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April 2013
A day out at the Fleet Show
This week saw some of the Chevin UK team take to the road for the annual Fleet Show exhibition, held at the prestigious Silverstone circuit. The day didn’t disappoint, with a host of industry leaders getting together to discuss the various goings on in fleet, network with peers and check out the latest offerings from suppliers. The opportunity to test drive the new fleet vehicles on the market around the race track was also an added bonus for many!
Chevin’s stand was located next to Audi’s impressive display in Hall 3 of The Wing conference centre and enjoyed a steady flow of fleet operators interested in hearing about how Chevin’s software can improve visibility over crucial data and reduce costs. The team also collected a number of business cards as part of Chevin’s Super Car Experience Prize Draw. Watch this space for the announcement of the winner over the next few weeks.
February 2013
Introduction of Cassie’s Law could increase
Duty of Care obligations for UK fleets
Following the introduction of Cassie’s Law earlier this month, which grants police the power to revoke driver licences within hours of a failed roadside eye test, fleet managers could face increased duty of care obligations relating to the health and safety of their drivers.
Although the law hasn’t stipulated a requirement for fleets to introduce regular eye examinations, it has been suggested by the Freight Transport Association that such measures should be adopted by fleets to ensure best practice and promote safer operations and reduced risk.
Introducing regular eye examinations to support duty of care compliance and uphold best practice needn’t be an arduous task for fleets. Conducting 20 metre vehicle registration plate readings – the same test conducted by police at the roadside – is enough to determine whether an employee’s eyesight is fit for purpose. Appropriately managing and storing the data collated is also necessary in order to be able to demonstrate said best practice, should it ever be called upon.
Cassie’s Law was introduced on the 7th of February this year following the death of 16 year old Cassie McCord last year, who was fatally hit by an 87 year old motorist who refused to surrender his licence after failing a roadside eye test three days earlier.
February 2013
April’s Benefit in Kind tax changes may prompt move towards
flexible corporate mobility structure
With the Government’s scheduled changes to Benefit in Kind tax coming into action this April, many company car drivers will be faced with the prospect of increased tax contributions. With the 10% bracket narrowing further to cover vehicles emitting no more than 94g/km, there won’t be many fleets unaffected by the changes. The trend is only set to continue in the same direction as the Government has also announced further tax hikes up until 2016; firmly cementing its commitment to environmental sustainability.
Aside from selecting more economical company car options, many fleets will be prompted to consider an alternative model to the traditional, allocated company car. Flexible mobility budgets, which are already gaining popularity in many European cities, may be viewed as a viable alternative for appropriate business models. Providing city-based employees with low emission or electric cars, combined with an allocated budget for access to public transport or larger vehicles – either from a company pool or third party rental provider – for either longer journeys or when more capacity is required, may be a more financially viable option for fleets in the future.
January 2013
Fancy reducing fuel costs by 75 per cent?
A recent report from the Energy Saving Trust has discovered that businesses that switch to electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles could reduce fuel costs for their fleets by 75%. With fuel ranked as the biggest overall fleet expense for the majority of organisations, identifying new ways of reducing cost is fundamental to ensure sustainable operations. Adopting electric vehicles isn’t going to be an appropriate course of action for all businesses, especially commercial vehicle operators, so how else can fleets look at reducing fuel spend?
The first step is to accurately measure what’s being spent and where. For example, if company car drivers are ‘over grading’ when they fill up at the pump; software can identify these behaviours and flag to management, who can take appropriate action. Equally, if tyre pressure isn’t checked regularly or if ongoing maintenance is neglected, unnecessary amounts of fuel is wasted. Automatically scheduling routine vehicle checks and maintenance work with software can prevent excessive fuel use and promote safer and more compliant operations.
December 2012
2012: Blink and you missed it!
Well, there goes another rollercoaster of a year for the fleet management and transport sectors. The announcement of the economic double dip, the FTA’s continued battle to secure a fair price for fuel, severe weather conditions and the unforgettable challenges posed by the summer’s Olympic and Paralympic games. It’s certainly been another busy and eventful year.
With so much to contend with over the last twelve months, it’s no wonder most of us are gearing up for taking our feet off the pedal and turning off the engine for a few days to enjoy the season’s festivities.
Hopefully, such a welcomed rest will bring with it a renewed sense of purpose and positivity: a new start to see in the New Year. For fleet managers this represents the perfect opportunity to assess last year’s achievements and shortcomings and set out clear and measurable objectives for the year ahead, and whatever obstacles it may bring. Whether it’s reducing fuel spend through enhancing vehicle allocation or removing administrative duplication from processes – pick your goals and see them through and, if you need some pearls of wisdom regarding technology’s role in helping you along your way, why not give Chevin a call? Until then, have a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
October 2012
Business drivers in the spotlight
A report out this week has recommended that the Police pay more attention to UK business drivers in a bid to reduce work-related accidents and risk.
Commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers, the report is calling for an industry standard to be implemented for the management of work-related road risk. The report also cites the need for greater Police involvement when it comes to providing information and reporting work-related incidents to employers.
For fleet managers, this report represents an opportunity to achieve greater control of accident management processes and create safer operations, through the identification and enhanced management of risk.
However, the report also poses a challenge to fleet managers who, if the report’s recommendations are upheld by the Government, will be forced to comply with yet another set of legislative requirements. This will not only require implementing new management frameworks but scrutinising the data collated and reporting upon it accordingly.
With compliance regulation mounting, there’s only so much manual processes can handle. Opting for automated methods of collating and analysing data, and producing detailed reports, is the only bullet proof way of both promoting safer and more efficient fleet management and maintaining compliance.
October 2012
The top ten trends of the last decade
As Chevin Fleet Solutions in the US celebrates a decade of successful business, senior VP of North American Sales, Ron Katz, takes a look back over the ten most notable fleet management trends of the last ten years. From boom to bust, the last ten years has brought with it a number of trends and changes that have stretched and challenged even the most seasoned fleet managers. From the technology revolution in the first few years through to fuel price volatility and the impact of recently introduced environmental legislation – the fleet sector has certainly had its fair share of obstacles to overcome and hoops to jump through.
1) Let’s outsource!
Perhaps one of the defining narratives of the last ten years in fleet has been the move from a traditional ownership approach to an outsourced model. From outsourcing the entire fleet management function to adopting lessor agreements in the place of vehicle purchase and utilizing third party providers for maintenance and accident management, the market has been flooded with choice in recent years. Yet with this pick and mix of options comes additional risk: risk of losing access rights to crucial data, risks of maintenance history getting lost in translation and risks of communication errors through disjointed functions and processes.2) U is for Utilisation
In the glory days of yesteryear, circa 2003, there was arguably less pressure on fleet managers to analyze vehicle usage in fine detail in order to ensure complete optimisation of trip and/or load allocation. In fact, at last year’s Chevin user group conference several senior fleet administrators admitted to having vehicles standing around unused for months on end – pushing up maintenance, storage and finance costs. Fast forward a few years and the signs of the economic slowdown are starting to appear, prompting organisations of all shapes and sizes to reassess traditional methods of assigning vehicles and equipment while reducing both unnecessary costs and harmful CO2 emissions.3) Going for green
The last decade has seen a major shift in how we relate to the environment and our role and responsibility in reducing unnecessary emissions and waste. Once unashamedly one of the world’s greatest contributors to global warming, the US can now be proud of its position on climate change issues and sustainability initiatives. Whether fleets embrace greener fleet practices such as selecting more fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles in an effort to meet ever increasing environmental legislation or to add to the wider organisation’s corporate social responsibility credentials – going green has become a prominent trend, one that is sure to continue for many decades to come.4) How much?!
There’s only one thing I could be referring to here, right? The price per barrel of fuel has skyrocketed in the last decade, leaving many fleets struggling to maintain any type of control over their operating budget. Introducing methods of reducing fuel usage has never been more important! Taking control of fuel spend through reassessing the types of vehicles purchased or implementing driver awareness training to promote more fuel-friendly driving behaviours are now required steps in an attempt to minimize fuel spend. Harnessing technology to encourage such fuel saving schemes is crucial as the tide shows no sign of changing for the better.5) Promoting safety at work
Driver safety has always been a priority for fleet operators, but due to the increasingly litigious society that we all live and operate within today; employers have to be ever vigilant of their legal responsibilities regarding employees’ welfare if they’re driving a vehicle for business purposes. This in turn has facilitated a move towards process automation as a risk mitigation tactic, resulting in technology that can provide a safety net for thousands of fleets across the country. From in-vehicle safety devices to technology that enables automated oversight of driving practices, maintenance schedules to ensure vehicles are roadworthy and detailed intuitive exception reporting to warn of potential hazards or "out of compliance" situations, such as missed or overdue driver medicals, certifications or renewals.6) Cutting the cost
It isn’t just fuel that’s increased in price over the last ten years. As the economic Armageddon of 2008 continues to impact companies the world over, revenues decline and customers demand more for less; weeding out the waste in every business function has been high on boardroom agendas in recent years. Identifying waste in fleet operations requires close scrutiny of seemingly endless data relating to performance and expense and can be time consuming if approached manually. Yet through the use of modern technology and information systems, under-utilized vehicles or excessive costs can be quickly identified and measures put in place to monitor and remedy these situations.7) The headache of taxation and regulations
Whether operating a fleet in the US, Canada or in any other country around the world, the ever changing tax and regulatory rules are sure to keep many fleet managers up at night. Whether it’s the pending changes to lease accounting practices, the inevitable increase to fuel taxes (or some other method of generating income to pay for infrastructure maintenance) or the substantial increase to the acquisition costs of new vehicles due to swelling CAFE standards, the responsibilities of the fleet manager to continually find offsetting cost reductions or deal with ever increasing compliance and legislative mandates is only going to get more difficult.8) Are you connected?
With the proliferation of “connected vehicle” technology that didn’t even exist when Chevin opened its North American offices 10 years’ ago, whether GPS based telematics devices, workforce management/dispatch and routing software, driver mentoring devices, video surveillance or the ubiquitous smart phone; the explosion of technology is here to stay whether we like it or not. Of course some of this "empowering" technology brings with it new found efficiencies and streamlined process, yet the real world risks associated with distracted driving and in cab information overload have yet to be fully understood. As I work in the technology sector I’m no Luddite, but clearly there’s a limit as to how much information or how many tasks a driver can focus on while behind the wheel. The trend of in-vehicle connectivity is clearly going to be legislated at some point, and of course, will add just one more responsibility to the already full plate of the fleet manager.9) Strategic approach to acquiring fleet vehicles
With the ringing in of the new millennium, strategic sourcing had been all the rage in corporate boardrooms for more than ten years and its ability to consolidate purchasing volume to leverage pricing from key suppliers was a proven success story. However, this strategy, when blindly applied to the fleet arena, in many cases resulted in less than optimal results, whether in higher costs or in intangible ways resulting in significant service and quality issues. Though the strategy of sole sourcing will never go completely out of style, many corporate and municipal fleets have adopted the tactic of competitive bidding and awards to multiple suppliers based upon a specific class or type of vehicle to insure that the organisation’s precise business and functional needs are maintained all the while achieving the best value for money. We’ve seen this approach dramatically impact our business as prospective fleets search for software that can adapt to meet the organisation’s unique strategic and tactical needs; consolidating countless streams of data from multiple suppliers, while providing industry best practices for managing fleet information and oversight.10) The role of the fleet manager
From my perspective, especially with the current economic conditions we’re all forced to operate in today, one of the most significant changes over the past decade has been the importance of the role of fleet manager in an organisation’s ability to accomplish its mission. In many organisations, with the exception of senior management, there are few roles that have as much influence over the day-to-day operations as the fleet manager. Financial – Fleet is one of the larger capital costs and certainly a major operational expense in all municipal governments as well as sales & service companies. Fleet managers directly influence a significant piece of this capital/operational expense pie. From accounting, finance to treasury, there’s few financial areas that fleet managers don’t influence. Operations – In a commercial organisation, fleet directly supports warehousing, distribution, sales and service. In a public sector organisation, fleet management directly supports the daily mission of providing municipal and public safety services to the taxpayer. Recruitment – In a commercial organisation, the company vehicle is a critical component of compensation to be sure, but of equal importance these days is maintaining a positive company image and providing a safe, reliable and efficient means of accessing and interacting with customers. With so many changes influencing the role of fleet managers over the last ten years, accompanied by developments in technology, legislation to mandate safer operations; thoughts turn to what the future may bring for the fleet sector over the next ten years. Will the cost of fuel force the uptake of electric or autonomous vehicles where possible? Will the popularity of connected vehicle technology be legislated against on a national scale? And will our economy see a return to the glory days of yesteryear? Whatever happens, one certainty remains, Chevin Fleet Solutions and its range of cutting edge software products will continue to be there, providing fleet organisation’s with a technological foundation for more effectively managing their fleet using information rather than instinct for many decades to come.August 2012
They think it’s all over....well it isn’t!
As what will go down in history as one of the most spectacular Olympic events ever held comes to a close, and the Paralympics edges that little bit closer, the challenges the events have and continue to pose to UK fleet operators remain prevalent for many in the sector.
With road closures, no-stopping zones and increased PCN charges in force within the capital and other host cities across the country, meeting customer demand has been an issue. Yet it has also been an opportunity for commercial vehicle operators, hauliers and fleet managers to embrace innovation and adapt to the changing face of ‘business as usual’. From implementing out-of-hours deliveries, reassessing routes taken and vehicles used to extending driver hours, taking on additional temporary workers or implementing technology solutions to manage the influx of new data – over the last two weeks, it’s been survival of the fittest and not just where the athletes are concerned.
As 2012’s Olympians wave goodbye to the capital and normality appears on the horizon, fleet operators are left with two choices: to continue to adapt and innovate in order to overcome future challenges or to return to outdated, ridged methods and deal with the consequences.
London 2012 may be over but the lessons it taught us should remain at the forefront of our minds. After all, who knows what new challenges are waiting for us just around the corner?
June 2012
Blog: Investing for tomorrow
The latest industry research from Sewells has highlighted that business is steady for both fleet and dealer markets, despite ongoing difficulty with the global economy. The research also acknowledged that many companies remain nervous of making the investments they need to really drive growth and, in the case of fleet operators, are more focused on ensuring every contract and order delivers value for money.
Whilst this is a sound theoretical approach for driving efficiencies and encouraging growth, without the need for additional investment, for many fleets this simply isn’t attainable in practice without the use of appropriate data management and analysis methods.
Implementing tactics to automatically monitor the performance of a fleet and provide insight into areas in need of improvement is a guaranteed way of safeguarding fleet operations. Financial investment during a downturn is understandably a scary notion but burying ones head in the sand or struggling with outdated methods of fleet management are poor alternatives.
April 2012
Double Dipping
Whilst heading down the M42 in torrential rain (the great drought of 2012, eh?) en route to this year’s CV Show, the news that we’ve all been dreading came blasting out of the radio – “Britain heads back into recession”.
So, after months – nay – years of fretting about the double dip boogie man rearing his ugly head – he’s finally put in an appearance. The thing is, the reality of the situation is nowhere near as scary as the anticipation. After the last recession, all businesses should have learnt crucial lessons about implementing ‘lean’ strategies to help reduce unnecessary cost. Hopefully, the savvier businesses out there will have continued embracing such efficiency initiatives during the better times and are therefore prepared to huddle down for another
April 2012
Driver training: the less considered considerations
Control, or rather obtaining and maintaining control, is a big issue for fleet operators. For many aspects of fleet management, this can be achieved through the adoption of enhanced management methods and a move towards process automation. But an element of fleet management that will never be totally controllable is the people operating fleet vehicles. No amount of data collation or policy guidelines introduced can compete with or remove the risk of human error. Yet drivers can play a massive role in not only the overall safety of the fleet but of its cost and environmental efficiency too.
For operators looking to implement driver training as a means of creating safer and streamlined fleets, there are numerous factors to consider which immediately spring to mind. These can range from in-house vs. external training providers and arranging appropriate cover for the drivers receiving training. But what are the less obvious considerations? And how should fleet operators look to monitor the impact of such initiatives?
Here are five top tips to help you implement effective driver training programmes:
• Plan ahead – if you’re about to introduce driver training, make sure your department’s prepared for any disruption it will cause to business as usual. If your fleet’s not running at 100 per cent efficiency, consider the benefits of embracing fleet management software to free up resource.
• Communicate – before implementing driver training, and the associated technology required to accurately monitor and manage it, consult with drivers, explain reasoning and listen to suggestions.
• Measure and report success – there’s little point implementing improvement initiatives if you’re unable to monitor and measure its impact. Prioritise data collation relating to driver behaviour and roll out technology to automate the analysis and reporting process.
• Fine tune ongoing training – use the data collated to engage with problem drivers when needed and set individual improvement objectives.
• Reward compliance – introduce incentive schemes to encourage adherence with driver behaviour policy and reward accordingly.
April 2012
Time to trim the fat?
With little sign that the state of the global economy is any nearer to a full recovery, the demand on businesses to identify areas of waste in a bid to reduce expenditure has never been more apparent. For fleet managers, this translates into a need to look at numerous operational areas, from fuel usage and asset procurement to stock control and vehicle allocation, to identify the areas of inefficiency and implement improvement measures. And here comes the problem (based on using traditional methods of fleet management): in order to analyse processes effectively, excessive time, resource and administration must be invested in order to identify the areas of the department failing to perform. This often acts as a barrier to assessing operational efficiencies, as fleet managers simply can’t afford to take the time out of day-to-day, business critical tasks to scrutinise fleet operations thoroughly. 
So what’s the solution? The answer’s simple. By using fleet management software, fleet managers can take advantage of automated reporting against a series of user defined key performance indicators. Through doing this fleet managers can then monitor performance of any area of fleet management in real time, receive greater visibility of overall areas of unnecessary expenditure and take back control of fleet costs.
Yes, embracing fleet management software requires financial investment, but soldiering on without it in most cases represents the epitome of false economy. So if you’re struggling to achieve cost visibility over your fleet, and there’s a recognised need to trim the fat, get in touch and see how we can help.
February 2012
The end of the (leasing) world as we know it?
The budget announcement on March 21st is already a talking point for fleet managers concerned about the impact of anticipated fuel duty rises. But predicted amendments to the Government’s company car taxation plans are causing some experts to claim it will no longer be commercially viable for many businesses to offer such benefit schemes to employees. With one expert warning the expected plans will reduce the number of leased vehicles on Britain’s roads by around 40 per cent by 2015, it’s certainly cause for concern for leasing providers and fleet managers alike.
Yet getting swept away in the doom and gloom will do nothing in terms of overcoming the new hurdles March 21st will undoubtedly bring. The budget announcement represents an opportunity for fleet managers to embrace innovation in the way they think and operate. Fuel is more expensive so start planning trips and loads more effectively – company car tax is rising so make plans to replace existing fleets with more environmentally friendly versions. Challenges will always exist in fleet management, and yes the Government should be making it easier to operate in order to sustain business growth, but, in the absence of a pocket pull of politicians, thinking outside of the box and adapting to change is the only way to maintain an effective and successful fleet business.
February 2012
Five top tips for effective fleet management
Fleet management is no straight forward task, yet there are a few small changes fleet operators can make that can return some big results. See the below top tips for running a more effective fleet, compiled by our team of fleet experts, and see if you can make a change for the better today.
- Stay in control of your data It’s far too easy to lose control of the multiple streams of data that form the life blood of a fleet operation. From service and repairs scheduling to driver licence checking, if the data is not centralised and easy to access and interpret, there’s little point having it in the first place
- Select the right tool for the job ...or more specifically, the right vehicle for the trip! It sounds simple but the continued allocation of inappropriate vehicles can quickly create unnecessary cost and CO2. Don’t send an eighteen wheeler when a hatch back will do!
- Know what you’re spending...and overspending Operating a successful and cost effective fleet in today’s economic climate means keeping on top of your spend and identifying areas of waste in order to implement cost saving initiatives. This can be easier said than done if you’re relying upon spreadsheets instead of fleet management software to monitor your expenditure.
- Dot every I and cross every T When it comes to compliance, the fleet management function is rife with legislation to adhere to. From duty of care to vehicle inspections, without an appropriate fleet programme in place to provide alerts relating to pending compliance hazards and produce in depth reports at the click of a mouse, fleet operators risk the consequences of non compliance.
- Keep tabs on your carbon footprint Being green isn’t just about saving the planet; it’s about cutting cost and increasing your appeal to customer and partner organisations too. Monitoring CO2 emissions and fuel consumption needn’t be a laborious task if a fleet management system is in place to do the leg work.
January 2012
Time for a greener approach?
Fleet management will always be a major contributor to an organisation’s overall carbon footprint. Whether a fleet is made up of company cars, heavy plant equipment or vans and buses – the amount of fuel consumed and miles travelled can seriously damage an organisation’s green credentials. Gone are the days where monitoring fuel consumption and driver mileage were only concerns for the accounts department, and the respective employees reclaiming their expenses, this year, fleet managers have never had more incentive to commit to not only monitoring carbon emissions but reducing and reporting on that reduction too.
With this in mind, the team here at Chevin, is busy developing new ways for our software to not only help organisations become greener but save money in the process too. From monitoring fuel spend, assessing trends in vehicle idling or developing functionality to help fleets manage the new London Low Emission Zone legislation – using Chevin’s fleet management software is the first step towards greener, leaner fleet management.
Ashley Sowerby, Managing Director, Chevein Fleet Solutions
January 2012
A New Resolution in Fleet Management
As we recover from the overindulgence of the festive season and embark upon what’s set to be another challenging year ahead for the fleet industry, trimming the fat and getting into better shape isn’t just on the agenda for our waist lines! In a recent survey of our customers, key challenges sited for the coming year included; working with reduced budgets, the rising price of fuel, the cost of maintaining ageing vehicles and demonstrating efficiencies savings to management.
So how can you rise to these challenges and run an efficient and streamlined fleet? One way to overcome the budget barrier is by investing in flexible and powerful fleet management technology, which is capable of providing holistic visibility over an entire fleet operation, identifying waste, alerting users to potential duty of care hazards and automating the results reporting process. FleetWave, the world’s first web based fleet management system, has recently undergone a major upgrade in terms of both functionality and usability and is the foundation of effective fleet management for hundreds of organisations around the world.
Financial investment in the face of tough economic conditions may seem like a risky move but the benefits of consolidating fleet data into one centralised system, which can integrate seamlessly with third party software including ERP and telematics, soon delivers a return on investment. So, to start the New Year as you mean to go on, give the Chevin team a call today for better fleet management tomorrow.
Wishing you a happy New Year and a prosperous twelve months of fleet management!
Ashley Sowerby
December 2011
A Happy Christmas from all at Chevin Fleet Solutions
As we approach the end of what has been another tough year for the fleet industry, we at Chevin would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our customers, friends and colleagues around the world a very merry Christmas. May 2012 be a prosperous year for fleet management.
Ashley Sowerby
December 2011
Big Brother or a Big Issue?
Ron KatzThe National Transportation Safety Board’s recent recommendation to implement a zero tolerance approach to the use of portable devices in vehicles across the United States has been received with mixed reviews this week. One side of the fence welcomes the anticipated increase in road safety as a result of decreased driver distractions. The other claims, if enforced, the law would take us one step closer to living in a Big Brother society.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on, the one thing that’s undeniable is the role portable devices can play in optimizing fleet management processes, as part of an integrated fleet management system. Without mobile devices, remote mechanics would be unable to update work orders on the status of a remote vehicle repair; logistics personnel unable to confirm completion of a delivery and fleet managers unable to track the location of drivers through GPS.
It’s my opinion that these recommendations will have little impact on fleet management, as the majority of fleet industry professionals take a safe and responsible approach to using portable devices. And for those few who don’t, let’s hope any penalties that result will act as a deterrent.
December 2011
It's Award Season For Chevin!
By Paul VerkinderenForget Hollywood, forget the Oscars, the dinner jackets at Chevin have never had more action in such a short space of time. It started with the International Fleet Supplier of the Year award at the annual Fleet Europe Awards in Madrid at the beginning of November, then there was the Innovation Award at the 2011 Fleet Expo Awards in Amsterdam a few weeks’ ago.... and that’s not all...Chevin’s also been shortlisted for a Midlands Business Award in the UK too! And it’s all in honour of our majorly upgraded FleetWave fleet management software, lunched to the fleet world earlier this year. To see what all the fuss is about check out our product page or contact the sales team to arrange a demo. And for pointers on award receiving technique, check out this video of seasoned award collecting expert, Chevin MD, Ashley Sowerby!
Watch the video: Ashley Sowerby, MD of Chevin collects 2011 International Fleet Industry Award for FleetWaveMarch 2011
Fleet Forum in Geneva 2011
Chevin Fleet Solutions recently participated in and co-sponsored the Fleet Forum in Geneva.
Founded in 2003 as a joint initiative of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and World Vision International (WVI), the Fleet Forum is an interagency association of more than 40 members, including NGOs, international organisations, the UN, academic institutions, donors and corporate partners.
The Fleet Forum has been conceived as a collaborating body, which by drawing upon the expertise and input of multi-sectoral stakeholders, is able to stimulate the building of humanitarian transport capacity to positively impact the delivery of aid & development programmes. Engaging with the commercial sector as a part of their corporate social responsibility strategies, the Fleet Forum acts as a neutral interface to draw on private sector resources to achieve its humanitarian transport objectives.
December 2010
Chevin supporting Australian Surf Life Saving Club
During my trip to Australia I visited the Nippers teams of North Curl Curl Surf Life Saving Club, whom Chevin are proud to support through sponsorship.
On the day of my visit, North Curl Curl were competing in a carnival at Queenscliff (a few kilometres north of Sydney Harbour entrance)
What are Nippers?
Junior Activities Life Saving is commonly known as "Nippers" and is made up of infants, primary and secondary school aged children, in the Under 6 to the Under 14 age group.
The aim of the North Curl Curl SLSC is to develop and educate Junior Activities Members, as required by the Surf Life Saving Australia 'Surf ED' program, and to promote progression and integration into the senior ranks of the club.
Competition is also available to those who wish, at interclub and State level throughout the season. Nippers are held each Sunday Morning throughout the summer season within the club.
November 2010
Australian end of year review
I'm back in Australia for a couple of weeks to review operations and set-out our strategic plans for 2011.
2010 has been an excellent year of growth for Chevin globally, but in particular our Australian operation has achieved considerable success both domestically and on the export front, with recent orders including clients from New Zealand and Indonesia.
Despite very tough economic conditions as a result of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) Chevin have managed to achieve strong results and continued growth.
November 2010
Fleet Forum event a great success
Just back from the first ever annual Fleet Forum which Chevin sponsored. The event, held at Pride Park Stadium in Derby, was a great success.
The aim of the event was to provide industry leaders with the ideal platform to share insights with peers and discuss the challenges they face, in a non-competitive environment.
"In challenging economic times it is vital to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in whatever industry you are in. Through this event we wanted to give fleet managers the opportunity to do that, as well as network with their counterparts from a variety of sectors. Some important issues surrounding policy and legislation, improving performance, increasing efficiencies, reducing environmental impact, technology, and duty of care were all covered during the event."
Delegates from across the fleet industry attended the event, bringing together representatives from public, private, and third sector organisations, such as; The Red Cross, Go Plant, Slimming World, Shell, The World Food Programme, and the NHS, among others; to discuss fleet management best practice and listen to informative key-note speeches.
There were four key note speakers throughout the day, punctuated by un-conference sessions which offered delegates an informal space for fleet-based discussions. Key note speakers included Chevin US senior VP Ron Katz, AECOM principle consultant, Scott Hardy, UK top five transport lawyer, Anton Balkitis, and Chevin project manager Steve Llewellyn.
"I feel the event was a real success, and hope that the delegates found it informative and useful. We will soon start planning for the Fleet Forum 2011!"
November 2010
A fleeting history: Where the story began
During two decades in the fleet industry, managing director of Chevin Fleet Solutions, Ashley Sowerby, has pioneered the world’s first web-based asset management application and helped hundreds of fleet operations weather two deep recessions. In three instalments, Ashley tells Fleet News how technology has revolutionised the industry.
The Fleet Fundamentals
There is one thing that hasn’t changed since I’ve been working in the industry, and that is that a fleet is still a fleet. Whether it’s comprised of executive cars, construction equipment, HGVs, or even lawnmowers, an organisation relies on its fleet, whatever its size or type.
Whilst the fundamentals of fleets have remained in-tact, the emergence of fleet management technology has revolutionised their relationship with an organisation. Fleet management solutions have enabled fleets to be fully integrated within operations, revealing their potential as highly powerful assets rather than a mere bolt-on or necessary drain on the bottom line.
In the early 90s, the company car was seen as a cheap way to reward employees - giving birth to the company fleet as we know it today. Drivers were taxed based on the business mileage they achieved, which acted as an incentive to clock-up more miles as the taxable benefit charge reduced at 2,500 miles and again at 18,000 miles. This is a far cry from the current tax system which promotes more efficient vehicles and no longer rewards high mileage drivers.
Into the Unknown
When I started out in the fleet management business, the technology was understandably nowhere near as sophisticated as it is now. Indeed, one of my first jobs after leaving college was as a software developer at a transport and logistics company that had developed a text-based programme purely to manage fleet costs.
For a while, technology struggled to infiltrate the fleet sector in any major way. The handful of big players in the fleet technology space focused on the corporate entities with large-scale fleets and neglected those with fewer assets, more complex operations and smaller budgets. As a result, paper-based fleet management - rife with human error - remained a method favoured by the majority for longer than necessary.
It didn’t help that fleet management systems were considered an alien concept, unknown territory with an equally unknown ability to deliver a return on the investment. Technology was still in its infancy, as were PCs and a little thing called the Internet. This, accompanied with the vast expense of IT equipment and infrastructure, meant most organisations had to share a single machine. And for those lucky enough to have access to more than one computer, fleet management systems had to be laboriously loaded on to each desktop individually. The same went for system upgrades and trouble shooting making technology more of a headache than a help. Thankfully networks now exist, so fleet management applications can be downloaded as quickly and as simply as any other application.
Only the Beginning
Before the cost implications of running an inefficient fleet were properly identified, the management was usually an additional responsibility of a secretary or administrator. Yet, when times got tough and the economy began to suffer, companies were forced to look at areas of waste, cut costs and streamline processes. All of a sudden, the time, finance and resource saving potential of having more control of a company fleet was given a bit more thought and traditional processes analysed in great detail. Fleet management was no longer simply a case of ensuring the CEO’s car was serviced on time but a vision of providing a business with a holistic view over every conceivable ingredient in the fleet mix - from fuel consumption and scheduled repairs to insurance information and procurement. And with this new appreciation of fleet management came the demand for a fleet manager - and a system capable of managing the wealth of fleet data.
When technology advanced, and became more affordable, it met this market demand for clearer visibility and for the first time fleets of all shapes and sizes were able to bring together into a unified system a range of fleet-generated data.
This dramatically reduced administrative burden and financial cost. This ability to view accurate and up-to-date data meant that organisations were able for the first time to quickly identify inefficiencies and improve fleet performance.
Fundamentally fleets can either be a costly drain on the finances, or one of the most powerful assets an organisation has. And with the internet advancing at an unstoppable pace, the potential of fleets was soon to be fully realised.
July 2010
UN organisation turns to Chevin
The World Food Programme (WFP), a UN organisation, is extending its long-term relationship with Chevin Fleet Solutions and implementing the supplier’s web-based fleet management system across all of the 82 countries that it operates in.
The FleetWave system will be rolled out in Uganda during July 2010 and internationally across the whole organisation by the end of the year. The move is intended to promote consistent working practice on a global scale, provide HQ with a clear visibility over processes, improve efficiencies and ultimately enable the WFP to meet its humanitarian objectives.
Traditionally, the organisation has relied upon a paper-based fleet management process, with countries such as Sudan and Afghanistan being covered by RoadBase, Chevin’s desktop fleet management application designed for smaller or less complex fleets.
After meeting with the WFP in Rome during November 2009, Chevin Fleet Solutions immediately began developing the FleetWave system, and says that it has achieved a short turn-around time and successfully engineered the software to the specific requirements of the WFP. This includes the addition of a "specific trips" module, which means that FleetWave will now enable fleet logistics teams in each country’s office to input data such as vehicle routing, journey duration and fuel consumption. There's also a "way bills" module that gives fleet and logistics managers access to an audit trail of when and where deliveries have been successfully dropped off, providing full chain of custody records for all aid donations.
Jean Francois Milhaud, ODTL / FSU / Fleet Manager at the WFP HQ in Rome, said: 'I am delighted to be extending our relationship with Chevin. They have adapted the FleetWave system to our specific needs, allowing us to utilise each fleet to its full potential, making the organisation as a whole more efficient and helping us to reduce cost whilst achieving our aim of providing food and other aid to those in need.'
Following initial implementation of the new system, the WFP and Chevin will meet to discuss further possible enhancements to the system. Options include French translation for use in the WFP’s many French speaking countries, an offline version of the system that can be updated remotely where internet access is unavailable and then automatically replicated into the live system upon return, interfaces to tracking systems, and a currency exchange rate module.
Chevin Fleet Solutions will also be providing second-line technical support to the World Food Programme. Karan Ridgard, operations director of Chevin Fleet Solutions, commented: 'It has been a pleasure working with the WFP to deliver them with this FleetWave system. We want to ensure that they receive all possible technical support, guaranteeing that any problems are solved as quickly and efficiently as possible and further improving the service of the WFP.'
July 2010
Web-based fleet management aids the hungry
July 16, 2010
UN organisation the World Food Programme (WFP) will implement web based Fleet Management software from Chevin Fleet Solutions across 82 countries.
The roll out will deliver improved visibility of fleet requirements, streamline efficiencies and reduce cost, allowing the humanitarian agency to better provide its vital service to those most in need.
FleetWave, the web-based application designed by asset management consultancy and software house Chevin Fleet Solutions, will be rolled out in Uganda during July 2010 and internationally across the whole organisation by the end of the year.
"Traditionally, we have relied on a paper-based fleet management process, with countries such as Sudan and Afghanistan being covered by RoadBase, Chevin’s desktop fleet management application designed for smaller or less complex fleets," says WFP Fleet Manager Jean Francois Milhaud from the organisations headquarters in Rome.
After meeting with the WFP in Rome during November 2009, Chevin Fleet Solutions developed the solution successfully engineering the software to the WFP’s specific requirements.
"The addition of a ‘specific trips’ module means that FleetWave will now enable fleet logistics teams in each country’s office to input data such as vehicle routing, journey duration and fuel consumption," Milhaud adds.
"A ‘way bills’ module gives fleet and logistics managers access to an audit trail of when and where deliveries have been successfully dropped off, providing full chain of custody records for all aid donations."
Milhaud, says the Un is delighted to be extending its relationship with Chevin.
The company has adapted the FleetWave allowing us to utilise each fleet to its full potential.
"This makes the organisation as a whole more efficient and helps us reduce cost while achieving our aim of providing food and other aid to those in need."
FleetWave will not only promote consistent working practices on a global scale, and open up communication channels to provide clearer visibility, but will give drivers, engineers and fleet managers access to real-time data anywhere in the world via a web connection.
Chevin travelled to Uganda and Ghana recently in preparation for the launch, meeting with a selection of representatives from some of the 82 countries covered by the WFP for a train the trainer programme to deliver instruction on how to use the system.
Following initial implementation of the new system, the WFP and Chevin will meet to discuss further possible enhancements to the system.
Options include French translation for use in the WFP’s many French speaking countries, an offline version of the system that can be updated remotely where internet access is unavailable and then automatically replicated into the live system upon return, interfaces to tracking systems, and a currency exchange rate module.
Chevin Fleet Solutions has been working with the WFP for almost 10 years.
"It has been fantastic to be involved in such an exciting and worthy project and we will continue to discuss improvements, to ensure that FleetWave provides the WFP with the services it needs," says Managing Director Ashley Sowerby.
Chevin Fleet Solutions will also be providing second-line technical support to the World Food Programme.
"It has been a pleasure working with the WFP to deliver them with this FleetWave system," Sowerby adds.
"We want to ensure that they receive all possible technical support, guaranteeing that any problems are solved as quickly and efficiently as possible and further improving the service of the WFP."
May 2010
Chevin expands North American sales and client services team
In response to the steadily growing demand for its enterprise fleet management information systems, Chevin Fleet Solutions, the leading global provider of fleet management software has recently added Joe Morgan to its sales staff as National Account Manager.
Previously as Director of Marketing and Sales for GP Solutions, a global computerized maintenance management system provider, as well as National Account Executive for Maximus, a rival fleet management system provider, Joe Morgan has decades of success helping commercial and public sector organisations gain long-term efficiencies and savings through the use of technology.
'This recent expansion of our sales and client relationship team further strengthens Chevin’s ability to meet the ongoing needs of our customers' noted Ron Katz, Senior Vice President of North American Sales. 'Joe Morgan’s wide-ranging understanding of our client’s needs as well as his vast industry experience will significantly benefit our organisation and our clients.'
May 2010
Samaritan's Purse gain control...
...over fleet costs with FleetWave
Samaritan’s Purse has recently deployed Chevin Fleet Solutions’ web-based enterprise fleet management information system, FleetWave to gain control over their global fleet running costs while allowing real-time access of complete fleet operational and performance information across more than 20 countries around the world.
For more than 35 years, Samaritan’s Purse has provided emergency relief as well as community development and medical services in an effort to break the cycle of poverty for victims of war, famine, natural disasters and disease across the worlds’ most troubled regions.
Using Chevin’s web-based enterprise fleet management information system FleetWave, Samaritan’s Purse is now reaping the benefits of the most sophisticated and flexible fleet management system available. Samaritan’s Purse maintains a diverse fleet of more than 350 vehicles in more than 20 countries using internal maintenance facilities while maintaining driver and accident management oversight made necessary by stringent governance requirements, all the while monitoring and managing fleet utilisation and operational readiness in a multi-lingual and multi-currency environment.
FleetWave’s unique asset-centric and completely flexible architecture supports these complex fleet management needs while allowing Samaritan’s Purse to constantly view and administer comprehensive vehicle, assignment and preventive maintenance compliance. Leveraging complete vehicle details from acquisition through disposal as well as statutory driver licensing details; FleetWave has replaced Samaritan’s Purse disparate and non-integrated databases with a single integrated system that meets each offices 'in country' requirements while providing consolidating visibility and fleet management oversight with a single application utilized across the world.
As a true enterprise fleet management system, FleetWave provides Samaritan’s Purse with harmonized control of all fleet operating details and as a result, has dramatically streamlined vehicle oversight across their global organisation, allowing them to optimize vehicle inventory and support services resulting in continued fleet improvements and costs savings. 'Although their requirements were extremely diverse, Samaritan’s Purse fleet management needs could be easily accommodated with our flexible web-based solution,' said Ron Katz, Senior Vice President of North American Sales for Chevin. Additionally, 'with FleetWave’s uniquely adaptable capabilities, Samaritan’s Purse future needs and requirements have been seamlessly accommodated without the need for expensive and time consuming programming.' As with many of Chevin’s clients, ‘Samaritan’s Purse has realized a rapid return on their software investment and continues to reap tremendous fleet operating savings across their global fleet.'
April 2010
The portable device revolution:
Can technology support remote vehicle servicing processes?
Ashley Sowerby, managing director, Chevin Fleet Solutions Fleet management covers a myriad of processes. From driver checks and expenses claims to inventory optimisation and replacement vehicle configuration - the list is seemingly endless. For the majority of fleet practices, technology can play a significant role in streamlining the process by providing fleet managers with a holistic view of each piece of the puzzle. But when it comes to mobile vehicle servicing, processes can become complicated due to the need to be away from the central hub of information: the workshop’s desktop. So can mobile technology add genuine value to such fleet business processes? And how can workshop managers ensure they’re making the most of embracing the portable device revolution? Selecting the right tool for the job As with all problems, selecting the right tool for the job is essential and going mobile is no different. Where as PDAs have traditionally been the most popular weapon of choice for tackling the conundrum of ensuring overall process consistency, whilst providing mobile vehicle servicing, there are pitfalls to be aware of. PDAs are generally not as robust as laptops or ‘tough books’ and, considering the nature of the mobile servicing beast, durability is more than a nice to have extra. Many users of PDAs find them cumbersome to use, as these devices are small and therefore difficult to input or display data. Functionality of any given system is also reduced if accessed via such a device, which can decrease efficiencies and thus defeat the object of its use. Many businesses are moving away from PDAs and implementing reinforced ‘tough books’, which are large enough and user-friendly enough to provide access to central web-based fleet management systems, through a secure internet connection. Tough books are also, as the name may suggest, more durable and designed to withstand being dropped, ran over and used with oily hands - all in all, far more practical for a mobile servicing engineer. One such company currently using tough books to support offsite plant vehicle servicing is Severn Trent Water. The utility relies on tough books, accompanied with a 3G card or similar for internet connectivity, to pick up jobs. This allows data entry directly into the system and also allows the technician to access a wide range of fleet data on-site such as technical information. Removing paper-based processes Most workshops have at least one mobile engineer to carry out roadside jobs. It therefore seems logical that mobile engineers enter data in the same way the workshop based engineers do. But without access to the organisation’s central fleet management software, a paper-based method becomes the best (or at least, most commonly used) alternative. This presents problems not only relating to the consistency of the information collated but also the time taken to input the data collected from the remote job. Access to live data is the key to success for any size fleet business. Relying on a mobile engineer with a pen and paper to serve the duel purpose of collecting information to analyse against key performance indicators and contribute to the holistic view needed for an overall efficient fleet, leaves the door wide open for important data to fall through the gaps in the net. For example, if a mobile engineer is called out to three separate jobs in one day, how likely is it that he or she will be able to, or inclined to, update the central fleet system immediately following finishing the job? The answer is, it’s very unlikely and as a result visibility is compromised. Keeping track of resource allocation Better resource allocation and time management is a benefit delivered following the implementation of a capable fleet management system. But remote working can, excuse the pun, throw a spanner in the works if not approached strategically or with the appropriate support from technology. Utilising a portable device to its full potential, instead of seeing it merely as a pen and paper replacement, is key to success. Although it’s not common practice now, fitting GPS tracking equipment to portable devices will further aid better job allocation by identifying the geographically nearest (or most qualified) mechanic for breakdowns and ad hoc bookings. Until this becomes an accepted industry norm, portable devices can still offer the ability for workshop or fleet managers to regain control over and keep track of field engineer activity. By using portable devices, better analyse and monitoring processes can be put in place to measure outputs against set KPIs. In addition, the integrated stock system means that parts can be allocated directly to job numbers by using inbuilt bar code scanners. Ultimately, portable devices have the potential to bridge the gap between the workshop and the field. By providing fleet or workshop managers with live job data, which can contribute to better time and resource allocation, the overall fleet management structure can be optimised, creating more efficient and cost effective processes. And in these times of continued economic uncertainty, who can say that that’s not an appealing concept?February 2010
Chevin Australia relocates as company gears up for expansion
Due to continued growth and demand for its flexible fleet management information systems in Australia, the vehicle and asset management consultancy and software house, Chevin Fleet Solutions has relocated to larger, new offices on the outskirts of Sydney.
The relocation of offices from North Sydney to Chatswood also sets the stage for Chevin to expand its operations in a bid to emulate the success the global market leader has had in the UK and US.
Taking a crucial role in the drive for growth on the continent is managing director and founder of Chevin, Ashley Sowerby, who left the UK for Sydney in September last year: "The opening of our new office will help us better serve the growing customer base here in terms of both project management and implementation. It will also allow us to grow our team as we push hard into the market and respond to new business development opportunities," commented Mr. Sowerby.
The UK-based Company recognised the growth potential in the Australian Market so in July 2009 established its first Sydney office.
According to Mr Sowerby, the Company’s focus to date has been to develop strategic customer wins amongst sector leading businesses such as Abigroup Construction, NSW Rural Fire Service, Cadbury, Schweppes, Harley-Davidson Australia, Hitachi Construction Machines Australia, Blue Mountains City Council and RSL Care.
"Having gained an excellent track record with businesses operating at the top of their fields," continued Mr. Sowerby, "our challenge now is to continue to deliver on performance and flexibility with these customers, while pushing hard into the remainder of what is a considerable market."
The Company's two core products are FleetWave, the world's first web-based enterprise fleet management system, and RoadBASE, the most flexible and adaptable windows-based management solution. Both continue to offer world-class performance, flexibility and ROI, which in turn empowers businesses to achieve optimum management of their fleets in the long haul.
"We’ll be working towards a big push at AFMA's annual trade show in March, and are confident that not only do we have world-class products, we now have the right infrastructure and an experienced team in place to return excellent results for Chevin Australia in 2010," concluded Mr. Sowerby.
With offices in the UK, Ireland, USA and Australia, and a reseller network covering Africa and Asia, Chevin's expansion has been unrelenting over the last twenty years. Despite tough trading conditions, growth of its domestic and international customer-base across a diverse range of industries resulted in 2009 being another record breaker for the market-leading provider of dedicated fleet management systems.
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