A call has gone out to fleet managers to help influence the industry’s future by joining one of the Association of Fleet Professionals’ (AFP) seven new committees.
Covering Electric Vehicles, Low Carbon and Alternative Fuels; Light Commercial Vehicles; COVID-19; Government Bodies and Trade Associations; Road Use and Planning; Risk and Compliance; and Future Mobility Steering, the committees are designed as incubators for ideas that will ultimately affect not just fleet strategies but policy and action across Government, the HMRC and the DVLA.
The AFP was formed in March from the merging of the Association of Fleet Officers (ACFO) and the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM) – and the new committees are part of the infrastructure being created around the new organisation.
Paul Hollick, Co-Chair at the AFP, said: “One of the key intentions behind the formation of the AFP was that it would enable the fleet sector to speak with a single, unified voice, in order to have the best chance of being heard at the highest levels of decision making, including across Whitehall.
“These new committees, covering what we believe to be the most important issues facing fleets at this point in time, are very much designed to serve as forums for the best new thinking in our industry, where issues and ideas can be discussed and refined into clear policy.
“To achieve this, we need fleet managers to actively engage, and that is why we are sending out a ‘call to arms’ across the industry for people to get involved. There are seven committees, so there are quite a lot of places to fill, and we’d like to hear from anyone who would like to join the team and take a key role within the AFP by actively participating in a committee.
“It could be that you have a special interest in one of these seven areas or that you simply believe that you have what it takes to make a contribution in general and would be happy to sit on any of them. We’re saying, ‘get in touch with us, your industry needs you.’”
Hollick added that the committees would meet every 6-8 weeks and that, for the foreseeable future, this would be done through video-conferencing.
“The commitment, in terms of time, should be manageable for most industry professionals plus there are definite advantages in career terms through being involved. The important thing is that you have experience, creative ideas and a ‘can-do’ attitude.”
Fleet managers interested in joining any of the committees should contact the AFP Administration Centre at administration@theafp.co.uk
