Once again, it reminded me of the need for positive press around the great job that fleet operators do in keeping our nation fed, watered, clothed and fuelled.
The SMMT piece rightly points to the RHA Love The Lorry campaign (26 – 31 Oct) as a great example of the support that should be shown for the industry. As the article identifies, without fleet operators, supermarket shelves would be empty, hospitals would stop admitting patients and manufacturing plants would grind to a halt.
With the ever growing consumer expectation for copious choice and availability, the job of a fleet operator continues to present new demands and challenges.
There are lots of topics currently provoking much discussion with our prospects and customers and with other industry experts and trade bodies. The driver shortage is certainly in regular circulation, as is the environmental impact of transport, particularly in light of this week’s news about Volkswagen.
I spoke at an East Midlands Chamber sustainability event yesterday morning on the role of fleet and driver performance solutions and how they have helped operators and their customers to reduce the carbon in their supply chains. It struck me how much interest there is amongst the business community in the East Midlands in finding and demonstrating sustainable low carbon credentials.
Although it is proven that driver and vehicle performance solutions help operators improve and sustain efficiency and safety benefits, we should not overlook the potential for greater collaboration in the supply chain.
It’s great to reduce CO2 emissions by 10% but what if that fuel didn’t need to be burned in the first place, or could at least be attributed to productive work rather than the 27% of empty running? I think, as is often the case, analysing where you use your fuel is as important as trying to improve how far you get with the fuel you are using.
