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A greener fleet |
8th Nov 2007 |
Horticultural company Banyards is making its fleet of 40 vehicles
cleaner and greener.
The Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire-based company is implementing ‘green fleet’ management and researching energy-efficient vehicles and use of cleaner fuels, including biodiesel.
Director Paul Edwards said: “We are taking steps to operate a cleaner and more efficient fleet of vehicles - and to make that process part of our corporate culture.
“It's important we do our best to minimise fuel consumption and exhaust emissions - as well as reduce the amount of traffic we generate by using the vehicles efficiently.”
At the same time, Banyards has installed the satellite-based Tracker system that provides efficient management of vehicles by identifying exactly where each vehicle is and supplying data to improve operations.
Paul said: “It helps determine the most direct route for any of our teams to travel, indicates when vehicles are left idling, which helps prevent pollution and wasted fuel costs.
“There are other benefits - the system can pinpoint where teams have worked and for how long; if a member of staff were injured they can be quickly found; speeding is identified and it makes overtime calculation easy.”
If an emergency job crops up, like when a fallen tree needs clearing from a road, the head office team can instantly identify exactly Banyards’ crews are operating and redirect the nearest one.
The system is currently being trialled with 16 vehicles and could shortly be rolled out to the entire fleet, including directors and managers.
