Member Article

Businesses not measuring environmental impacts of ‘grey fleet’

As much as 80% of businesses do not measure the carbon emissions of employee-owned vehicles used for business purposes, a survey has found.

Field service solutions provider, Trimble, commissioned research to investigate how much UK businesses know about their ‘grey fleets’ and their CO2 emissions.

According to the Energy Trust, the grey fleet accounts for approximately 4m vehicles, and poses a significant environmental impact, in which there is opportunity to measure and manage emissions.

The study also reveals that almost a third of companies with grey fleets do not even record the mileage of these vehicles, and many of the businesses that do monitor mileage will base calculations simply on expense claims, as opposed to a more accurate measurement.

80% of respondents felt that it would be more beneficial to monitor their fleets more closely, while 46% said they were looking at limiting the mileage of their grey fleets.

Mark Forrest, general manager of Trimble’s Field Service Management Division, said: “For any business that runs an operational fleet, managing emissions and on-the-road costs is a top priority.

“Many businesses are already utilising fleet management and telematics to manage fuel use and organisations with grey fleets can look to borrow from this knowledge and experience.

“With the survey finding that many UK businesses appear to be ignoring the effects of their grey fleets, there is a real impact not only from an environmental perspective but from an operational expense standpoint as well.

“As the price of fuel continues to rise and environmental concerns heighten, a huge number of vehicles on UK roads that are being used for business purposes are effectively ‘driving blind’.

“The ability to manage vehicle mileage and CO2 outputs for fleet vehicles has delivered significant reductions in fuel use for businesses and has contributed to their sustainability goals, and it is encouraging to see that the survey shows there is both the opportunity and appetite to replicate this in the grey fleet market.”

92% of businesses reported that eliminating their grey fleets was not an option, which suggests more innovation is needed to address the environmental impact.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .