BCF Wessex’s director has urged finance chiefs to challenge traditional assumptions about vehicle choices, to maintain cost-effective fleets.

David Rawlings will be providing detailed guidance to fleets and finance departments about managing costs during Fleet Management Live on October 3-4 at the NEC in Birmingham.

“A key area of focus is the future role of diesels, as the fuel’s traditional wholelife cost advantage is being eroded,” said Rawlings.

BCF Wessex has carried out a series of comparisons using its Gensen wholelife cost software, which includes driver taxation, and the results increasingly point to petrol and petrol-electric hybrids being the fleet choice of the future.

Rawlings said: “You hear frequently that high mileage drivers should be in diesels, but as that perception is being questioned, we are urging fleets to challenge their assumptions.

“They need to review their fleet costs now in the face of a changing market, find out exactly what their fleet costs are and understand the effect of changing.”

“Fleets are currently facing challenges that will shape the future of their operations for many years.

"Events such as FML give fleet operators not just to ability to network but the opportunity to develop best practice ideas and solutions.”