The scheme, supported by organisations including ACFO and the BVRLA, will be managed by climate change consultant AEA, which claims a five per cent increase in fuel efficiency would save fleets £250m per year and cut carbon emissions by 750,000 tonnes. The Efficient Vans Guide provides advice on reviewing existing practices, reducing running costs and introducing improvement measures, while the Fuel Management Pack offers a step-by-step guide to managing fuel use.
“The programme aims to influence the behaviour of both those managing fleets and those driving the vehicles, helping businesses to improve efficiency and safety, whilst helping to drive down costs, which can be nothing but beneficial to the industry and the environment,” said ACFO chairman Julie Jenner.
“Vans are vital to the economy and therefore vital to our efforts to encourage low carbon transportation,” said transport minister Paul Clark. “For the automotive industry, indeed for all of us, finding ways to cut vehicle emissions is not an optional extra, it is an absolute necessity.”