

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A leap may be about to occur in the use of operational leasing as a means of acquiring company cars and vans, according to new research from Arval Mobility Observatory.
 
When asked whether they intended to introduce or increase use of operational leasing, also known as contract hire, in the next three years, more than a quarter (26%) of fleets said yes, compared to just over one in 10 (12%) when the same question was posed in 2019*.
 
Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “These responses indicate more than a doubling of the overall tendency, year-on-year, to increase the use of operational leasing, or contract hire as it’s also known.
 
“This method of acquisition has been gradually increasing across the market for a long time but it’s been a gradual change over decades. Here, we see signs of a potential leap forwards rather than further incremental steps. The movements are large enough to suggest a genuine shift in attitude.”
 
The move was marked across organisations of all sizes except for the very smallest, he added, with the trend clear across all businesses with more than 10 employees.
 
“At the largest scale, 38% of businesses with more than 1,000 employees now say they would implement or increase the use of operational leasing compared to 17% when asked the same question in 2019.
 
“However, for those with 10-99 employees, the change is even more marked, with a rise from 8% to 31% year-on-year, which is just under a fourfold improvement. It’s pretty dramatic.”
 
Sadlier explained that operational leasing had very clear advantages – predictable costs, the avoidance of residual value risk, easy packaging with other key vehicle services and more – and one or all of these factors appeared to be gaining favour. 
 
“What is also interesting is that this research was carried out before the coronavirus crisis. In a business future where there will undoubtedly be increased and perhaps substantial pressure on company budgets in the short and medium terms at the very least, there is every chance that operational leasing will look even more appealing to fleet and mobility decision makers.” 
 
For the 2020 edition of its Fleet Barometer, the Arval Mobility Observatory this year questioned 5,600 businesses in 20 European countries, posing a wide range of questions covering current fleet and mobility trends.
 
More information on the research project can be downloaded from arval.co.uk/amo-insight. 

Join our November Fleet Summit – In person or virtually!

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Offering all the same benefits as our October Fleet Summit Summit, we are hosting a 2nd annual hybrid Summit on November 9th & 10th.

As our guest, you can gain access to insightful seminars that focus on the Fleet industry and its challenges. PLUS, your attendance is entirely FREE, wether that be in person at the LIVE event or virtually from the comfort of your own surroundings – whatever works best for you!

Your pre-arranged bespoke itinerary, means that all you need to do is arrive or sign in on the day and enjoy complimentary overnight accommodation, including all meals and refreshments throughout!

Click here to register for one of our final places

Or if you have any questions about the event or your guest pass, then contact us today.

Fleet management software usage ‘back to pre-COVID levels’

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Use of fleet management software is now back to pre-coronavirus crisis, with businesses having often used the lockdown period to rethink their whole approach to transport.
 
That’s according to FleetCheck, which sats the majority of users who were active before mid-March had now returned, and that the volume of work being processed was at levels that could be described as normal.

In addition, more than 100 new companies had start using the system since lockdown began.
 
FleetCheck Managing Director Peter Golding said: “We’re a little hesitant about calling this a ‘return to normal’ because the truth is that what is ‘normal’ has very much changed – but we can clearly see that our customer base appears to be back to work and at levels of activity comparable to six months ago.
 
“What is interesting is how many customers have used the time created by the coronavirus crisis to take a good look at their transport activities. While clearly no-one would’ve wished for these circumstances to develop, they did create a perhaps unprecedented space in which to think deeply about the fundamentals of moving people and goods around.”
 
Golding said that much of this activity seemed to have been based around the digitisation of operations, using technology to make new levels of efficiency possible.
 
“Really, the kind of thinking that has taken place falls into two areas. The first was strategic, tackling fundamental questions about the kinds of vehicles needed in the new normal – how many will be required, who will drive them, how they will be funded, and so on. These are issues that are deeply rooted in operational considerations.
 
“The second is where we have been more closely involved. As with most software solutions, there are always additional features available from which users can benefit but which they weren’t utilising pre-coronavirus. What we have seen is a drive to realise the further efficiencies that are available by simply adopting more of our technology to deliver present and future gains. We’re confident that our customer base will come out of the last few months with their fleets configured to deliver a noticeably greater degree of efficiency.”
 
Golding added that growth in FleetCheck’s customer base meant usage of its fleetmanagement systems were now around 20% higher than at the same time last year with the FleetCheck Driver app proving especially popular, exceeding one million checks a month.
 
“To us, this proves that systems of the kind we provide have become thought of by fleets in a similar vein to how accountants think of Sage or sales teams think of Salesforce. Fleet management software is now absolutely central to the operation of companies running vehicles and, even when things are tough, their value is very much recognised.”