Warwickshire News Mine

The Lloyd Fraser Group, based in Rugby, and Ralph Coleman International Ltd, which works out of Atherstone, took part in the project organised by Freight Best Practice, who agreed to select two Warwickshire companies in support of Warwickshire County Council’s `Switch it off’ campaign. 

Freight Best Practice is funded by the Department for Transport and managed by Faber Maunsell Ltd to promote efficiency within freight operations in England and Wales. 

The aim of the project was to assess the impact on fleet fuel consumption of an anti-idling awareness campaign for drivers, using presentations, leaflets, posters and stickers to highlight the financial and environmental impact of excessive and unnecessary truck engine idling.

Fuel consumption figures for vehicle fleets were monitored for the two weeks prior to the campaign and for the two weeks immediately following the campaign. Weekly MPG (miles per gallon) figures for each vehicle were provided by fleet operators and averaged for the two weeks prior and for the two weeks following the campaign. The ‘before’ and ‘after’ averages for each vehicle were then compared to calculate percentage increases or decreases in MPG.

Staff drivers at both companies received a presentation by a senior driver trainer, supported with promotional campaign material.

Below are headline findings for the two companies:

Lloyd Fraser Group:
Of the 45 vehicles monitored, 30 vehicles (67%) reported an improvement in MPG
Average MPG across the 45 vehicles increased from 8.97 to 9.23 (approximately 3% improvement)
The trial period realised a weekly saving of 1,300 Litres of fuel for the contract. At 85p per Litre, this equates to a saving of £1,105 per week for the 45 vehicles.
As a result of these improvements in the MPG figures, the company saved 3.4 Tonnes of CO2 emissions per week.
If these trends were maintained over one year, for this fleet of 45 vehicles the savings approximate to: 65,000 Litres of diesel, £55,250 and 170 Tonnes of CO2

Stuart Holmes, Transport Manager, Lloyd Fraser Group, commented,
“We have saved some money and reduced our fuel bills at least in the short term, by encouraging our drivers to turn off vehicle engines when stationary or when they are having their rest breaks.”

Ralph Coleman International Ltd, Atherstone:
MPG increased from 9.22 to 9.40 (a 2% improvement)
The estimated monthly saving in fuel was about 662 Litres.  At 85p per litre this equates to a saving of £562 per month.
As a result of the improvement in MPG, the company saved 1.74 tonnes of CO2 emissions during one month. 
If this was maintained over one year, the company could potentially save: 7,900 Litres of diesel, £6,700 and 20 Tonnes of CO2.

Lee Jeffery, Logistics Manager, Ralph Coleman International Ltd, said,

“Every little helps! Our drivers have managed to improve their MPG figures as a result of following the simple messages of truck anti-idling. I’ve found it to be one of the easiest measures to get the drivers to improve their fuel consumption.”

Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, added: “We’re not talking about companies saving a few pence here. It’s about tens of thousands of pounds.

“We’re delighted that Freight Best Practice has supported the Council’s ‘Switch it off’ campaign, that has proved to be extremely popular and effective in getting people not to leave electrical items on stand by in their homes.  Now I hope to see this study have a real impact, not just in Warwickshire, but nationally.”

The ‘Engine Idling’ case study is available on Freight Best Practice’s website at http://www.freightbestpractice.org.uk/.  For more information on taking steps to `Switch it off’ visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/switchitoff or call the energy advice hotline on 0800 512012.

Link to WCC