The 1.8 mpg average fleet improvement has been achieved in three years, since the Chichester-based operator took delivery of its first Mercedes vehicles.
Supplied by dealer Pentagon Commercials, the first Mercedes trucks to enter its fleet were eight Actros tractors in 2014 – today, the marque accounts for 29 of the 33-strong fleet.
NV Transport trialled FleetBoard on these first eight Actros trucks for three months, before rolling it out to the rest of the fleet, including other makes of vehicle.
Says director Steven Zwinkels: “I have no doubt that the application of FleetBoard’s driver and vehicle analysis has been the single most important factor behind our success in raising our fleet average from 8.5 mpg at the beginning of 2014, to 10.3 mpg by the summer of 2016.
“Given that our trucks typically each cover 185,000km per year, the savings in diesel costs are obvious.”
FleetBoard records and processes technical data from the vehicle, then rates the driver’s style at the wheel. Criteria include speed, braking, stops and idle times with the engine running, and use of the vehicle’s Eco-Roll function.
NV Transport uses this information to incentivise drivers with bonuses, and initiates targeted training where shortcomings in behaviour at the wheel are identified.
“Drivers are paid bonuses for achieving the scores required for local work and longer assignments, and most collect these each week,” says Zwinkel. “But if any fail to do so, our driver-trainer provides targeted instruction to address shortcomings in style highlighted by the reports.”
He describes FleetBoard as “an invaluable aid”, adding: “It plays a key role in the smooth, efficient operation of the fleet.”