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Nexus Vehicle Rental Insight: fuel purchasing and remapping News insight: HGV safety David Brennan on why Considerations when choosing Truck star ratings are no van and truck fleets a fuel payment, plus should you ‘silver bullet’ for improved want greater flexibility contemplate engine remapping? cyclist safety in London Official Media Partner

CommercialHELPING FLEETS RUN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE VAN & TRUCK OPERATIONSFleet October 2016 £5 where sold RELIABLE Volkswagen Crafter VANS AREVital Hanover Show report: All the vans and trucks Robust customer contracts make response times critical for from the world’s Watling JCB. Jason King explains how he meets his targets biggest CV show

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FP_COMFLEET_6404686434id2540722.pdf 07.10.2016 14:17 Inside this issue Welcome

Did you enter this year’s Commercial Fleet Awards? If you did, turn to page 12 to find out if you have been shortlisted. The judging took place in early October under the watchful eyes of chairman Christopher Fleet spotlight: Magowan and auditor Victoria Venning from Watling JCB 18 Ernst & Young. As usual the debate was thorough, intense at

payment times, but not as heated £ made by credit card as in some years. In several categories there were stand-out winners; fuel card in others, a number of companies vied for top debit card honours. Some of the biggest fleets in the country put themselves forward for 26 Insight:Insight: Fuel liling your fleet 42 First look: Volkswagen Crafter assessment this year, while the most popular fleet category was public sector. Given the budget pressures many of these organisations have been under for the past seven years, it was great to see the high level of innovation and quality. A safety theme was Supplier spotlight: apparent throughout, Hanover while many companies 23 Nexus Vehicle Rental show review 44 showed great understanding of their fleet’s role and 4 I No ‘silver bullet’ for 11 I Keeping old vans 23 I Supplier spotlight: responsibilities within the improved cyclist safety is a false economy Nexus Vehicle Rental wider business. Better education for drivers and bike-riders Hanging on to LCVs more than 10 years will Customers want a flexible supply chain, Good luck to all the urged as truck star ratings are discussed backfire, says business finance funder explains company CEO David Brennan finalists: the winners will 6 I ‘Earned recognition’ 12 I Commercial Fleet Awards 26 I Insight: Fuelling choices be revealed at an awards scheme has its doubters Finalists revealed for 2016 awards We examine various ways to pay for fuel dinner on November 30. Poll suggests two-thirds not convinced DVSA initiative will drive up standards 14 I Rules and regulations Q&A 26 I Insight: Engine re-mapping Queries answered, legislation explained Is it a false economy? Manufacturers react 8 I Motorway all-lane running provokes safety debate 18 I Fleet spotlight: Watling JCB 36 I Van & Truck event Stephen Briers, MPs demand smart motorway expansion is Van reliability is vital to a company that We review our inaugural show at the editor-in-chief, halted but FTA says education holds the key specialises in repairing JCB machinery Millbrook proving ground in Bedford Commercial Fleet

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commercialfleet.org October 2016 3 News insight: HGV safety Truck star ratings are no ‘silver bullet’ for improved cyclist safety on London streets Better education for both drivers and bike-riders is urged in response to mayor’s latest initiative

By Gareth Roberts Almost two thirds (64%) of respondents to a Commercial he truck industry is warning that a star rating Fleett poll have given their backing to the initiative. But critics system for HGVs, based on the level of vision from argue the measures are too simplistic and will penalise the cab, will be no “silver bullet” for cyclist safety. smaller operators unable to meet the cost of complying The mayor of London wants to introduce a within such a tight timescale. minimum standard for trucks entering the capital Natalie Chapman, head of policy for London at the Freight from 2020 based on a five-star rating, with the Transport Association (FTA), said: “It would be wrong to think regulations being further tightened from 2024. of this as some kind of a silver bullet. Vehicle design is just TUnder the scheme, zero-rated off-road HGVs, such as one part of the solution. Ultimately all road users have a role four-axle rigid tipper trucks and cement mixers, would be to play in improving road safety.” banned initially and only HGVs meeting the Direct Vision Chapman also believes the proposals will pose a signifi- Standard of three stars or above would be allowed thereafter cant challenge to smaller operators. (www.commercialfleet.org: September 30). She said: “Industry needs time to adapt and reassurance Last year, road fatalities in London increased by nine to 136, that investments already made – for example in sensors and including 66 pedestrians and nine cyclists, seven of whom “Vehicle camera technology recommended by TfL – will be taken into were killed in collisions with left-turning lorries. account.” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “HGVs have been If not, Jacqueline O’Donovan, managing director of directly involved in more than half of cycling fatalities over design is just O’Donovan Waste Disposal, said smaller operators could pay the past two years, and we must take bold action to make the ultimate price. “Larger PLCs, who can afford to upgrade our roads safer for both cyclists and pedestrians. one part of their fleets at the drop of a hat, will win all the work and “Our ground-breaking Direct Vision Standard will be the ultimately push the independent companies out of the first of its kind in the world, directly addressing the issue of the solution” running,” she said. lethal driver blind-spots.” TfL estimates there are about 35,000 zero-rated, off-road Both Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Natalie Chapman, FTA trucks operating on London’s streets. Authority have said they will lead by example and adopt the Direct Vision Standard for all contracts from April 2017. The No defined standard for HGVs mayor and TfL have also vowed to work with developers and Regulations exist to define a minimum standard of direct councils to encourage them to do the same. vision from cars and there are international standards for Thames Tideway, which is building a 25-mile tunnel across earth-moving machinery, but no technical equivalent exists the capital, has already committed to having vehicles of a in relation to a minimum for HGVs. high standard of direct vision in its fleet when work begins. In his setting out his plans last month, Khan announced he Andy Alder, central delivery manager for Thames Tideway, was ditching an initiative, proposed by his predecessor Boris said the company is working with contractors towards Johnson, which would have required all HGVs to retro-fit piloting the use of low entry cabin (LEC) HGVs on the project. glass panels in their passenger doors to reduce dangerous “We are determined to ensure we are using the safest blind spots. lorries available,” he said. The glass doors scheme was dropped after research by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) found they were of limited use in helping drivers to spot cyclists on their nearside, and would do nothing to help them detect pedes- No: 36% Yes: 64% trians walking in front of their truck. TRL was also commissioned by TfL to define the Direct Vision Assessment for HGVs as part of the Safer Trucks Programme. It concluded that a typical, off-road specification HGV cab Do you support the assessed in its basic form would achieve zero stars. Modifi- mayor of London’s plan cations such as adding a low side window or re-shaping the for a star rating for dashboard may help them achieve one star. Typical on-road driver vision? 35,000 specification vehicles achieved two or three stars and a Source: Commercial zero-rated trucks currently vehicle with a specialist, low-entry, panoramic cab achieved Fleet poll operating in London five stars. TRL also said the five-star plan will help truck drivers to reduce the number of pedestrians and cyclists being seriously injured or killed. But, crucially, it added that, based on the data analysed, even with a five-star truck a significant 2020 proportion of cyclists would still not be seen by the driver, when new driver vision rules because they would be positioned too far to the rear of the could be implemented cab when a collision could occur.

4 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Road safety vision: the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is proposing a minimum standard for trucks entering London from 2020.

The report explained: “The load-carrying body of the HGV RIGHT: Doubly visible – glass will limit the line of sight in this area even if the cab were doors on the passenger side engineered with windows theoretically allowing the view. are backed up by a display “In addition to this, to exploit the view available, the driver on the vehicle’s dashboard would have to undertake a substantial turn of the head. It is unlikely that all drivers would do this in all turns and, if they did, it would increase workload and may distract attention from other important areas of view.” However, despite the data raising a question mark over its effectiveness, an official consultation on the star rating scheme is expected to be launched this month. ‘Stop demonising trucks’ The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is calling for urgent HGVs are turning left, did not get off to the best start. It was talks with the mayor’s office over the plans. Chief executive widely criticised by cycling groups for appearing to blame Richard Burnett told Commercial Fleet:: “Improved visibility the victim (www.commercialfleet.org: September 28). isn’t going to sort the problem alone.” The strap line for the Think! campaign is ‘Don’t get caught He said: “Demonising lorries, which keep the economy and between’, with a film and posters depicting examples of shops going, is unfair. Lorries – including construction vehi- things to avoid being trapped between, including two boxers cles – play a vital part in the economic life of London. Without in a ring, two head-butting rams, and for cyclists, a left them the capital’s businesses would grind to a standstill. turning lorry and the pavement. “The industry should not be penalised without tackling the Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s senior road safety and broader issues.” legal campaigns officer, said: “The message appears to be Many trucks have warning signs advising cyclists not to that you wouldn’t intentionally put yourself in the middle of ride on the inside, but Burnett said: “All too often cyclists two colliding objects, so why would you put yourself on a pass buses and lorries on the inside when they are turning bicycle between a turning lorry and a kerb. left – this is extremely dangerous and road users need to be “You might not have chosen to put yourself in that position; reminded of basic safety rules. Online the lorry might have overtaken you. The DfT message implies “Not all cyclists follow the Highway Code or have had that if you do, it is your fault if something awful happens.” adequate training in road use. The RHA believes there needs For more on the Government’s O’Donovan does not share Dollimore’s concerns. She adds: to be an education process to raise awareness of the dangers latest cycling safety “Instead of playing the victim, cycling groups should be for both cyclists and drivers.” campaign, visit www. educating their members. As HGV operators we are going The Department for Transport’s (DfT) latest road safety commercialfleet/cycle-safety to great lengths to educate our drivers. It is vital that cyclist campaign, aimed at educating cyclists to ‘hang back’ when groups do the same – and sooner rather than later.”

commercialfleet.org October 2016 5 News ‘Earned recognition’ scheme has its doubters Poll suggests almost two-thirds are not convinced DVSA safety initiative will drive up standards

By Gareth Roberts ommercial fleet operators are not convinced the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s ‘earned recognition’ scheme will improve safety. Just 36% of respondents to a Commercial Fleett poll said the DVSA initiative will drive up safety standards, compared with 41% who said it would not. Almost a quarter (23%) said they Cwere unsure it would have a positive effect on safety. The DVSA’s new approach, which will be available to all operators in 2017, will hinge on next generation enforcement, whereby firms can achieve earned recognition status by sharing tachograph and maintenance data with the agency. Once ‘recognised’, these operators would not be targeted by DVSA roadside inspections, reducing vehicle downtime ‘Recognised’ and other related costs. operators would Transport consultant Glen Davies said the problem with not be targeted earned recognition is the DVSA is not responsible for all of by roadside the regulations covering fleet management. inspections He said: “Many of the industry safety issues that have resulted in death and serious injury are not in the DVSA’s remit such as mobile phone use, moving traffic offences, make amends. “We should be rewarding the good performers driver distraction and driver fitness and health.” by reducing the enforcement burden on those organisations However, speaking at a recent compliance event organised that show a strong track record of compliance,” he said. by the Road Haulage Association (RHA), DVSA chief execu- His confidence in the DVSA scheme stems from a similar tive, Gareth Llewellyn, told delegates: “We can make earned initiative he launched some 20 years ago when working for recognition work.” another regulator. Llewellyn, who became chief executive of the newly He said: “I put in place something called the ‘operator formed DVSA in April, wanted to first apologise to operators performance risk appraisal’ which had two critical compo- for any dip in service they had experienced during the nents: what risk did industry post to the environment; and merger of the Driver Standards Agency (DSA) and the how is that operator performing? Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA). “Those two characteristics were scored to the extent that “It was anything but a merger,” he said. “It led to a tremen- the Environment Agency could then focus its efforts on to dous amount of introspection in our business and probably the bad performers.” a dip in service. It helped improve the environmental performance of “If you experienced that dip, I apologise. But we’ll be getting “We can companies across the country and Llewellyn says the DVSA the show back on the road.” will be able to draw on that experience. Earned recognition is seen as a chance for the agency to “You can see some great parallels between what the Envi- make earned ronment Agency has done in the past and what we can do in the future,” he said. recognition He confirmed key performance indicators (KPIs) for the initiative have now been defined and the audit standards for HGVs have been virtually agreed. A consultation on a public work” service vehicle audit standard will start soon and a code of Yes: 36% Unsure: 23% practice for auditors has already been drawn up. Gareth Llewellyn, However, Llewellyn said: “[To be considered for the DVSA scheme] you will need to be able to pass information on drivers’ hours and maintenance records to us electronically.” Do you think the DVSA’s Matthew Hague, executive director for product strategy at earned recognition telematics provider Microlise, believes the devil will be in the scheme will drive up detail, but welcomed this “new progressive approach” from the DVSA. safety standards? “Earned recognition will be a power for good,” he said. “The Source: Commercial Online upside will be reduced compliance costs, and disruption, for Fleet poll the best transport service providers. While more interven- tion and targeted enforcement will bring the worst service Read how the DVSA is providers into line. The result will be significantly less time No: 41% changing the LGV test, visit and money wasted by those who are complying.” www.commercialfleet.org/ The business case for earned recognition will be taken to lgv-reform the DVSA board in November, with an update expected in December.

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FP_COMFLEET_Dashcamadvid2529724.pgs 03.10.2016 10:00 News All-lane running provokes safety debate MPs demand smart motorway expansion is halted while FTA counters that education holds key

By Gareth Roberts he Government should educate drivers on how to Emergency use only for the hardshoulder use smart motorways safely, rather than denying or run on all lanes to ease congestion? the benefits they bring, according to the Freight That’s the question the Government and Transport Association (FTA). Traffic on the stra- industry bodies are bidding to address tegic road network is expected to increase by up to 60% by 2040 and smart motorways are seen by some as a way of addressing this growth, Twithout incurring the costs of traditional motorway widening. In all-lane running, the latest version of smart motorways, the hard shoulder is used as a live lane of traffic. Previous schemes have only used the hard shoulder at peak times or to deal with congestion. Plans are in place to permanently convert the hard shoulder into a running lane on around 300 miles of motorway, with Highways England overseeing a programme of 30 schemes costing £6 billion over the next nine years. However, MPs and motoring groups say the Government should call a halt to the programme while major safety concerns exist. A Transport Select Committee report published in June concluded that the permanent loss of the hard shoulder in all-lane running schemes was an Òunacceptable price to payÓ to improve capacity. MP Louise Ellman, chair of the Transport Select Committee, In its official response to the committeeÕs report released accused the Department for Transport (DfT) of Òblatantly last month (September), the Government said the evidence ignoring the safety concernsÓ set out in its report. £6bn for all-lane running does not suggest safety concerns, But, the FTA argues that the extra capacity delivered by being spent on 30 schemes instead it claims that it shows a Òreduction in collision and smart motorways gives an important boost to the freight over the next nine years casualty ratesÓ. industry, significantly reducing the cost of vehicles standing It continued: ÒThe safety evidence supports the pre- idle in congestion, which is around £1 for every minute an scheme assessments and indicates that the current high HGV is stuck in traffic. level of safety performance on our motorways is being Malcolm Bingham, head of road network management maintained.Ó policy at the FTA, said: ÒWhile we have no argument with £1 The report did acknowledge the need for Òmore effective looking at the spacing and/or size of refuges, current engagement to improve public perceptionÓ and to Òraise road cost for every minute an HGV evidence does not suggest that this type of motorway has a is stuck in traffic user awareness of the differences of all-lane runningÓ. worse safety record than those which have the comfort of a But, it added this was already underway, with a new hard shoulder. national information campaign covering key themes such as ÒRather than denying road users the much-needed bene- Red X compliance, Emergency Refuge Areas (ERAs) and the fits of more reliable journey times, FTA believes that the importance of appropriate vehicle checks, launched by High- focus should be on educating drivers on how to use smart ways England in July. motorways safely, what the various signs mean and what Highways England has also started a national study to they should do in the event of a breakdown.Ó identify ERA usage across England, which will help target improvements. It has committed to review ERA spacing as part of a broader approach to reduce the frequency and risk associated with live lane stops. A survey of RAC members, who had broken down on all- “The focus lane running sections of motorway, found awareness of ERAs was poor, with only 28% saying they could see one should be on when breaking down and one in four not realising they even existed. The same survey also found that motorists breaking down educating drivers on smart motorways felt more at risk on all-lane running sections than they did on dynamic hard shoulder ones. on how to use RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: ÒWe desperately need increased capacity on our busiest sections of motorway to ease congestion and improve journey times for all, but smart motorways safely” safety must not be comprised in the process.Ó The FTA is in the final stages of developing a programme Malcolm Bingham, FTA to train commercial drivers through a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) course on how to drive on smart motorways.

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FP_COMFLEET_2874951id2293301.pgs 06.04.2016 10:20 News Old vans are likely to prove false economy Hanging on to LCVs for more than 10 years could backfire on SMEs says business finance funder

By Gareth Roberts he UK van fleet is getting older, with a third (33%) of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) now at least UK VAN REGISTRATIONS 10 years old, compared with less than a quarter ROLLING YEAR TOTALS SEPTEMBER 2010 TO DATE (23%) in 2009. 380,000 Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) show that 1.19 million vans were 379,383 10 years old or more in 2015 – an increase of T460,000 units on the 2009 figure of 730,000. 340,000 Business finance finder Funding Options says it is because small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, are still struggling to get the affordable finance needed to buy or lease basic assets. 300,000 However, Funding Options says delaying upgrading vehicles could prove costly for businesses long term. Older vehicles are often more expensive to run and maintain and, if they become unreliable or appear dated, this could reflect nega- 260,000 tively on customer perceptions about the business itself. Conrad Ford, chief executive officer of Funding Options, told Commercial Fleet:: “Many SMEs held back on investing in new vehicles during the recession, but now, even as the 220,000 economy has strengthened, they appear to be either unwilling or unable to commit to these major capital expenditure decisions. 180,000 “Availability of bank lending remains an issue for many, but Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep confidence is also a factor. With the economic outlook 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016 becoming more uncertain once again post-Brexit, businesses may feel the time still isn’t right to make major lump sum capital investments up-front.” Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed But, businesses using vehicles that look rundown could that almost 66,000 new vans were registered in September, damage their brand enormously, says Funding Options. 33% taking year-to-date registrations past 290,000 units for the Ford continued: “Customers think it looks unprofessional, of vans are now at least first time since 2007. and sweating these assets beyond their reliable lifespan is 10 years old Continuing demand for pick-ups drove the steady increase, likely to lead to hefty maintenance and repair costs and the with the segment experiencing its eighth consecutive month risk of unexpected failure.” of growth, up 16.4%. Heavier vans were also popular, with The warning comes as newly released figures from the registrations of vehicles weighing 2-2.5t growing by 11.2%, and those weighing 2.5-3.5t up 5.2% in the month. 66,000 Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “September new vans were registered did not disappoint as businesses took advantage of the new “Positive business conditions in September 66 plate. To maintain this high level of demand and drive fleet renewal, positive business conditions must be assured despite the long-term political and economic uncertainty.” must be assured despite the At 19,434, total sales of Ford vans were the highest ever recorded for a September, and the second highest monthly long-term political and record of all time, exceeded only by the 20,735 sales recorded Online in March this year. Sales for the month and for the year-to- date were more than double those of its nearest rival. economic uncertainty” For the latest new Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing van reviews, visit director, said: “Ford’s long-standing UK market leadership Mike Hawes, SMMT www.commercialfleet.org/ – 39 years for cars, 50 years for CVs – is testament to the van/reviews exciting products and industry-leading technologies we continue to bring to the market.”

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commercialfleet.org October 2016 11 Commercial Fleet Awards 2016 Finalists

Find out who’s up for honourss at thet benchmark awards for the commercial vehicle industry, to be held on Novvember 30, 2016, in Birmingham

ore than 80 companies, vans and people are lined up for the 30 categories in the 2016 Commercial Fleett Awards. All nominees deserve credit for fighting off their peers – simply being shortlisted is an achievement – but only 30 will take home a winners’ trophy at the end of the night. MFind out who’s trophy cabinet will be bulging at the black tie event at Hilton Birmingham Metropole on November 30. In addition, Freight Transport Association will be presenting its lifetime achievement and driver of the year awards. FLEET CATEGORIES

TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS GREEN COMMERCIAL FLEET Network Rail Gateshead Council Royal Mail South East Coast Ambulance Service PUBLIC SECTOR/BLUELIGHT University of Birmingham Environment Agency Incommunities Group SAFE COMMERCIAL FLEET London Borough of Redbridge Anglian Water Services North Lincolnshire Council Millers Vanguard Oxford City Council Skanska South East Coast Ambulance South East Coast Ambulance MANUFACTURER CATEGORIES Service Service West Suffolk Council CITY VAN LARGE VAN CIVIL ENGINEERING TRUCK LIVERY OF THE YEAR Fiat Fiorino Fiat Ducato Iveco EuroTracker AAH Pharmaceuticals BUSINESS SERVICES Ford Transit Courier Iveco Daily Mercedes-Benz Actros Countrywide Farmers AAH Pharmaceuticals Vauxhall Corsavan Electricity North West Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Scania G Series Kings Security Harlech Foodservice Vauxhall Movano Volvo FE SMALL VAN NRS Healthcare Network Rail Wates Group Citroën Berlingo PICK-UP URBAN DELIVERY TRUCK Fiat Doblo Cargo MOST IMPROVED FLEET Ford Ranger DAF LF UTILITIES Ford Transit Connect OF THE YEAR Mitsubishi L200 Isuzu N75 Anglian Water Services Mercedes-Benz Citan AAH Pharmaceuticals Nissan NP300 Iveco EuroCargo Countrywide Farmers Peugeot Partner Anglian Water Services Toyota Hilux MAN TGL Electricity North West Kings Security Volkswagen Caddy EnServe Group South East Coast Ambulance Service MEDIUM VAN VAN CHASSIS DISTRIBUTION TRUCK CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING Wates Group Ford Transit Custom Ford Transit DAF CF Balfour Beatty Mercedes-Benz Vito Iveco Daily MAN TGM Keltbray Group FLEET CUSTOMER SERVICE Renault Trafic Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Mercedes-Benz Antos PJ Carey Plant Hire AAH Pharmaceuticals Vauxhall Vivaro Renault Master Renault Trucks D Model Skanska South Central Fleet Services Volkswagen Transporter Vauxhall Movano Scania P Series

14 October 2016 commercialfleet.org HEADLINE CATEGORIES

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR TRUCK MANUFACTURER BT Fleet OF THE YEAR Europcar Group DAF Trucks Hitachi Capital Commercial Iveco Vehicle Solutions MAN Manheim Mercedes-Benz Trucks Qi Van Systems Renault Trucks Volvo Trucks VAN MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR COMMERCIAL FLEET Fiat Professional MANAGER OF THE YEAR Ford Aaron Powell, HSS Hire Mercedes-Benz Vans Volkswagen Commercial Andrew Gibbons, Ginsters Vehicles Graham Davis, Electricity North West COMMERCIAL VEHICLE Martine Smith, OF THE YEAR AAH Pharmaceuticals To be announced on the Stewart Lightbody, night Anglian Water Services

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To book your place at the Commercial Fleet Awards visit www.commercialfleetawards.co.uk or contact Paige Phillips on 01733 395133 or [email protected] Insight: Fuel – purchasing options Fuellingg yyour fleet – wwhathat areare tthehe cchoices?hoices? Many factors will come into play when deciding which method of payment is the right one for your business. Commercial Fleett walks you through them ... fuel car

By Tim Campbell hen it comes to the total life costs Options for sourcing your fuel of a truck, fuel represents the There are a number of choices available when it comes to largest proportion, accounting for sourcing your fuelling needs, but it really depends on the indi- anything ranging between 25-40% vidual operational needs of the business. of the overall costs, dependent on For instance, if you run your vehicles internationally rather the size and mileage of the truck. than just on a national basis, the options begin to diminish Consequently, the sourcing of rapidly. The same can be said when we look at the size of the W this vital and expensive commodity fleet. If you run a couple of trucks then the options reduce is usually at the top of the list of considerations for compared to those running a larger fleet, for example in excess many fleet managers and owners. of 100 vehicles. So what are the fuel purchasing options available to The basic options available to all types of operators (in no commercial vehicle owners whether you operate one, particular order of importance) are the following: 100 or 1,000 vans or trucks? Commercial Fleett magazine ■ Pay by fuel card ■ Own fuel storage/bunkering looks at some of the options available: ■ Pay cash/debit card ■ Pay by credit card

average annual mileage of 85,000 goes on fuel, so a saving PAY BY fuel card of 10p per litre on forecourt prices would reduce costs by almost 3% (excluding any other changes in costs). That could Fuel card be the difference between making a profit or a loss. That’s one aspect of discount on fuel prices. But BP Fuel Cards have gone one further by capping the price. As James Fields-Davis, BP Fuel Cards marketing manager, says: “Hedging prices for aviation and marine fuels is routine so there is no reason why this can’t be more commonplace for road fuels. uel cards in various guises have been around for “Therefore BP has launched a new fuel price guarantee F decades and there are now millions in use at UK (FPG) offer which caps the price paid on regular diesel for a forecourts. As a consequence it’s one of the most set period and volume, while still allowing customers to competitive segments of the ‘plastic card’ sector. With benefit from any price drop.” popular products there has to be a number of compelling reasons for their success and, dependent on which company Good cash flow or card you choose, they range from: Once you’ve filled up the tank, it’s then a case of paying for it. Just like a credit card, fuel cards allow you to delay the Discount on forecourt fuel prices payment date. For how long depends on your supplier. One of the main reasons fleet managers choose fuel cards As Clarke explains: “There is a real cash flow benefit from revolves around discounts on forecourt fuel prices. With a ‘refuel now, pay later’ fuel cards. You pay as you go, with real highly volatile commodity such as diesel, the price varies expenditure predictability. considerably and, as a consequence, so does the margin of “Using commercial rate fuel cards means knowing in discount dependent on your fuel card supplier and the terms 3% advance exactly what next week’s fuel will cost nationwide, of the contract you have negotiated. no matter where your drivers refuel. The interval between As a rule of thumb, Steve Clarke, group marketing equals the a driver filling up and payment means up to two weeks of reduction in manager for Fuel Card Services, says: “The fixed price gives costs if a interest-free credit.” a saving of up to 4p per litre on national average pump prices, truck could This is also given as one of reasons West Midlands haulier or up to 10p per litre saving on motorway prices.” save 10p per J Hayward & Sons Ltd of Walsall made the move to Keyfuels. Freight Transport Association (FTA) findings show that litre. Managing director Sean Hayward says: “Moving to card-only approximately 32% of total costs for a 44-tonne artic with an has resulted in a streamlining of operations and has

26 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Security and theft When its comes to security, there are basically two issues payment – first the physical security revolving around the premises. Fuel tanks containing between 15,000 and 50,000 litres of made by £ diesel can be worth more than £60,000 so there’s a very real ttemptationemptation forfor thethe criminal.criminal. Second,Second, therethere isis thethe unfortunateunfortunate credit card issueue ofof staff/driversstaff/drivers ssiphoningiphoning ooffff a ffewew ggallonsallons fforor tthemhem- selves aand,nd, wwhilehile cconstantonstant mmonitoringonitoring iiss aann iintrinsicntrinsic ppartart ooff fuel bunkering,kering, nono systemsystem isis foolproof.foolproof. TheThe samesame cancan alsoalso be said of fueluel cards.cards. Security is an iimportantmportant cconsiderationonsideration wwhenhen mmanaginganaging oown-wn- yard sites, and it iiss kkeyey fforor SSeanean HHayward,ayward, ttoo.oo. “The round-thee-clock-clock ssecurityecurity rrequirement,equirement, CCCTVCTV ccostsosts aandnd risk assessment pproceduresrocedures aallll aadddd eextraxtra eexpenditurexpenditure ttoo tthehe running of own-yard-yard ssitesites – ccostsosts wwhichhich hhaveave nnowow bbeeneen removed,” he says.ays. fuel card Adblue Perhaps the singlegle largestlargest changechange toto tthehe rrunningunning ooff hheavyeavy trucks and, morere recently,recently, lightlight commercialcommercial vehicles,vehicles, isis thethe added bunkeringng requirementrequirement forfor thosethose vehiclesvehicles uusingsing Selective Catalytictic ReductionReduction ((SCR),SCR), mmoreore ccommonlyommonly kknownnown as Adblue. Fleeetsts bbunkeringunkering ttheirheir oownwn ffueluel nnowow hhaveave ttoo debit card decide whether ttoo installinstall additionaladditional bunkeringbunkering facilities,facilities, switch existing bunkeringbunkering toto AdblueAdblue storagestorage oror toto useuse thirdthird party suppliers asas wellwell aass ffueluel ccards.ards.

“Ask whether a supplier covers every major brand, M-way services, supermarkets and independents” Steve Clarke, Fuel Card Services improved cash flow by allowing staff to keep a more accurate and up-to-date tally of what’s being spent and used.” More efficient administration OneOne ofof tthehe oothther key considerations, and often under-esti- What are the tips? mmatedated byby manymany bubusinesses, is the amount of time and mooneyney OnOne of the major questionsquestions fleetfleet managersmanagers faceface isis that,that, onceonce itit takestakes toto monitormonitor anand administrate the back office maanagenage- 2 thethe decision has bbeeneen mmadeade ttoo uusese a ffueluel ccardard ssupplier,upplier, hhowow mentment ofof a llargearge ccommeommercial vehicle fleet. dodo yyouou choose thehe rrightight oone?ne? TheThe mainmain burdenburden isis thethe huge volume of receiptseipts thatthat areare weeks’ ClarkeClarke has a fewfew ttips.ips. HHee ssaid:aid: ““AskAsk tthehe rightright qquestions.uestions. interest-free collected,collected, checkedchecked andand reconcireconciled with the actualactual declareddeclared credit is the TheThe wwholehole ppooint iiss ttoo ssaveave mmoney,oney, ssoo aavoidvoid aanyonenyone wwhoho sspend.pend. FuelFuel cardscards tendtend toto bebe a lolot simpleer,r, iinn ttheory,heory, aass yyouou maximum on eexpectsxpects youyou toto paypay pumppump prices.prices. LookLook outout forfor hhiddenidden eextras.xtras. shouldshould havehave oonene wweeklyeekly iinvoicenvoice iitemtemisin ngg aallll rrefuellingefuelling sspendpend BP Fuel Cards Some ask you to pay transaction charges, adding £2 or more across the fleet shown usually by the date and vehicle regis- every time you refuel. tration number. On the downside, the invoice is paid auto- “Also check whether a supplier covers every major brand, matically by direct debit but this is still better than paying for M-way services, supermarkets and independents. At the the fuel on withdrawal. very least, anyone whose range does not cover all of BP, Fields-Davis says: “With a fuel card, all the tracking, Esso, Shell and Texaco can only offer a limited choice. No management and security is taken care of. You just get a BP, for example, means not being able to use one-third of single bill each month, together with all the data you need. motorway services.” It’s increasingly important for companies to have certainty As well as the coverage, larger fleets may also want to look regarding costs, particularly at a time when fuel prices are at the level of contact with the supplier which ranges from a volatile.” standard call centre to dedicated account managers. This can help in ordering, renewing or cancelling cards as HMRC friendly well as fielding any queries you may have on billing and the Claiming VAT on a large volume of diesel receipts is a like. significant exercise in itself, certainly when trying to get all “Finally, your supplier should be able to allow access to the relevant invoices in within the VAT quarter without even your account 24/7 via a secure internet and the software taking into account those that may have been misplaced or should provide the ability to customise on-demand lost. With fuel cards, a couple of invoices cover the month, reporting,” says Clarke. “In some cases, suppliers with some providers it could be just one, which enables a can also include any refuelling that has yet to be faster and more efficient way of reclaiming the VAT. invoiced.”

commercialfleet.org October 2016 27 Insight: Fuel – purchasing options

PURCHASE BY payment Fuel £ made by bunkering credit card

uel bunkering is still a legacy feature for fuel card F many large fleets across the UK and Europe and, after reading about the prolif- eration of fuel cards within the market, it would seem there’s no future for fuel bunkering. After all, there debit card are many real issues surrounding the use of bunkering such as the capital invested in advance bulk purchase as well as the infrastructure and training costs, not forgetting the ongoing health and safety implications. This is a point highlighted by Andy Webb director of production for EH Smith Ltd, a West Midlands-based builders merchant who switched to Keyfuels. He says: “Tanks were becoming a more costly option and it also meant we were limiting ourselves to just “Removing the tanks freed up capital and meant one fuel supply. We operate 12 sites across the UK, each with tanks holding anywhere between 15,000- we could be more accurate with our spending” 30,000 litres of fuel which meant we were sitting on money too. Removing the tanks freed up capital and Andy Webb, EH Smith meant we could be more accurate with our spending and our monitoring of the fuel we were using. The removal of the larger 30,000-litre tanks has also proved useful, freeing up valuable yard space.” Despite this, fuel bunkering can still be an option for large fleets with specific needs and the space as PAY BY credit card well as staff/financial resources to sustain it. After all, there can be no better situation than having the flex- Credit ibility and ability to fill up on site without having the general public around and, for the company, knowing 30 card there is adequate fuel to support the business at a is the known price. maximum number of days’ credit on a credit card nlike the debit card, using this option means PAY BY U you avoid paying for the fuel immediately and, dependent on the exact terms of your credit £ card company and the day you actually buy the fuel, you Cash or can get between one-30 days’ credit. debit£ card However, a major issue to take into consideration is use of a the potential personal credit risk you are building up on the card, assuming it’s not linked to a limited company. debit card This could have a very real impact on your credit rating and your ability to access other finance and/or credit facilities. Paperwork remains an important consideration but his is probably the least cost effective and credits cards are a step up from paying cash, as again T it’s certainly the most inefficient way to fulfil there is a degree of traceability, although claiming the your fleet fuelling needs, with the double VAT without the matching receipt would be an issue. whammy of paying forecourt prices and finding the money immediately. These are the two most important features to avoid Online and it’s the benchmark for the all the other alterna- SUMMARY tives offering you their solutions. There’s also the There is no doubt the rise of fuel cards is the story issue of keeping an eye on the paperwork. Paying To calculate the cash means you need to ensure the receipt is kept in impact a 1mpg behind access to fuel for the road transport industry a safe place whereas, at least, with the debit card increase can make to and for the vast majority of businesses it makes sense. there is the potential for a paper trail via your bank your costs visit: There is an argument for the owner driver or very statement if you lose the receipt although HMRC may commercialfleet.org/ large fleets to consider the other options outlined, or have a view on trying to claim the VAT. fuelcost even, a mixture of all three.

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FP_COMFLEET_290181id2477042.pgs 01.09.2016 17:32 Insight: Fuel – engine re-mapping Is engine re-mapping a false economy? As a professional fleet operator, should you consider ‘messing’ with your vehicles to make them perform better? We examine both sides of the story

By Tim Campbell Mark Grant, aftersales director of Scania GB, says of inkering with an engine to improve performance increasing power via third party suppliers: “This is usually is as old as Rudolf Diesel himself, with people very crude technology – basically just increase the fuel and thinking they can improve the fuel economy or up the turbo pressure. This usually results in poor fuel produce more power than the manufacturer. consumption and emissions, and there is also a risk of over- Perhaps it’s okay for an owner-driver to think this stressing the driveline, resulting in costly repairs.” but should you, as a professional fleet operator, consider ‘messing’ with the internal electronics? Better Fuel TPaul Busby, chief executive of Viezu, one of the leading So wanting more power is one reason to re-map. Another suppliers in this sector, says: “Sadly tuning does not enjoy the is fuel economy; while a truck manufacturer has developed best of reputations – it’s often seen as an ‘under the arches’ and optimised its software to cater for a wide range of practice. The rise of clone tools and software means almost potential environments, many believe a re-tuning/mapping anyone can have a go at it with little or no outlay or specialist at ground level could provide a better solution by experience, which has done nothing to help the reputation.” providing a tailored re-map. Along with the fact that the industry is unregulated, this Grant is dismissive of such suggestions. “I think it’s fair to does nothing to help the basic principle of re-tuning, which say fuel consumption is the holy grail for all manufacturers is to improve performance. today,” he says. “Scania has more than 1,000 research and “Minor adjustments to a vehicle’s set-up can deliver very development engineers working on engine development, significant improvements in fuel economy,” says Busby. “Not and the idea that a so-called software company can develop to be mixed up with boys ‘chipping’ their cars to go faster, fuel a better programme is laughable. We find although vehicles economy tuning can take account of a vehicle’s use, driver may achieve better fuel, this is at the expense of emissions.” style and weight. The tuning is largely made up of rev, speed Grant adds: “Since Euro 6, vehicle manufacturers have and throttle limiting, as well as small changes in torque avail- to comply with EU legislation regarding emissions for up ability at specific points in a vehicle’s rev range.” to 750,000 kilometres or seven years. Any non-standard software changes would nullify this.” More power In the other corner is remapping/retuning specialist Viezu, Looking back fewer than 30 years, an engine’s power was endeavouring to challenge the backstreet image by developing basically pre-determined by its capacity and fuel pump. software which is written and tested in-house. It is also These were fixed, so opportunities on a volume scale were limited but not impossible – but in 2016 all that has changed. Engine and commercial vehicle manufacturers now offer different power and torque ratings on the same engine “Many small tuning providers block. In fact, it’s not unusual to have three or four different powers for the same engine, with the only obvious difference claim to warrant their work being the engine mapping software. To rub salt into the wounds the price differential can be considerable, leading and services, but in reality when many to only one conclusion – re-map the engine to the higher horsepower and torque and save money. Unfortunately, the engine is only one aspect of the issue. you check, most ‘self-warrant’, It’s an integral part of the driveline system, which also includes the clutch and gearbox – they are finely matched to making a real claim impossible” the engine and torque outputs. This is standard practice in commercial vehicle design and production throughout the Paul Busby, Viezu world, where a few kilograms of weight or a slightly higher price tag can greatly affect the viability of the product.

30 October 2016 commercialfleet.org What the manufacturers say... VOLKSWAGEN VAUXHALL VANS We are aware that a small proportion of Warranty claims are excluded for vans we sell are subsequently re-mapped by assemblies which are directly or indirectly their owners. We do not encourage or affected by parts (for example tuning or endorse this as our vehicles and engines are styling parts) subsequently fitted to the designed and manufactured to run as they vehicle and which do not form part of the are from the factory. There are no original Vauxhall accessories, or if the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles ‘approved’ vehicle has been modified (including, without companies for this purpose and, as we do limitation, software modifications or not approve any re-maps, we could not modifications of the electronic control units) predict the impact on specific functions. So in a manner not approved by Vauxhall. in a case where anything went wrong, it would obviously be harder for us to accept FORD responsibility for any issues arising than in Ultimately it is up to the customer to decide one which is used as designed ex-factory. whether they choose to re-tune or re-map their engine. However, Ford would not MERCEDES-BENZ recommend any performance upgrades This is a really emotive subject, one about that take the vehicle away from the which we’ve always had strong feelings. standard, homologated calibration that Put simply we do not and have never meets the tight controls set on emissions approved of engine re-mapping. Mercedes- and fuel economy as this will impact the Benz invests a lot of time and resources in warranty of the vehicle. producing a range of engines which meet and surpass the strictest and most current FIAT emission requirements. These emission In summary, if a fault arises that can be standards are set across Europe and are attributed to a non-approved modification, it designed to improve both the efficiency and will not be covered under the terms of the emission standards of vehicles that we see warranty and no consideration will be given on the roads. once the warranty has expired.

ISO-registered and audited by the British Stand- vated when the SCR system is not working. This means they ards Institute, as well as having fuel use, dyno and run the vehicle without any after-treatment which is illegal.” emission testing facilities. It also claims all the soft- There is also the issue of Adblue Emulators that tell the ware is independently insured. on-board software that the tank is full or Adblue is present. Busby explains: “Many small tuning providers claim This negates the need for it which means they run without any to warrant their work and services, but in reality when after-treatment thus saving the operator the additional cost you check, most ‘self-warrant’, making a real claim – although the emission levels will not comply with Euro 6. impossible. From the outset we chose to be trans- parent and have independent tuning file insurance; in The manufacturers’ views short, if we make a mistake in a tuning file that causes For many operators the main reason stopping them fitting damage to a vehicle, we and the customer are covered third party retuning equipment is the potential (and realistic) for the cost of repair by our insurance.” risk of invalidating the manufacturer’s warranty. This wasn’t This appears to have struck a chord with one of the an argument a few years ago when many manufacturers had UK’s largest fleets, BT Fleet, as it remapped its fleet of the basic 12 or 24-month warranty, so re-tuning could begin 24,000 light commercial vehicles and is now saving quite early in a vehicle’s life, but with the increasing trend £4million a year in diesel costs. It estimates the reduction towards longer warranties this has become an issue. in its carbon footprint is equivalent to taking 5,000 London Every manufacturer views the sector with suspicion (see cabs off the road. The initial BT project was to tune vehicles panel above) and, on detection of non-approved third party of three years and older but it was rolled out to the whole fleet equipment, will immediately invalidate the warranty. where On Board Diagnostics (OBD) tuning was available. As one manufacturer says: “When we service a vehicle we Fuel economy can be controlled by three main areas. Busby put on the diagnostic computer and check if the software is £4m says these can cut fuel use by 15% and emissions by 20%: up-to-date. It will also tell us if there is any non-standard ■ Rev limiting:: stops engine thrashing, saves wear and tear software or if the system has been tampered with. Every time Annual fuel saving at ■ Speed limiting:: good for corporate responsibility we update the software the non-standard software is removed BT Fleet after it re-mapped ■ 24,000 vehicles Throttle limiting: adds an element of power restriction and replaced with the standard. Once we find non-standard software we do not update the vehicle until the customer signs Bypassing emission control a disclaimer.” The third and probably latest use of re-tuning/remapping is the development of emissions fine-tuning, or, in extreme Summary cases, complete elimination software and hardware. Fleet operators and managers are always looking for ways to Grant says: “Remapping software to change emissions improve efficiency and productivity, and reducing van and software is a relatively new issue and thankfully rare on UK truck costs is one of the most important elements. The crux trucks but we have seen it on foreign vehicles. Basically they of the matter revolves around warranty – but as soon as it is remap the software to turn off the engine de-rate that is acti- no longer applicable, one of the biggest barriers disappears.

commercialfleet.org October 2016 31 Advertisement feature

Van values rise to record levels as the market heats up in August

CA reported strong bidding and rising Bconversions as buyers competed for stock in August. The headline average value of a used LCV sold at BCA rose above £6,000 for the first time on record, following a strong month for sales. The average van sold at BCA in August realised £6,089, a rise of £158 (2.6%) compared to July and up by £582 (10.5%), year-on-year. Fleet and lease values improved marginally, while dealer PX values increased sharply and the low-volume nearly-new van sector also saw values increase over the month.

Fleet and lease Used van values reached a record level in August The fleet and lease sector saw average values rise by just £1 in Part-exchange Nearly-new August as values continue to Average part-exchange LCV Nearly-new LCV values Fleet/leasing stabilise in 2016. Retained value values climbed sharply in averaged £14,775 in August, a against MRP (Manufacturer August, rising by £282 to break rise of £414 when compared to Aug 2015 Recommended Price) fell by just through the £4,000 barrier for July. As always, this has to be 42.42 Aug 2016 over half a percentage point to the first time since January of taken in the context of the very 40.35 34.49%. this year. low volumes reaching the Year-on-year, values were up Year-on-year values were up market and the model mix 69,757 by £592 (9.5%), with both by £220 (5.7%). factor, as well as the continuing 63,282 average age and mileage Both average age and availability of ‘new shape’ declining over the past 12 average mileage rose over the models reaching the used £6,188 months. year. market. £6,780

All LCVs 2015-2016 Part-exchange Aug 2015 £7,000 81.53 Aug 2016 83.50 £6,000 90,152 90,758 £5,000 £3,810 £4,030 £4,000 Average age (months) Average mileage £3,000000 AverageNearly value new Jan Oct Apr Feb Sep Dec July July Nov Mar Aug Aug

May Sales vs CAP June May 2016

The UK and Europe’s largest used vehicle marketplace Log on to bca.co.uk or call 0844 875 3480 Insight: Remarketing VAN SALES AVOID SUMMERTIME BLUES WITH IMPROVED DEMAND Average prices up; conversion rates show gains; demand significantly stronger

By Trevor Gehlcken lthough activity in the used van market levelled off Tim Spencer of Shoreham as is the norm during the summer lull, profes- Vehicle Auctions where the sional buyers were still out in reasonable numbers overall impact of seasonality – and at BCA Auctions, prices reached record has remained minimal levels in August. Manheim Auctions, too, recorded Aits strongest performance ever between June and August. The average price of vans at BCA hit £6,089 – a rise of 10.5% compared to the same month last year. BCA head of commercial vehicles Duncan Ward commented: “The LCV market in August was particularly strong at BCA considering the holiday season was still in full swing. Conversion rates improved and demand was significantly stronger than we had seen in July. “To put it into context, a year ago the headline average value was falling and fleet and lease vans recorded their lowest monthly value since July 2013. Following on, average values have steadily improved, climbing across the board by around 10.5%. However, there is no room for complacency as volumes have risen steadily in the wholesale markets and questions remain over poor condition stock.” Ward continued: “The mantra of ‘condition, condition, condition’ remains as important as it ever was, with buyers continuing to focus on well presented, good quality commercial vehicles that can be ready for retail almost immediately. “It is vital for sellers to prepare their vehicles well and cially from fleets and leasing companies defleeting vehicles appraise and value them in line with market sentiment as during the plate change period. poorer presented vans must look good value for money if The south-coast auctioneer is confident the post-summer they are to compete.” upturn has already started, with a buoyant and stable Matthew Davock, head of LCV at Manheim, said: “The market continuing through the busy new registration period commercial vehicle market continues to show no sign of and towards the end of 2016. softening. When comparing July against August, we saw a Tim Spencer, commercial vehicle sales manager at 14% increase in units sold, performance against guide rising Shoreham, said: “Increasing interest in LCVs and specialist by 2% and the average selling price at our in-lane and online ex-utility stock means the overall impact of seasonality has auctions recorded its second highest figure for 2016, beaten remained minimal for us this year. This has allowed our only by June. buyer base to source the exact stock they require from an “Conversion rates have been equally strong, with record increasingly large selection of vehicles at this time of the high performance seen throughout the summer. We have year, albeit in a relatively calm market.” seen the overall results for this period at a healthy 78%, Looking across the market as a whole, Glass’s Guide saw representing year-on-year growth of 7%.” growth levelling off over the summer and was expecting no Compared to 2015, Manheim saw 5% more volume in the real increase until the end of that season. market place, with average age of vans sold increasing by Andy Picton, senior commercial vehicle editor at Glass’s, two months and average mileage also increasing, by 2,000 said: “Over the past six weeks volumes at auction have miles. Over the past 12 months, the average age of units sold increased, with some vendors now having to lay on additional has been 64 months and average mileage was 80,041 miles. sales to cope with the extra stock. Still, there is a growing The halls were also buzzing at Shoreham Vehicle Auctions. percentage of these that are not selling at the first attempt, Although the Lancing-based auction house saw a slight adding to the increasing numbers in the halls. seasonal dip in activity, this only occurred during a relatively “Attendances at auction, as always, suffer in summer, with short period in July. Shoreham has credited increased retail many enjoying a well-deserved break. What was noticeable activity on dealer forecourts for the interest, with buyers was that many were actively seeking the best stock and turning towards the auction houses to replenish stock levels. replenishing their yards prior to taking their holidays in the The steady supply of LCVs in good condition coming into hope that business could continue while they were away.” the market in August has therefore been well received, Picton reported that online activity was busier than ever although prices have experienced the usual seasonal adjust- now, with many traders preferring to save time and money ment due to a relative lack of demand. £6,089 by buying over the web. He said: “The attraction of These are expected to increase significantly in September the average price of vans at this is obvious. It allows the trader to ‘attend’ and October when larger volumes enter the market, espe- BCA Auctions multiple sales simultaneously without ever leaving

commercialfleet.org October 2016 33 Insight: Remarketing THROUGH THE his yard. Without the overheads of travelling, the LOOKING GLASS trader is often able to bid more strongly for the best available stock. 10.5% Andy Picton, Senior “Bearing this in mind, recent sales continue to see late- the averageag climb in Commercial Vehicle plate stock come under pressure with more 15- and 16-plate across-the-boardacross-the-board valuesvalues Editor, Glass’s stock due to be defleeted in the coming weeks.” CAP Red Book editor Ken Brown said that, although buyers It was encouraging to see were out in force in August, the mood was generally subdued registrations of new light and trade bidding was weaker than of late. commercial vehicles achieve record levels He said: “There was a noticeable lack of urgency to buy 80,041 for August. The 15,385 units registered and discerning buyers were clearly only willing to part with was the averageag mileagmileage of hard-earned cash for the most desirable and cleanest stock unitsunits soldsold inin AugustAugust were 6.3% up on the same period in 2015 or anything out of the ordinary. Damaged and duplicated and meant that YTD figures now stand at stock was still selling provided vendors were prepared to 231,857 compared to 225,417 units recorded seasonally adjust their reserve values accordingly. by the end of August 2015 – up 2.9%. “As always during the school holidays, attendance levels Ford remains dominant, strengthening its were bolstered by retail buyers, many of whom were actively bidding and, since they don’t have to worry about sales spot as number one with 4,040 units margins, they were prepared to place that extra bid to win registered. This was 1,711 more than second- on the day.” placed Vauxhall who shifted 2,329. YTD sales Looking ahead, Brown said the introduction of Euro 6 engines see Ford outstripping nearest rival VW by as a legal requirement on September 1 was likely to have a more than 2:1 with 70,707 units registered. knock-on effect. He said: “The biggest concerns for vehicle operators are a reduction in payload which comes from the additional weight of the tank, pipework and the AdBlue itself and the increased pence per mile operating costs. “The cost of AdBlue, like many other automotive consum- “New Euro 6 product is able products, will vary considerably. There are also hidden costs to be taken into account such as the cost of storage selling strongly to local and delivery systems and driver training. It’s little wonder that, while LCV operators will no doubt appreciate what Euro government and utilities” 6 will do for the greater good of the planet, they will do all they can to defer replacing their Euro 5 vehicles.” One of the ways they can do this, said Brown, is by changing Although August was a record month – their vehicles earlier than intended to maximise the number the best since August 2006 – registrations of years they can avoid having to buy Euro 6 vehicles. “This is exactly what happened when Euro 5 was intro- were more than 9,000 units lower than the duced and it may have already been happening again this Online 24,506 vans sold in July. YTD registrations year and could explain some of the growth in LCV registra- for the first eight months are 2.9% up on tions we’ve been seeing. this time last year and signs are that “As we progress through autumn they will no longer be able For the latest news on to, so the situation could be reversed and fewer used vehicles the remarketing sector, market confidence is returning. will enter the market. The other effect of operators buying visit commercialfleet. New Euro 6 product is selling strongly forward and upsetting the balance of supply and demand is it org/remarketing to local government and utilities with only could lead to used stock shortages further down the line.” SMEs still weighing up the pros and cons of the latest emissions technology. What the experts say Surprisingly, sales of LCVs at auction during August rose by 10.7% on the previous month and by 15.5% on the same “It is vital for “The average “Discerning point in 2015 with 75% selling first time. With many fleets and leasing companies sellers to selling price buyers were defleeting in readiness for the new 16/66 prepare their at our in-lane clearly only plate, the increased availability has meant the impact of seasonality has remained vehicles well and online willing to part minimal with buyers able to source the and appraise auctions with hard- exact stock required from an increasingly large pool of vehicles. The average selling and value recorded earned cash price was up £121 on the previous month to them in line its second for the most £5,238 and a massive £468 after the first eight months of 2015 while the average age with market highest figure desireable and fell from 65 to 63.7 months. sentiment” for 2016” cleanest stock” Although attendances were strong in August, there is still an abundance of three- Duncan Ward, BCA Matthew Davock, Manheim Ken Brown, CAP Red Book four-year-old stock available. Thankfully, most have sensible miles on the clock.

34 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Advertisement feature Stepping up standards in commercial vehicle hire Europcar expands specialist fleet and dedicated locations to deliver a four-hour ‘ready to rent’ van service to its customers

Europcar has a range of specialist commercial vehicles permanently on its fleet

Stuart Russell, specialist vehicle director at City Transport Solutions Europcar, explains how the company has One company that has capitalised on reshaped its commercial vehicle service to “Our customer promise Europcar’s focus on commercial vehicles, to meet the demands of UK businesses. is to provide the right enhance its own customer proposition is City “ or the past two years, Europcar has Transport Solutions (CTS). been focused on extending its vehicle, in the right With a clear philosophy that the “customer is F commercial fleet and network to offer place, at the right time” king”, this “on demand” business needs a service that takes all the best of our industry- partners that will not let them down. leading car hire service and applies the same For the past two years, Europcar has been rules to commercial vehicle rental. We now supersite network, which can be found in all the core supplier of large vans for CTS have, arguably, one of the most extensive the major business conurbations across the customers. commercial vehicle fleets, from standard to UK, we can promise a four working hours “We chose Europcar as a partner because it specialist vehicles, available from a number of delivery. This is because each supersite has offers a cost-effective service with online dedicated locations around the UK. the capacity to store several hundred vehicles, account support, which increases efficiency “At the heart of the Europcar commercial including specialist models such as 4x4 pick- across our business,” said Liam Murnaghan, vehicle service is our underlying customer ups, dropsides and tippers with or without client and supplier relations manager, CTS. promise – to provide the right vehicle, in the Chapter 8 livery. “But what has strengthened our relationship right place, at the right time. “The next step is to create, from scratch, a with Europcar in the last year or so has been purpose-built van location that we believe will the introduction of specialist vehicles into the A ‘ready to rent’ specialist fleet give us the template for further sites in the fleet, which has enabled us to service more of “We know that so much of what is needed coming years. Scheduled to open in Fareham our customers’ bespoke requirements without today is not standard. So, rather than make by the end of the year, the stand-alone location any compromise on speed or efficiency. customers wait while we source the specific will offer the full range of commercial vehicles, “The fact that Europcar’s fleet is largely less vehicles, with all necessary adaptations, we supported by an expert team who will work than eight months old, with vehicles only being have invested in specialist vehicles that are with our customers to ensure their needs are kept for two years, also supports our low permanently on our fleet. Through our met quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.” emission and energy efficiency stance.”

For further information please contact the Europcar Sales Team on 01923 811250 Email: [email protected] Web: europcar.co.uk/van-hire Commercial Fleet Van & Truck review

BIG NAMES OUT IN FORCE FOR INAUGURAL SHOW Delegates receive specialist advice, gain the opportunity to network and to put vehicles to the test

By Gareth Roberts, Trevor Held at Millbrook proving ground, more than a quarter of visitors oper- issues facing commercial fleets. They Gehlcken and Matt de Prez Bedford, the event offered visitors ated fleets in excess of 1,000 included representatives from Trans- ore than 300 van dedicated learning zones, networking commercial vehicles. port for London, Freight Transport and truck buyers, opportunities and a professional ride- DAF, Toyota and Fiat Professional Association, BP and the Office of Rail decision-makers and-drive experience. offered delegates the chance to put and Road. and key suppliers, Attendees included fleet repre- their latest commercial vehicles And, led by specialists in their with a combined sentatives from some of the coun- through their paces. particular field, a series of best prac- Mfleet size in excess try’s biggest operators, including Meanwhile, the plenary theatre tice sessions offered practical guid- of 140,000 vans Royal Mail, Skanska, Morgan Sindall, played host to eight key sector ance to fleet operators on a range of attended the inaugural two-day Balfour Beatty Plant and Fleet speakers over the two days, who subjects, including fleet software, Commerical Fleett Van & Truck Show. Services and National Grid. In fact, were on hand to discuss the critical fleet funding and outsourcing.

36 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Supported by

THEATRE SPEAKERS Sponsored by

ALISON MORIARTY MARK CARTWRIGHT Skanska stresses importance Risk management crucial as of being safe as well as legal operators face stiffer penalties

When viewing our drivers what they do for a living, Van and truck rate manslaughter cases which are fleet safety, no one says they are a driver. That operators have designed to be so severe as to bring most compa- journey doesn’t figure in their heads been warned to some businesses to their knees. nies use legal as part of their working day. tighten up risk “They take away the ‘wriggle compliance as “But if, say, we had someone management room’ the courts have as to how they their bench- climbing up scaffolding talking on a procedures impose penalties. Once a court has mark. But mobile phone, they would be off the after the Sent- found a company guilty they dial into some go way site at once. So why not a similar encing Council a spreadsheet to get their penalties. beyond pure outcome with drivers?” ramped up the Fines have been increased, the legal compli- Moriarty launched a scheme penalties for scale of fines will now be linked to ance – and Skanska is one such fleet. called IFE (injury-free environment) companies whose vehicles are company turnover and custodial Alison Moriarty, Skanska risk and incorporating all driving risks. It involved in serious accidents. sentences are more likely.” compliance manager, told delegates covers anyone who drives in connec- Mark Cartwright, head of vans at For a company with a £50 million at the event how she manages risk. tion with Skanska’s business. the Freight Transport Association annual turnover, fines can be up to She said: “We are looking at going One area of focus is drink/drug (FTA), said the council, which advises £10m in the event of a prosecution beyond compliance to being safe as driving. Within Skanska, the penalties magistrates and judges on penal- under the Corporate Manslaughter well as legal. Never confuse the are severe. Random breath testing is ties, had increased the level of fines Act. Cartwright said that for a two.” carried out on 10% of staff at a time and custodial terms – and he told company to avoid prosecution as One problem, she said, was that and, whereas the legal alcohol limit delegates: “This is a real game well as the driver in the event of a many van drivers do not see them- is 36mg in 100ml, the Skanska limit changer and I don’t think many fleets crash, it would have to prove that it selves as drivers. She said: “Driving is just 13. Test failure is treated as have got their heads around it yet. had “adopted a recognised industry is a work activity and when we ask gross misconduct. There are new guidelines for corpo- standard”.

JACQUELINE O’DONOVAN JAMES HOOKHAM Cutting costs and improving safety ‘Keep calm and carry on’ post Brexit

A 60% reduc- to ensure drivers are doing what Exactly what there now. So my message is to tion in sharp they are supposed to be doing – for the effects of keep calm and carry on but we need braking and example, performing daily walk- Brexit will be answers to what will happen to Brit- acceleration, a round checks.” on Britain’s ain’s van and truck fleets.” similar reduc- She continued: “We didn’t feel that transport The biggest question, according to tion in danger- the current CPC courses were suffi- industry are, as Hookham, is access to the single ous incidents, cient so we produced our own yet, unclear. market. After all, around half of the and a 27% cut scheme, which I deliver myself. But James UK’s exports at present go to the in fuel costs “It includes hazard protection and Hookham, rest of Europe. have all been safe urban driving where drivers go deputy chief He said: “Access to the single achieved at O’Donovan Waste out on bicycles for half a day to give executive of the Freight Transport market will make or break the Disposal thanks to an unwavering them an idea of what cyclists do, for Association (FTA), had a clear Brexit as the imposition of tariffs is focus on safety and cost control. example, when they hit potholes.” message for delegates at Commerr- a big factor. Jacqueline O’Donovan, managing O’Donovan Waste Disposal has cial Fleet Van & Truck – “keep calm “Different relationships are being director of the family-run outfit, also fitted side scanners and side and carry on”. talked about but what will be the outlined the company’s success guards and stickers warning about Hookham pointed out that the UK procedures for the future is a ques- story at the Commercial Fleet Van & lorries turning left. is still a member of the EU and, as tion we need answering. It will Truck event. CCTV cameras have been fitted all such, had to abide by its laws, regu- determine what paperwork and She said: “Our commitment is that round vehicles, along with forward- lations and penalties – and this could what conditions our members will safety is a priority so we employed facing cameras, which have proved possibly be the case for years. have to work around. an outside auditor to come in to look invaluable when incidents occur. He said: “We want to continue to “It’s not just political, there are at all aspects of company safety. The 85-strong truck fleet deals influence the new regulations that practical concerns, too. It looks “Now we have safety champions mainly with some 109 million tonnes will be coming along. We could have certain the UK will have its own throughout our workforce and we of waste generated by the construc- to live with the consequences of model but what that consists of is have employed a fleet risk manager tion industry in London. some of the things happening out anyone’s guess.”

commercialfleet.org October 2016 37 Commercial Fleet Van & Truck review

RICHARD COATES STUART GEMMELL Roads regulator admits challenges Focus on the individual rather lie ahead for Highways England than on-the-road driving

H i g h w a y s motorways and main A roads over When it comes seem to have changed much over England is doing the next five to six years. to driver train- the years. The reduction in accidents well, but will Coates continued: “Clearly, as ing, too much is down to better technology and face challenges there are more roadworks and focus is put on road environment. It comes down to to continue to there is more investment on the driving skills individual actions when at the wheel.” deliver network network, there will be challenges.” and not enough Gemmell believes many drivers improvements, ORR monitors eight key areas in on the individ- are simply sent for driver training with traffic ever- relation to the roads network. They uals, according when they have an accident when in increasing. include: making the network safer, to risk control fact there is nothing wrong with their That is the improving user satisfaction and manager at skills on the road. view of the Office of Rail and Road keeping the network in good condi- Gallagher Bassett International He said: “We make sure driving (ORR), the independent regulator tion. Also, with 112 major improve- Stuart Gemmell. skills are there, but what ensures responsibility for monitoring High- ments planned, it monitors the The US-based firm, a third party the continuation of those skills? ways England since it became Highways England investment plan. administrator, provides an integrated Where do those skills go when Government-owned in 2015. ORR published its first report on claims management and risk drivers are highly trained? Richard Coates, head of perfor- the highways authority’s perfor- management service to self-insured “It all comes down to how drivers mance at ORR, told delegates that, mance in the summer. Coates said: clients and provides an outsourced are feeling and thinking. We drive on while traffic was already at a record “We found that, overall, Highways claims management service to direct emotion. Distractions could be the high, it is forecast to grow by up to England has performed pretty well clients, insurers and brokers. mood we are in, tiredness or stress. 60% over the next 20 to 30 years. in its first year. However, it now Gemmell told delegates: “We Or it could be an argument with the “At the same time, Highways needs to put in some robust plans to respond to firms who are concerned supervisor earlier in the day. England is having to deliver a level make sure it continues to deliver.” that, despite their safety policies, “Feedback should be delivered of investment that hasn’t been on the ORR has set Highways England a they are not achieving the results regularly by the line manager, the network before,” he said. series of targets which include they want and we look at what can most influential person for the The Government has set aside hitting a user satisfaction rate of be achieved to reduce incidents. driver. Managers must be taught around £15 billion to be spent on 90% by March. It stands at 89.3%. “The risk of driving at work doesn’t how to do it.”

RICHARD PEARSON TIM WARD Future fuels aimed at improving air Operators urged to have their quality will contest diesel’s share say before ULEZ plan decided

A variety of little take-up of electric vans so far. Commercial and consider its expansion from the fuels are being Pearson was disappointed that, fleet operators planned current congestion charge trialled in a bid while legislation was forcing car and are being zone to cover the area bounded by the to improve air van makers to reduce emissions, on encouraged to North and South Circulars. quality. Dr Rich- the heavy truck front no firm dates have their say He is also considering imple- ard Pearson, had been set for any emissions on the possible menting an early £10 emissions automotive reduction targets. expansion and surcharge – dubbed the T-charge – engineering However, he believed truck emis- earlier intro- on the most polluting vehicles adviser to BP, sions would, nevertheless, be duction of the entering central London from 2017. told delegates reduced, thanks to better engines, ultra-low An initial consultation showed that, although diesel was still the transmissions and aerodynamics. emission zone (ULEZ) in London. Londoners have given their over- predominant fuel used for trans- For example, fuel injectors were Tim Ward, freight and fleet whelming support to the mayor’s port, the future will see others now smaller than the breadth of a communications and engagement proposals. coming to the fore. human hair, which means more manager at Transport for London Its findings will now be used by city He said that vans and trucks carry efficient fuel spraying. And, he (TfL), told event visitors he wants to hall officials to shape the next round, 22% of the world’s freight, but cause believes that by 2030 fuel efficiency hear their views before any decision which will start this month (October). 60% of the greenhouses gases in trucks would be improved 40%. is made. It will include a more detailed and emitted by freight transportation. He said: “Trucks have potential for “We want to work in partnership,” specific consultation on the T-charge Much of the rest was moved on better efficiency but we need legisla- he said. “We don’t want to be the reflecting comments made in the ships, which are much less polluting tion to realise their full potential.” transport authority that does things first round – ready for implementing per tonne carried. Pearson also pointed out that ‘to’ the industry; we want to take the in 2017. Electrification of cars is expected Mercedes-Benz was already trial- industry with us and work together, Ward said: “They are all proposals to see a drop in CO2 emissions but, ling a fully electric truck, while in making the policy better for all.” at the moment and, if you’re working he said, emissions from vans are Sweden a system of overhead The new mayor of London, Sadiq or operating in London, we want to likely to increase as more LCVs are cables for electric trucks to link up Khan, wants to bring the introduction hear your views when the consulta- on the roads and there has been to was being tested. of ULEZ forward from 2020 to 2019, tion gets under way.”

38 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Supported by BEST PRACTICE SESSIONS

HUBIO Plugging in simple dongle can prompt dramatic driving improvements

Hubio chose the Commercial Fleet iour, but going further and using the Van & Truck Show to launch its new data to coach drivers will lead to a Andrew Betteley – Hubio Fleet telematics product. more significant improvement. “drivers improve The system uses a dongle which The Hubio Fleet system provides with some form of contact or is plugged into the vehicleÕs diagnos- full live tracking via Google maps coaching” tics port, meaning installation can and can be configured to alert either be carried out in seconds. drivers, fleet managers or both to a To manage the data, customers range of factors including speed and access an online portal which gives heavy braking. real-time data and an overall fleet ÒFleet managers can benefit from safety score. Extra vehicles can be lower fuel costs and reduced fuel added at any time by simply plugging consumption, while also contrib- a dongle into them. uting to better road safety,Ó Betteley ÒAround 90% of drivers improve explained. their driving with some form of In trials drivers who received no contact or coaching,Ó said Andrew encouragement from their manager Betteley, chief technology officer at and only had personal access to the Hubio.ÒIt is acknowledged that subtle data showed a positive improve- and indirect suggestions can influ- ment over a nine-week period. ence motives and behaviour change.Ó Those who received active coaching Betteley explained to delegates and reviews of their scores showed how installing telematics can have a a more dramatic improvement in noticeable impact on driver behav- just three weeks.

FLEETCHECK Keep track or face ‘astronomical’ penalties – or possible jail

Peace of mind is important to fleet sources, fleet managers can be managers, according to FleetCheck bombarded with data. managing director Peter Golding. The FleetCheck system integrates He outlined the responsibility that with more than 200 data sources a fleet operator now has under the including telematics, giving fleet guidelines set out by the Sentencing managers total transparency over Council, for corporate manslaughter their fleets in one place. and health and safety breaches, in ÒEvery small- and medium-sized February of this year. enterprise (SME) should have a fleet Fleet managers who are not management system,Ó Golding said. keeping track of maintenance and He set up FleetCheck to specifically licence checks could face Òastro- service SMEs and offer a platform to nomicalÓ penalties or even jail if simplify data management. Today caught out in an inspection or the software is used by some of the following an accident. countryÕs biggest fleets and is the Golding said it is imperative that choice of the Freight Transport Asso- fleets keep on top of this information ciationÕs Van Excellence programme. and highly recommended moving He also warned delegates to be Peter Golding – away from traditional spreadsheet- aware of vehicles with longer service “every SME based record keeping, instead using intervals as they will get fewer should have a a central software platform. inspections, leaving responsibility fleet management Because modern fleet data is typi- for checking tyre and brake condi- system” cally drawn from a range of external tion in the hands of the driver.

commercialfleet.org October 2016 39 Commercial Fleet Van & Truck review

BT FLEET Operators should carefully consider outsourcing wants and needs

Transport companies considering BT Fleet manages 120,000 vehi- outsourcing their fleet management cles for customers, which includes operations have no shortage of the BT Group vehicles, and has 65 specialist outfits offering their owned garages on its books along services. But how do they decide with 500 contractors and 900 staff. which one to choose? Chauhan said BT Fleet looks upon The question was posed at a BT itself not as a supplier but as a Fleet seminar where Nimesh partner that can help identify ways to Chauhan, senior customer account improve the client’s fleet efficiency. manager at BT Business, had some His advice to delegates consid- words of advice for delegates. ering outsourcing is: Chauhan said: “The key questions n Decide your objectives for potential fleet management n Understand why you want to providers are what services do they outsource offer and what value they bring to n Decide what you will outsource the table? n Do it for best value not best price “You also need to look at the n Agree service levels with a service levels they offer and ask if potential provider they will simply look to outsource And he added: “Outsourcing does Nimesh Chauhan – your entire operation. Many will not mean you will be made redun- “outsourcing does recommend full outsourcing but the dant. There is always a fear that not mean you will company should be able to offer people will lose their jobs, but this is be made redundant” outsourcing of some parts only.” not always the case.”

AURA GRAPHICS Cheapest may not be best option when rebranding vehicles

Fleet rebranding is about more than before the rebrand there is a consid- just wrapping a vehicle; there are a erable amount of extra time number of key elements which, if needed,” said Bunn. ignored, can have a significant He also explained to delegates impact on the end result. that, when choosing to rebrand a “Managing the implementation is fleet, they are making an active deci- one area not considered by fleets,” sion to create downtime, usually half said Will Bunn, key account manager a day per vehicle. for Aura Graphics. “There’s an array “One way to make the most of this of vehicle profiles that often goes valuable time is to carry out other above the experience level of the fleet jobs at the same time,” he advised. administrators. Choose a supplier Delegates were urged to consider that will support you through the choosing a supplier for reasons entire process.” other than cost. “Usually, whoever is It’s also important to plan ahead. cheapest will get that business. An Bunn recommended that fleets get operator doesn’t choose a van based suppliers on board as early as purely on cost so why would they for possible in the decision-making graphics?” said Bunn. “Think about process and warned they must be aftercare: the easier it is to deal with prepared to adapt. your graphics company the quicker “There will be things you didn’t the vehicle will be prepared.” Will Bunn – “there expect,” he added. One example Aura Graphics has worked with will be things you given was vehicle damage. some of the UK’s biggest fleets don’t expect” “If a vehicle needs to be repaired including The AA, Sky and BSM.

40 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Supported by

ENTERPRISE FLEX-E-RENT Consider letting rental ‘doctor’ diagnose a solution

Could a rental firm possibly fulfil all have a suite of products right across the needs of Britain’s van and truck the range that offers full mobility fleets? Yes, says John Collins, solutions for most businesses.” founder of Enterprise Flex-e-rent. Enterprise is one of the world’s Economic uncertainty and the biggest rental firms, with two million vehicle requirements of individual vehicles, 100,000 staff and revenue contracts mean that many compa- of £20 billion. nies turn to van rental over contract One of the reasons for the firm’s hire and ownership, claiming it to be success, said Collins, is: “Almost like the most efficient and effective fleet a doctor, we get a full understanding funding route given its flexibility. of a business and diagnose the solu- In terms of vehicle ownership, that tion by digging deep into under- amounts to companies not having standing what the customer wants their money tied up in depreciating and how to make it better. assets and with leasing not being “It sometimes means renting tied into contract hire agreements. fewer vehicles – not more – and we Collins said: “We are a one-stop are not afraid to say this to bring real shop which offers pretty much value to customers. everything from a vehicle for an “We ring three million customers John Collins – “it hour to a contract for five years. a year about satisfaction ratings. If sometimes means “We offer passenger cars through they are not completely satisfied, we renting fewer vans and HGVs, to temperature- ask more questions. Now, more vehicles, not more” controlled vehicles and buses. We than 80% are fully satisfied.”

LEX AUTOLEASE Leasing gives ‘benefits of ownership without the hassle’

While many van and truck fleets still when fleets chose to lease their opt to buy their vehicles outright, a vehicles, he claimed. growing number are choosing to “We take the risk and outsource it lease them. to ourselves, giving the benefits of Richard Tilden, head of commer- ownership without the hassle,” cial vehicles at Lex Autolease, Tilden said. presented a seminar at Commercial “Contract hire takes the risk out of Fleet Van & Truck which highlighted an asset so you are just paying for the different funding options avail- the use in the vehicle’s life. More and able and which types of fleet could more this is up to six or seven years benefit from each. of funding, as people add truck Tilden said the problems with mentality to their vans. There is no outright purchase were that a large residual value risk so no exposure amount of money was tied up in there. The used van market is really buying the vehicles. Also there was strong but we don’t know what it will the risk of extra maintenance costs be like in five years’ time.” if something went wrong, a residual Against these benefits, Tilden did value risk if the market dipped when point out some drawbacks to leasing vehicles were to be sold, and a against outright purchase – extra question about recoverability of VAT, cost if the vehicle is returned before Richard Tilden – especially regarding crew-cabs and the agreed contract end, extra cost “we take the risk vans which were used for personal if the vehicle is driven over the and outsource use. agreed mileage and end-of-contract it to ourselves” All these problems disappeared damage charges.

commercialfleet.org October 2016 41 First look

ON SALE: SPRING 2017 VOLKSWAGEN CRAFTER Van production is back in-house at VW – and the company says there are ‘no compromises’

By Liam Campbell t was a surprise to many when Volkswagen announced it would be turning to Mercedes-Benz to build its large panel vans in the mid-90s, given the huge success of the LT-series vans. Now, though, VW is bringing large van production back in-house – and is promising operators low owner- IN THE CAB Iship costs, cutting edge safety features and a wide range Engineers have replicated the same of body styles with the all-new Crafter. ‘smart and functional’ approach from the Transporter interior on the Crafter. The cab feels spacious, there’s great visibility and it’s BACKGROUND practical with plenty of storage The move to develop its own large panel van is long spaces, including a 13-litre glovebox. overdue as the current generation is expensive to buy The air-suspension ergoActive and run, there is only a small selection of derivatives driver’s seat brings a new level of and it’s not very practical. With sales falling well comfort to the segment. below expectation, VW has finally decided to go it A whole host of new driver-assist alone. systems have also been introduced. “We’ve developed the new Crafter from scratch and These include adjustable electro- there have been no compromises,” explains Eckhard mechanical steering (first time in the Scholz, chairman of the board of management of segment), front assist with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We’ve been emergency braking, park assist for listening closely to customers and have built the parallel and bay parking, trailer product around four principles: total cost of ownership assist, reversing cameras, adaptive (TCO), practicality, build quality and comfort.” cruise control and crosswind assist.

42 October 2016 commercialfleet.org LOAD AREA Another aspect that has been significantly improved is front-wheel versions is one of the lowest in the class at the load area, with a wider range of body styles and just 570mm (100mm higher on the rear-wheel drive). greater load capacities. Like the previous generation, The current Crafter has one of the heaviest chassis on there are four load lengths and three roof heights, but the market, which has seriously compromised the there is now the option of factory-fit dropside, box bodies carrying capacity at 3.5t. With the latest generation, and a three-way tipper. the engineers have managed to shed around 100kg which Gross weights and load volumes range between 3.0 and means there will be a payload of up to around 1,580kg 5.5 tonnes and 9.9 to 18.3 cubic metres respectively, and on the 3.5t variant – although this is still well behind the largest variants can carry up to four euro pallets and the leaders in the segment, the Renault Master and six standardised rolling containers. The deck height of the Vauxhall Movano.

“The new Volkswagen Crafter will beat the Fiat Ducato to become the most fuel-efficient large van, with a combined fuel economy of up to around 47mpg”

ENGINE AND DRIVELINE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP There are no fewer than 13 driveline options, which Fleet operators will be pleased to learn that, thanks to is a rapid improvement on the three offered on the the aerodynamic design and high efficiency of the new previous generation. Under the bonnet is a newly- engine, the new Volkswagen Crafter will beat the Fiat developed 2.0-litre diesel engine, and there are four Ducato to become the most fuel-efficient large van, power outputs (102hp, 122p, 140hp and 177hp; torque with a combined fuel economy of up to around 47mpg. figures have yet to be announced). Prices have not yet been released but expect a The engines are hooked to a six-speed manual premium starting price (around £23,000 plus VAT) and The cab is smart and transmission, although each of the engines is respectable residual values in line with the rest of the functional with new available with an eight-speed automatic. Volkswagen Volkswagen van range. There is a three year (or 100,000 levels of comfort has broadened its appeal even further by offering the miles) warranty and there is the backing of VW’s new Crafter in front, rear or all-wheel drive. reputable 72-strong van centre network.

commercialfleet.org October 2016 43 Hanover Show review SMART DATA HOGS THE SPOTLIGHT Visitors to IAA show can ‘marvel at the fruits of daily innovation’, says VDA president Wissmann

By Liam Campbell showcased their latest innovations logistical efficiency. “We live in times “More than 400 sensors are already or those involved in the to 250,000 international visitors. of huge change and it is the compa- used in modern trucks to collect data. van and truck business, While there was a lot of emphasis nies that are shaping it. Here at the They create 100 million lines of soft- the IAA Show in Hanover on aftersales support and even a IAA, visitors can marvel at the fruits ware – more than in a jet.” tops the bill as the world’s number of global product launches, of daily innovation,” says Matthias Alternative fuels also played a most important exhibition the main focus for most manufac- Wissmann, president of the German huge role at the show, with the VDA of its kind. This year, more turers was on fleet management Association of the Automotive Industry president predicting changes will hit F than 2,000 exhibitors systems and ‘smart data’ to improve (VDA) which hosts the event. the lighter end of the industry first. DAF launches Connect, a new fleet management system Ford’s EcoBlue heads agenda

The rollout of Ford’s updated CV range concluded earlier in the year with the facelifted Ford Ranger, but there was plenty for Ford of Germany chairman Bernhard Mattes to talk about. Production of the all-wheel drive Ford Transit resumes early in 2017 and there’s an updated version of the interactive infotainment system (Sync 3) which responds to more conventional speech, like ‘I need fuel’, and an easier-to-use interface. DAF dealerships will have the But it was the new EcoBlue DAF Connect fleet management engines that topped the system available by end of the year agenda. “Ford’s EcoBlue engine is a real diesel game changer, As well as the newly-optimised fuel consumption, mileage, fleet independent fleet management combining reduced cost of Paccar PX-5 and PX-7, DAF Trucks utilisation and idle time, the user- information suppliers to have an ownership with outstanding has used the IAA Show as a plat- friendly dashboard with Live Fleet open platform available. This is performance and cleaner form to launch its innovative DAF View can be configured to provide important for fleets who own DAF emissions,” says Mattes. Connect fleet management comprehensive fuel reports, locate and other truck brands, as well as system, which will be available in vehicles and optimise vehicle DAF fleets that already invested in DAF dealerships by year end. availability, and effectively plan fleet management systems,” says Along with all the usual repair and maintenance Richard Zink, DAF Trucks director information, like vehicle location, “We are teaming up with leading for marketing and sales.

Fiat Professional concentrates on total cost of ownership

This summer saw Fiat Professional “In this ever-evolving world, the with the customer to minimise complete the rejuvenation of its LCV demands of the fleets are becoming downtime. range, with an update of the Fiat more elaborate and specific, and “Total vehicle downtime has been Fiorino and the launch of the Full- much more than just a piece of reduced by 27% in the past year, back pickup and the Talento medium machinery – which is something thanks to our ‘Link and Chase’ van, but it was total cost of ownerr- we’ve been working on,” he says. service and the round-the-clock Ford’s EcoBlue engine provides ship that Fiat Professional EMEA “Not only do we have a vehicle mobility service means 10% more great fuel economy and service boss Domenico Gostoli wanted to line-up with one of the lowest fuel vehicles are now repaired at the intervals of up to 36,000 miles talk about in his press conference. consumption, but we’re working roadside.”

44 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Hyundai contemplates H350 for the UK Iveco EuroCargo attracts the attention Sales of the Hyundai iLoad in the UK have been extremely slow since its Iveco once again had a futuristic truck concept, the ‘Z Truck’, to draw in the launch, not least because of the poor aftersales support from the Hyundai crowds at the event but the Italian manufacturer also showcased plenty of dealer network. This also serves as a reason why Hyundai has pushed back production models. the release of the H350 3.5t van, which has been on sale on the continent Launched earlier in the year, the new Iveco EuroCargo attracted a lot of for more than a year. attention fitted with a Ewers box body. The 16t EuroCargo was fitted with “The size of the UK LCV market makes it a very attractive proposition for the 6.7-litre Tector 7 engine which is capable of producing up to 280hp and us,” says Thomas Schmid, chief operating officer at Hyundai Motor Europe. 1,000Nm. “But this would require further investment in the development to convert Daily Business Up was also making its international public premiere at it to RHD and investment in the dealer network to make sure it’s capable the show. The smartphone app is only available on Euro-6 Dailys and has of meeting the needs of commercial vehicle customers. However, entering been designed to improve both driver skills and logistics efficiency. the UK market is a key priority over the next 18 months.” There is a Driving Style Evaluation (DSE) system that provides real-time The H350 is available is a wide range of bodystyles and is powered by a suggestions to help reduce fuel consumption and even a fleet management Euro 6-compliant 2.5-litre engine. In Europe, there is a choice between a function that can schedule, dispatch and track jobs with Sygic Fleetwork, three-year unlimited mileage warranty or a five-year and 200,000 kilo- and provide a direct link to Iveco Assistance Non Stop roadside assistance metres (about 125,000 miles) warranty package. service.

Hyundai once again This new EuroCargo is flirted with the idea of fitted with the highly bringing the H350 to the UK regarded Tector 7 engine

MAN Trucks unveils TGE panel van

The big news on the MAN stand was the global unveiling of the new TGE – the maker’s first panel van in 20 years. Sold and serviced by its reputable dealer network, the TGE shares the same architecture and driveline as the new Volkswagen Crafter. On the stand was a three-way tipper, developed in conjunction with Scattolini, and two panel vans; one in the form of a Bott mobile workshop and the other kitted out with Sortimo racking. MAN was also keen to promote its new cloud-based operating system, which has been developed by its newly-created parent company Volkswagen Truck & Bus. Fitted to all new MAN trucks from spring 2017, it is the world’s first application to connect all players in MAN’s TGE van made its the supply chain – shippers, world premiere at the show. dispatchers, carriers, drivers and Seen here is the tipper body recipients.

commercialfleet.org October 2016 45 Hanover Show review

Mercedes-Benz presents eTruck, a vision of urban transport for the future

Daimler is always out in full force at the IAA Show, and 2016 was no exception. Taking up the whole of Hall 15, the German manufacturer was showcasing its next-generation urban delivery vehicles. “We are presenting our vision of urban transport. Just like with long- distance haulage, our goal is to achieve more safety and efficiency than ever before – and also to be free of local emissions,” says Wolf- gang Bernhard, who heads Daimler Trucks which markets its products under five brand names, including Mercedes-Benz. “This will make our cities even more pleasant to live in, despite rising populations and an increased need for transportation,” he says. The eTruck is focused on the ‘last mile’ deliveries and has a range of around 125 miles, although technology is expected to increase that by the time of its scheduled launch in the early 2020s. Also on the stand The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck was the ‘advanced’ concept which is concept is capable of producing the first van to fully digitally connect up to 373hp and 1000Nm all people and processes involved.

Renault gives debut to Alaskan The big news from Renault was the European unveiling of the Alaskan pickup truck. The new vehicle has recently been launched in South America but the European variant, to be built at Nissan’s Barcelona factory and heavily based on the Navara pickup, is expected next year. SecuritySecurity Solutions Solutions for valuables for “With class-leading fuel economy and backed by the Pro+ network, the Renault Alaskan is a strong proposition to pickup valuablesin transit in transit operators,” explained Ashwani Gupta, VP, global head of light commercial vehicles business at Renault. “We have a lot of people • Roll Top Safes• Roll Top Safes to convince, but I’m sure the product will speak for itself.” There was more news from the Renault stand in the form of • Slot Top Safes• Slot Top Safes the new dual-clutch Kangoo. Targeted at urban delivery drivers, • Coin Chute Safes the Kangoo Efficient Dual Clutch is an automatic six-speed trans- • Coin Chute Safes mission gearbox that combines the comfort of an automatic • Plain Lid Safes• Plain Lid Safes gearbox with fuel efficiency close to a manual. • Replacement Key Service• Replacement Key Service • Available in many different sizes• Available in many different sizes to to fit almost any vehiclefit almost any vehicle Full model list and pricesFull model list and prices availableavailable on ourourwebsite website www.checkmatesafes.co.uk Tel: 01308 423871 The Navara-based Renault Alaskan is expected in Europe next year

46 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Nissan steps up its game and targets double-digit growth in medium sector

Over the past decade, Nissan has vowed numerous times to increase The Navara EnGuard concept its commitment to LCVs, but it has features two 2kW battery never really come to fruition. With packs that can power the NV300 completing its LCV machinery and charge tools range, Nissan was once again promising big things for its van and pick-up operations. “This year, sales of our commercial vehicles are up 40% and this is without the help of the NV300,” says Nissan’s chief marketing manager for commercial vehicles, Paolo D’Ettore. “Obviously, the medium sector is important so we’re also targeting double-digit growth for 2017.” “But we appreciate that having a complete model line-up is only one part of the equation. We’re now speaking with our dealer network to make sure they have the right resource and training to speak to van and pick-up customers, which includes things like making sure they’re offering flexible opening times for servicing and they have suitable demonstrators and cour- tesy vehicles.”

Scania shows its PSA cagey truck of the year on pick-up

The main exhibit for Scania was the PSA Group launched its new new R-Series, which recently won medium panel vans earlier in the International Truck of the Year the year, and these took award but there was a lot more to centre stage on the Citroën discuss on the lighter side of the and Peugeot stands. With the business with Christopher Podgorski, combined sales of both senior global vice president of brands, PSA is the largest Scania Trucks. manufacturer in Europe and The company has recently intro- it hopes the new products will Slamlocks l Deadlocks duced the ‘Scania Maintenance with increase its domination. Flexible Plans’ which is a tailor-made With best-in-class fuel Electronic Bolt l Defender Plates service plan drawn up by the dealer economy and CO2 emissions, and customer, and focuses on the an increased payload and a Ultimate Lock l Shutterlock type of work undertaken rather than number of innovative safety traditional mileage counts or and drive-assist systems like calendar-based approaches. the side load door that can be • Thatcham Accredited “Scania Maintenance with Flexible opened by waving a foot Plans is the latest and the main underneath a sensor, the new • National installation contribution to the ecosystem of Expert and Dispatch vans will services – both physical and digital open Peugeot and Citroën • Vehicle Specific Locks – that we offer and which is crucial back up to the larger fleets. • 60,000 lock in Service to being able to operate businesses But the French manufac- that are sustainable in the long- turer was reluctant to speak • ISO 001 Quality Assured term,” says Podgorski. about a new pick-up. ”Being able to tailor complete and “We really can’t say much Tel: 01474 560077 individual solutions, including things about it at this stage”, says like service and financing, is crucial David McQueen, head of www.locks4vans.co.uk in our industry. It’s here that the PSA’s light commercial Email: [email protected] conditions for either profit or loss vehicle division. “All we can are created in the only operation the say is we won’t be rushing Unit C4 Imperial Business Estate West Mill, customer really cares about – their ourselves and that it is still a Gravesend, Kent DA11 0DL own.” couple of years away.”

commercialfleet.org October 2016 47 Hanover Show review Toyota’s all-new Proace and Arctic Trucks-inspired Hilux AT35 vie for attention

The all-new Proace which entered the UK dealer network in the past couple of weeks, was the main attraction on the Toyota stand. Despite being based on the Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert, there aren’t quite as many derivatives and it is only available with three of the five PSA power ratings. Proace comes with an impressive five-year or 100,000 mile warranty and still features almost every safety and driver-assist system from the PSA models, including Smart Cargo, which allows an extra 1.2 metres of load length via a load- through facility in the bulkhead and passenger footwell. However, there was another spec- tacle on the stand. Toyota has teamed up with the Icelandic Arctic Trucks to offer the Hilux AT35, which offers even greater off-road dynamics thanks to a number of key upgrades, including a 40mm raised Toyota has teamed up with chassis, Fox suspension and Arctic Trucks to offer the Hilux AT35 dampers and 35-inch Rotiiva tyres.

Volvo Trucks celebrates I-Shift Volkswagen Crafter goes electric Volvo Trucks is celebrating 15 years of the I-Shift, which is now fitted Having only just revealed the new Crafter, it was a surprise to many into 95% of its European trucks. The latest version of the automated that Volkswagen was already launching an electric version of the van. manual, introduced in 2014, is around 5% more economical than the The eCrafter features a gutsy 100kW/290Nm motor and can achieve manual and is highly regarded by urban distributors. an 80% charge in just 45 minutes. CEO Claus Nielsen says of its connectivity systems: “We have Volkswagen was keen to stress that the eCrafter will be hitting the 300,000 connected trucks around the world and we see an extension market soon and Eckhard Scholz, chairman of the board of manage- of the communication between the truck and the workshop, which ment of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, claimed: “The first leads to increased uptime. We believe figures could continue to rise e-Crafter vehicles will already be in customers’ hands by 2017.” because fewer workshop visits will be required as drivers will be With a combined range of 129 miles, one charge will take you able to download and install software updates on the move.” further than the eNV200 although the huge mass of the lithium ion The FE range will be available with an additional 350hp rating on batteries means there is less than one tonne left for payload at 3.5t the 7.7-litre D8 engine (alongside the 250, 280 and 320hp outputs). (2,541kg kerbweight).

The Volvo FE will soon VW has already previewed be available with a 350hp an electric version of its output on the D8 engine upcoming Crafter van

48 October 2016 commercialfleet.org Reducing : : Downtime

P : : solve The Scottish police forces ﬂeet of Misubishi Outlanders were suffering from extended down time due to failing anti roll bar bushes, Polybush manufacture a cost effective solution; polyurethane ARB clamps of the highest quality, that last 4 - 5 times longer. Polybush have longer lasting ARB bushes for many vehicles to keep them on the road. C: E : :: : v : Phone: Website: :::: : ::: : : Email: : : : ::: : : CITR EN FIAT F RD IVEC ERCEDES ITSUBISHI PEUGE T VW Contact us Fleet News, Media House, Lynchwood, Inside the Peterborough PE2 6EA. Email – [email protected] Editorial Editor-in-chief Stephen Briers 01733 468024 November issue [email protected] Deputy editor Sarah Tooze 01733 468901 [email protected] News editor Gareth Roberts 01733 468314 [email protected] Features editor Andrew Ryan 01733 468308 [email protected] Web producer Christopher Smith 01733 468655 [email protected] Staff writer Matt de Prez 01733 468277 [email protected] Associate editor Trevor Gehlcken Photos News insight: IRTE conference Chris Lowndes Production Head of publishing Fleet profile:AAH/Van Excellence Luke Neal 01733 468262 Production editors David Buckley 01733 468310 Supplier spotlight: Office of Rail and Road Finbarr O’Reilly 01733 468267 Designer Insight: Van and truck breakdown and recovery Erika Small 01733 468312 Advertising Commercial director Van and truck tests: Toyota Proace, Fiat Ducato, Carlota Hudgell 01733 366466 B2B commercial manager Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport, Mercedes-Benz Arocs Sheryl Graham 01733 366467 Account directors Sean Hamill 01733 366472 Lucy Herbert 01733 366469 Lisa Turner 01733 366471 Stuart Wakeling 01733 366470 Account managers Marcus Woods 01733 366468 Karl Houghton 01733 366309 Head of project management Leanne Patterson 01733 468332 Project managers Lucy Peacock 01733 468327 Kerry Unwin 01733 468578 Katie Lightfoot 01733 468338 commercialfleet.org Upcoming Telesales/recruitment [email protected] 01733 The only website that matters for van and truck fleet operators 468275/01733 468328 Events Event director events Chris Lester Event manager LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS Sandra Evitt 01733 468123 Until December Senior event planner The latest van and truck news from across the industry is FTA Transport Manager Conferences Kate Howard 01733 468146 Locations across the UK Event administrator posted each day – look out for our weekly Friday newsletter. Paige Phillips 01733 395133 Publishing November 15-16 Managing director The National Road Safety Conference Tim Lucas 01733 468340 Group marketing manager Bristol Bev Mason 01733 468295 CASE STUDIES AND INSIGHT Office manager Jane Hill 01733 468319 November 22 Group managing director Discover how van and truck fleets have tackled cost, safety and FTA Brexit Webinar Rob Munro-Hall environmental issues with our archive of profiles and insight. Online Chief executive officer Paul Keenan Commercial Fleet is published 12 times a year by Bauer November 30 Consumer Media Ltd. Registered address: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynchw ood, Commercial Fleet Awards Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Registered number 01176085. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any form VAN RUNNING COST CALCULATORS Hilton Birmingham Metropole in whole or in part, without prior permission of the publisher. All material published remains the copyright of Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. We reserve the right to edit letters, copy or images Our interactive calculators let you compare vans on price, without further consent. The submission of material to Bauer Media whether CO2 and running cost (fuel, SMR and residual values). unsolicited or requested, is taken as permission to publish in the magazine. Any fees paid in the UK include remuneration for any use in any other licensed editions. While every reasonable care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions nor do we accept any liability for any loss or damage, howsoever caused, resulting from the use of DIESEL COST CALCULATOR the magazine. ISSN 2398-1989. Printing: Precision Colour Printing Work out the difference an increase in economy could make to your fleet’s fuel cost – by individual vehicle or your entire fleet.

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