Emission-reducing efforts have led to increases in carbon reporting and the introduction of legislation such as those curtailing the use of red diesel. To keep up with these escalating efforts to improve sustainability, fleet managers are being urged to look at the accuracy of their fuel usage data, and how efficiently they can access it.
From announcements at COP26 to enshrine in law climate disclosures for the country’s largest companies, to the 2019 introduction of Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) and new rules restricting the use of red diesel coming in to force from April 2022, the UK government is pressing on with its sustainability agenda and, with it, efforts to reduce emissions.
Many organisations are also voluntarily choosing to pursue sustainability reporting - in fact, according to the KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting 2020, 80 per cent of the 5,200 companies included reports on sustainability.
The result is that many fleet managers are finding themselves increasingly in demand for emissions data – both for evidence of sustainability efforts and cost-savings.
Banishing the burden of emissions reporting
Selecting the relevant fleet operations data for a sustainability or emissions report, ensuring its accuracy and using it to make informed, purposeful decisions can appear to be a mammoth task – but technology can help.
Vehicle tracking technology – such as telematics from market-leaders ABAX – can track exact mileage and produce emissions reports. Such data can also be consistently presented year on year, arming organisations with evidence of trends, and hopefully improvements, over time.
Cutting out the grey areas
Another potential challenge that fleet managers may face when it comes to reporting is the accurate and effective monitoring of grey fleet vehicles.
Thankfully telematics can help here too. Privacy law compliant trackers can be installed onto personal cars – and drivers can easily choose which trips to declare as business.
What’s more, mixed fleets can also benefit from telematics, particularly where vehicles aren’t the only emission-producing asset which should be included in sustainability reporting. Some telematic solutions, can be applied to mixed fleets – giving consistent and easily-managed data on all assets.
Environmental savings to financial savings
It’s not only environmental savings that can be made through the use of telematics; financial savings can be achieved too.
Areas for improvement in fleet efficiencies can be flagged using such technology. Fleet managers can track driving behaviours – along with the status of vehicles – to highlight potentially fuel-wasting habits such as idling.
The tracking of fleet vehicles can also provide opportunities for route optimisation. Vehicles can be monitored and assigned according to their proximity to a job, ultimately saving on mileage and emissions but also time and productivity.
As more organisations face increasing fuel prices, with fewer industries applicable for the use of red diesel from April 2022, such insights could prove hugely valuable.
ABAX telematics units are self-installable, provide HMRC compliant data and offer live-tracking solutions, all allowing you to access actionable location and usage data on all your assets – and via one easy-to-use interface. Grey, mixed, large and small fleets can all be tracked in an efficient and cost-effective manner, whilst also provide vital reporting data on demand.
On average, ABAX vehicle trackers users save 18.5% on fuel costs, find up to 30 minutes per employee, per day in timesheets and are able to analyse driving behaviour for a safer, greener fleet that spends £22.30 less per vehicle, per month.
If you’re looking for your fleet to make environmental, financial and productivity savings, then ABAX could be the solution for you. Go to ABAX.com or call 01733 698888.
*ABAX are not tax advisors. It is therefore recommended that you contact your tax advisor to understand the many exclusions to the legislation.