Transport Minister Paul Clark unveils Van Best Practice Programme

Transport Minister Paul Clark: cut van costs

DfT promotes more efficient van driving

MORE than half of van drivers have not considered ways of reducing fuel consumption in the last 12 months – yet with the price of fuel soaring, easy to achieve savings are on offer.

That’s the promise behind the launch of the Department for Transport’s new Van Best Practice programme. The aim of the Van Best Programme is to enable all business van operators to cut the cost of running vans, lower the environmental impact of exhaust emissions and also improve safety.

The Van Best Practice programme was launched by the Transport Minister, Paul Clark, in central London.

“Vans are vital to the economy and therefore vital to our efforts to encourage low carbon transportation. This programme will help reduce emissions as well as well as assisting users to save money by reducing costs,” commented Transport Minister Paul Clark.

The programme, funded by the DfT and managed by climate change consultants AEA, is based on improving operational efficiency to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that an overall improvement in fuel efficiency of just 5% would save around £250 million per year, reducing carbon emissions by three quarters of a million tonnes.

Downloadable guides available

To help van users achieve this saving, two best practice guides are available from today, offering practical tips and advice for fleet managers and van drivers.

The first is The Efficient Vans Guide.

This details the benefits of operating vans efficiently and provides practical advice on reviewing existing practices, reducing running costs and introducing improvement measures.

The second guide is called the Fuel Management Pack.

This guide supports The Efficient Vans Guide by outlining a step-by-step guide to managing fuel use.

Both guides are available to download free from Business Van Manager in our Downloads section or by clicking on the links below.

Larry Martindale, programme manager for Van Best Practice said: “Through the programme we aim to raise awareness of the range of best practice guidance available to the van sector, helping businesses to improve their safety and operational efficiency while informing them of the financial and environmental benefits of implementing this advice.

“There are simple things that van drivers could be doing to improve the efficiency of their vehicles, such as ensuring tyres are at the optimum pressure through regular checks and avoiding carrying non essential items.”

Further information

Download the guides by clicking on the highlighted links:

For more information on the Van Best Practice programme, where you can also access the new guides, call 0300 123 1133, or search go to https://vanbestpractice.businesslink.gov.uk.

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