Operators could save £6,700 a year by using agency drivers that have undergone Driver Hire's fuel-efficient training, based on a Category C driver covering 80,000 miles a year.
Tests conducted on a set route, including both motorways and urban roads, in Mercedes-Benz trucks, show that 27% less fuel was used by drivers in an 18t rigid after receiving the training, while those driving a 7.5t vehicle lowered fuel consumption by 19%.
Launched in October (Motor Transport
18 Sept 2008), the Fuel Efficient Driving (FED) scheme covers effective route planning and efficient use of speed, braking, gear and clutch control.
Driver Hire supplies approximately 2,000 drivers daily and plans to get all of them branded as 'Driver Hire Accredited FED'. It will then consider offering the scheme to operators' own drivers.
Reed Business Information Limited.©2009
