News

Although road haulage companies and fleet operators can be persuaded of the benefits of eco-driving, it is hard to maintain the momentum among drivers after the initial flurry of interest. This was one of the key findings from a two-day conference on eco-driving organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, attended by delegates from across the globe.

The concept of improving driver training to save fuel and reduce emissions has become increasingly popular over the last few  years and much of the focus has been on persuading the large numbers of commercial vehicle owners and drivers to get on board. Jonathan James of UK-based consultancy Faber Maunsell has worked closely with freight companies in Britain to promote eco-driving best practice, and he told the meeting that he has seen a shift in attitude in recent years.

"There has been a change in industry reception. Companies are taking corporate social responsibility, and environmental issues, much more seriously than before, and there has been a big take-up of eco-driving schemes," he said. James works with the Safed (safe and fuel efficient driving) scheme in the UK which works to improve the driving techniques of LGV drivers, and stressed that while large numbers of road haulage companies had signed up to the scheme, data showed that far fewer of them had carried on with eco-driving practices once the initial enthusiasm had worn off.

"You can't expect training on its own to be enough,"  James said. "You have to follow through. Frankly, people are the biggest barrier to schemes such as this, because you need to change the attitudes of the whole team if you want to instigate real change. That's why fleet owners may find it easier to convince drivers by focusing on issues such as job security, wages and company profitability. It all comes down to the way companies are run - people-oriented companies can implement change more easily by keeping their employees motivated and their morale high during times of change."

He cited the example of UK haulier Hardstaff, which decided to train two of its internal trainers in Safed techniques so they could pass on that knowledge to other drivers since this was considered to be less disruptive. "Hardstaff also introduced a bonus scheme for drivers, based on their mileage per gallon, in which drivers were rewarded for every 0.1mpg increase above a benchmark over a three-month period." The result, he said, was an average increase in mpg of 0.6, representing a saving of £2,600 per vehicle per year.

Walkers, meanwhile, decided to cope with the potentially troublesome issue of "spy in the cab" telematics by introducing a reward scheme for drivers making the biggest fuel savings, leading to a 9% reduction in fuel consumption. Isuzu reached a similar conclusion, according to spokesman Hiroshi Omino. "Our experience showed that driver training would only take companies so far, and that many drivers found it hard to continue with the techniques they had learned."

That is why, he said, the company had designed a new range of vehicles equipped with an on-board computer. The system records driving styles and enables them to be played back to each driver as part of his training, but can also be used as an in-cab reminder of the eco-driving principles learned during this training. It also enables fleet owners to keep track of their drivers' performances via the internet - a factor that Omino stressed was of particular importance in Japan where truck companies are obliged to meet stringent targets for cutting energy consumption.

"This kind of system involves a considerable investment," said Omino, "but with fuel prices continuing to rise and legislation getting tougher than ever, we feel that more and more truck companies will be willing to make the investment because of the clear savings it can help them achieve. Companies that are not seen to be doing their bit for the environment will not have a good public image, and that is important when they are looking for business."