Tracking is also being used to move and reallocate the pool fleet (which is spread across 23 sites), map routes for refuse collection and gritters and from a duty-of-care perspective – to keep an eye on lone workers.

“It’s never been a challenge for us to have tracking,” Thomson says.

“We got the unions in at an early stage and explained why we wanted to do it. It’s about health and safety and compliance rather than being a ‘spy in the cab’.”

But the system can be useful in highlighting any unexpected use.

“If a vehicle moves at a weekend it is highlighted by an exception report,” Thomson says.

“On one occasion a vehicle was at a local beauty spot. But it turned out to be a community and education worker with a group of kids.”

Speed limiters are also being fitted to all new vehicles.

The decision has been led by the council’s corporate management team with approval from the unions.

Thomson is considering putting drivers through fuel-efficient driver training with the Energy Saving Trust.

Another task which is underway is a complete revision of the council’s driver handbook.

The grey fleet is also still a challenge. A total ban is not possible due to the “dispersed staff base”, but Thomson is keen to ensure that staff don’t use their own vehicles for work trips without authorisation.

He admits: “We’ve still got a long way to go in terms of bringing the grey fleet under control”.

Council believes electric vehicle trial is worth doing

Dumfries and Galloway Council has just secured funding from Transport for Scotland to double the number of Nissan Leafs on its fleet from two to four.

It was the first council in the UK to add the Leaf to its fleet in April last year, with the original two vehicles also procured using funded from Transport for Scotland.

Thomson chose to contract hire the Leafs from Automotive Leasing (the public sector division of LeasePlan) rather than buy them as the council doesn’t currently have the expertise in-house to maintain them.

The vehicles are part of the pool fleet and are being used for local journeys.

“They will go 80-90 miles, but most staff are taking them journeys of less than that,” Thomson says.

“There have been some issues with staff feeling insecure about the range. If the indicator goes down to 20 miles when they thought they would have 40 miles at that stage of the journey there is a lot of anxiety.

"So it’s an experiment. But it’s an experiment that’s worth doing.”