Member Article

Devon tech helps delivery drivers lead Asda's journey to improved sustainability

Advanced in-cab technology, designed in Devon, is helping Asda’s grocery delivery drivers make huge improvements in road safety and efficiency across the country.

These positive gains have been achieved by the supermarket following the installation of Chudleigh automotive tech firm Lightfoot’s driver coaching system across its entire 3,000-vehicle fleet.

Lightfoot connects directly to the vehicle’s on-board computer and converts data into live driving advice that helps the company’s drivers do their job more safely and efficiently.

Lightfoot can help fleets achieve a reduction in accidents while cutting fuel and CO2 emissions by 15% each. This is achieved by giving drivers ownership of their performance and rewarding them with prizes and giveaways through an app on their smartphones.

At the end of each journey, drivers are awarded a score in the app based on their driving style, allowing them to see how their driving is improving over time, as well as entering into friendly competition with colleagues as part of a company-wide drivers’ league.

Those drivers who achieve ‘Elite Driver’ status can enter The Drivers’ Lottery to win weekly cash prizes of up to £100 and enter giveaways.

Since the rollout began in February 2021, drivers have already claimed rewards including an Amazon Echo Dot and a mini drone, as well as cash prizes totalling over £13,213.

Asda’s continual driver engagement means that the supermarket will save the equivalent of 2,482 tonnes of CO2 per year – enough to power 9.1 million* washing machine cycles or boil 52.4 million kettles of water, which is enough boiled water to provide almost 6 cups of tea to each person in the UK.

Simon Gregg, Vice President of Online Grocery at Asda, said: “We are continually looking at ways in which we can improve driver safety and we are delighted that many of our drivers are now engaging with Lightfoot on a daily basis.

“Reducing our carbon footprint is really important to both us and our customers and schemes like this help us towards our goals of halving our direct carbon emissions by 2025 (2015 baseline) as we head towards our target of being carbon net zero by 2040.

“We’ve already seen the difference that Lightfoot’s technology has made to our operation and hope the partnership continues to help us improve our driver safety and the environment.”

Rupert Lyon Taylor, CEO of Lightfoot, which is based in Exeter, said: “Lightfoot is totally unique in that it works by providing real-time driver feedback alongside incentives for drivers rather than old school training and targets.

“We believe that by getting drivers to buy into the system and encouraging them to drive better through incentives and prizes we can achieve better results for fleets and make a bigger impact on their sustainability goals.

“This has been proven over both the course of the three-month proof of concept trial and the subsequent implementation across Asda’s fleet of 3,000 vehicles. We are absolutely delighted to be able to play a role in helping Asda achieve the carbon neutral goals set out in its Better Planet roadmap.”

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