Working with fleet management business BT Fleet, Openreach reviewed its fleet, looking at drivetrain, payload, racking, fuel efficiency, safety and driver ergonomics.
Following this, BT Fleet introduced 230-plus compact vans based on recycled LCVs, rather than traditional models built on a HGV chassis – with a lead time of three months, instead of nine.
Dave Edwards, national fleet manager at Openreach, says: "The new compact cabling model has revolutionised our approach and paid dividends.
"Vehicles now only need servicing annually, whereas the previous models were off the road four times a year... The move to LCVs has also increased flexibility as only a standard driving licence is required."
He adds: "Best of all, CO2 output from the vans was reduced by 65% – that's 1,200 tonnes. Mpg was also trebled and the in-life cost to us was reduced by a massive £1,000 per month per vehicle."