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Paul Hollick, Chairman of The Association of Fleet Professionals, joins Lightfoot as new MD

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British green-tech company Lightfoot, the leading provider of in-cab fleet coaching technology and a one-of-a-kind driver rewards app, has appointed Paul Hollick (pictured) as Managing Director.

Paul Hollick is Chairman of the AFP and was formerly MD of Miles Consultancy Limited. He joins the fleet management solution company at an exciting time following the investment of Volpi Capital in Lightfoot last year. This has allowed for ambitious growth plans, including the development of a new suite of products for both ICE and EV fleets, as well as international expansion into the EMEA markets and further afield.

Hear what Paul Hollick has to say about joining the team at Lightfoot

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/

Roger Bullivant Ltd gains massive benefit from Lightfoot

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Using Lightfoot’s industry-leading driver rewards platform, Roger Bullivant Ltd  has vastly reduced instances of poor or dangerous driving, significantly reduced vehicle idling by 7% and increased MPG by 8%, directly resulting in fuel savings worth thousands of pounds per month. 

Impressed by the impact that the in-cab device, app and rewards platform has had on its drivers, Roger Bullivant Ltd recommended that the technology was installed to commercial vehicles used by other Soletanche Freyssinet Group companies including Bachy Soletanche, Sixense Limited and Vibro Menard.

To read more about the partnership and how Lightfoot can help your fleet, click here.

Fleet Source tackle CPC-compliant driver shortage

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The training bar needs setting higher, according to Fleet Source’s Nick Caesari. But quality driver training should not be a privilege.  

“With some 68 billion miles by commercial vehicles on Britain’s roads in 2018* and an ever-increasing number of vulnerable road users, as one of the largest fleet training and auditing providers in the UK, we recognise it’s our responsibility to help fleet operators tackle the ever-increasing challenges of our busy road networks.

“We want to set the training bar higher to reduce the number of collisions on our busy roads and ultimately help save lives. The most expensive training doesn’t always mean the best and our industry is rife with inconsistent pricing and quality.  

“To help towards this goal, our newly-launched ‘Essentials’ range brings Driver CPC training costs down to as little as £350 per course – or just £14.58 per driver**.”

https://www.fleetsource.co.uk

*Department of Transport – Road Traffic Estimates 2018

**Subject to contract term and minimum annual spend commitments. Excludes Vulnerable Road User training such as Safe Urban Driving, Van Smart and Safe UK Driving. 

Fleet Source sets out to transform the Driver CPC industry

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With more than half of fleet professionals surveyed* worried about the availability of fully CPC-trained drivers, fleet risk and safety management specialist Fleet Source has taken steps to minimise the risk of a shortfall in CPC-compliant drivers.

Fleet Source CEO Nick Caesari said: “There’s an immediate need to minimise the risk of a shortfall in CPC-compliant drivers and create a contract-ready workforce to meet growing demand. As one of the largest fleet training and auditing providers in the UK, we’ve taken the decision to offer the highest quality, relevant and up-to-date training, but at an even keener competitive cost.

“Our newly-launched ‘Essentials’ range brings Driver CPC training costs down to as little as £350 per course – or just £14.58 per driver**.”

https://www.fleetsource.co.uk/

*Research conducted by Absolute Market Research

**Subject to contract term and minimum annual spend commitments. Excludes Vulnerable Road User training such as Safe Urban Driving, Van Smart and Safe UK Driving. 

Coach your drivers to safety and success with a managed service video-based safety programme

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Hundreds of thousands of drivers are coached every day, (by thousands of driver trainers/coaches), using the SmartDrive® video-based safety programme. As experts on the impact of reducing risk through coaching and the resulting improvement of a fleet’s safety metrics, SmartDrive provides insights on how to put the power of coaching to use in commercial fleets, helping businesses to save lives, save jobs and save money.

The SmartDrive video-based safety programme 

SmartDrive’s experience with thousands of fleets globally, and its analysis of more than 250 million video events from commercial fleets, gives it specific insights into:

  • The shifting attitudes of drivers to safety initiatives before and after the implementation of video-based safety systems
  • The matrix of contextual data which gives fleets a genuine and detailed analysis of risk
  • The safety, financial, cultural and staff development benefits of safety interventions.

The SmartDrive programme is centred on triggered video events, which are caused by specific vehicle actions, such as harsh braking, sudden course corrections, high impact shocks, etc. Triggered video is 20-seconds in length, typically 10 seconds either side of the event.  This is uploaded automatically via the cellular network, along with GPS positioning and base telematics data, to SmartDrive’s own review centre, where it is reviewed by its highly trained safety team.  There is also an extended recording option to put greater context around an event. 

The footage is analysed against dozens of pre-determined ‘observations’ or driver behaviours and assigned a risk-score, personalised to the individual fleets’ corporate policies. This is then fed back to the customer via a dedicated, secure on-line portal, for use in driver coaching, as well as providing an extensive suite of KPI reporting, that can be drilled up or down, from company, to depot or division, to driver.  

Critical events, such as high-impact collisions can be set to trigger an immediate alert to relevant parties. Drivers can also manually trigger footage capture if necessary.

The riskiest video events, in line with the fleets’ own operating policies, are added automatically to the coaching workflow in the on-line portal.  This provides a focussed coaching workflow to guide the trainer in objective discussions with the driver. All this without the need to review hundreds of videos first – SmartDrive does all the ‘heavy lifting’ for you. 

To find out more download our free eBook, ‘The Importance of a Managed Service to an Effective Coaching Programme’ from the resource centre on our website. 

DriveTech adds to training portfolio with new “Driving Stress” workshop

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The stress of everyday life, both work and personal, can often contribute to feeling tense on the road too.

Plenty of time is spent analysing fuel efficiencies and maintenance of vehicles but we often forget the most important element, the driver.

Driving stress is doing much more harm than you think. Commuting by car while stressed can increase the risk of being involved in an accident.

But it gets worse – driving itself can further contribute to stress, causing a detrimental effect on personal health, as well as lowering job and life satisfaction.

Most of us can relate to the feeling of being stuck in traffic and the inability to do anything – even after the traffic light in front of you changes to green. This scenario can hugely elevate stress levels.

2-Hour Driving Stress Workshop by DriveTech

The newest addition to DriveTech’s fleet risk management and driver training portfolio of courses is designed to help overcome stressful driving situations by encouraging problem solving, planning and positive reframing of stressors.

DriveTech, part of the AA, is a leading provider of fleet and driver risk management services and offers a range from licence checking to fleet risk health checks to online and on road assessments and training – all helped to support the business to provide a duty of care, conform to Health & Safety legislation, and keep their drivers safe whilst reducing costs.

It is appreciated that personnel responsible for fleet and the driving community itself have busy schedules. This workshop to last just 2 hours – hopefully not adding to much additional burden and stress onto the participants!

With a recommended 20 people per session, fleet operators could potentially arrange for 60 company drivers to attend this course in one day.

As part of the course deliverables, at the end of the course, participants will be able to:

– describe why driving can be stressful

– identify the main elements that can cause stress in driving

– understand how stress can have a negative effect on their abilities to drive safely

– list common issues which can make them feel stressed

– describe some physical symptoms of stress

– recognise how driving stress can escalate into potential conflict with over road users

– acknowledge the fact everyone will experience stress at times

– explain how sometimes driving stress can be good

– list how to avoid stress on the road both from their perspective and that of other road users

Find out more on the DriveTech website – here: 

https://www.drivetech.co.uk/news-and-resources/take-the-stress-free-road

or call 01256 610907 or email tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk.

GUEST BLOG: A momentary lapse in concentration

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By Colin Paterson, Head of Marketing, DriveTech (UK) Limited

I’m not entirely sure how I got there but on one of my frequent (and repetitive) motorway drives to and from work I got sandwiched between two larger vehicles on a stretch of ‘SMART’ motorway with four lanes running  – one HGV in lane 1, a van in lane 3 and me between them in lane 2.

It was busy and the van in lane 3 was suddenly slowing unpredictably (maybe the driver was immediately distracted by something – a mobile phone for instance). I was keen to go past and make progress but I sensed I was not at 100% concentration level for such a driving task in hand and of course needed to slow, move out to the fourth lane and then accelerate past the van to observe highway code laws and achieve this passing manoeuvre safely.

All of a sudden there was a sense of intimidation with these larger vehicles either side. But what was happening in terms of my concentration (never mind those other road users)? Pressure of some imminent deadlines at work (this article included!), the remote chance of my football team returning to glory and winning the Premiership title once at last, and with four children, there’s always some form of family challenge in the background too!

I’d somehow found myself in a position on road I wanted to change. How and when did that circumstance emerge, why didn’t I appreciate it sooner, why hadn’t I been more observant and planned? And why was the lorry driver distracted? He or she should have known better! I could feel a change in mood. Those vehicles are big, intimidating and frighteningly heavier than my passenger car. Do they even have clear and all-round visibility to see me?

A momentary lapse in concentration – I guess we all do it – car drivers, van drivers, truck drivers, bus and coach drivers – and other more vulnerable road users too – cyclists, motorcyclists. 

Maybe there’s an even greater likelihood of being in that state if I was in control of an autonomous vehicle when suddenly jolted back into the urgent need to take back direct control from the road equivalent of ‘auto-pilot’? But that’s for another piece some other future time!

Back to basics – good competent and regular driver training is good for you!

At DriveTech we use C.O.A.S.T. (Concentration, Observation, Anticipation, Speed, Time) as one mnemonic to support our professional driver training and for drivers of cars, trucks, vans, 4x4s and more – in fact anyone driving for or on business – these memory prompts are really useful to keep focus and do what is important – to make progress but safely, reducing risk wherever feasible. 

It’s just really important to instil these, and other, driving skills and behaviours so they become habitual, and remind those that are higher risk of best practice (or those that just slip into bad habits). Regular assessments and driver coaching interventions are incredibly valuable and can prove so on the bottom line as well as on immediate safety performance and in demonstrating a real duty of care to driving staff.

DriveTech offer a wide range of driver risk profiling, driver assessment, driver training and driver risk management services and we’re proud of what we do to help our business customers and improve road safety. 

We’ve currently got some mobile adverts roving the country to promote DriveTech and spread the road safety word – so how’s YOUR Driving?

Find out more: www.drivetech.co.uk,  tel 01256 610907, email: tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk

Commercial fleets in South West offered best practice training

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New training course dates have been announced for fleet managers across the South West of England via a partnership between Venson Automotive Solutions and the Freight Transport Association (FTA). 

Taking place in September and October in Devon and Cornwall, the course will focus on achieving higher standards and best practice in managing light commercial vehicles.

Fleet managers are being advised to sign up ASAP to guarantee places. 

The most recent Road Casualties Report from the DfT revealed there were 26,610 people killed or seriously injured reported to the police in the year ending June 2018. An estimated one third of road traffic collisions in Britain involve someone at work, excluding commuting journeys.

Alison Bell, Marketing Director for Venson Automotive Solutions, said: “Employers have a duty of care to those driving as part of their work activities. They must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that they are providing a safe working environment at all times. 

“The stark DfT road accident figures demonstrate why it is important for companies to comply with health and safety regulations when operating a van fleet. We are therefore supporting commercial vehicle operators in Devon and Cornwall by providing a course designed for individuals who manage or supervise a van fleet. Having achieved Van Excellence accreditation ourselves, we are passionate about sharing best practice with fleet and transport teams.

“The training sessions include vehicle maintenance systems, overloading, towing and driver competence. This course is part of Venson’s focus on raising standards and helping fleet managers operate safe, legal and efficient commercial fleets to help reduce road casualties across the UK.”

Individuals attend a half-day workshop which includes a short exam that leads to  the FTA Certificate of Excellence, which is valid for 3 years.

The FTA Van Excellence Code incorporates advice and support from many of the UK’s leading van fleets and represents an ideal basis for the safe and legal operation of vans and light commercial vehicles (LCV). It also forms the basis of the accreditation process for operators seeking recognition under FTA’s Van Excellence scheme.

For more information on the seminars please contact Arron Wells 08444 99 1402 or email events@venson.com

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay