By the end of 2013 Lewis expects the van fleet to total 650 vehicles, taking the operation to 1,000.
Fleet growth has ushered in his second big initiative: the implementation of telematics across the van fleet, which, after a successful pilot, is due to be completed this month.
“Sanctuary had been looking at the possibility of using telematics, but with a now rapidly-growing fleet this was the perfect time for the business to adopt the new technology,” Lewis says.
“A meeting was held with TomTom, and we agreed to run a pilot on 80 vehicles over two regions for six months.”
The technology brought overnight results for the company with fuel costs reducing dramatically.
Some vehicles have seen as much as a 30-40% improvement; Lewis forecasts average savings at an impressive 20%. Reducing insurance premiums by improving driver behaviour is also an aspiration.
To build support for the new system, Lewis went out across the country holding presentations with all of the maintenance operatives, which helped overall acceptance of the technology.
“It did take a lot of time, and engagement, but by effectively communicating the changes they were taken on board by the operatives,” he says.
The introduction of telematics means Lewis will be able to start driver risk profiling, something he is looking to structure over the next year.
He has already taken some key strides to improve driver safety in the fleet. Speed limiters for the vans, set at 70mph, have been introduced as the new models are bought.
The company is now out to tender for the fleet management contract, and Lewis is looking for a company that can incorporate a driver training programme offering online risk assessments and specialist one-on-one training alongside the SMR management.
One area he is prioritising is familiarisation training for the operatives who drive company vans.
The objective is to raise their knowledge of a van’s features, particularly if they have limited experience of driving a large vehicle.
“Safety is high on Sanctuary’s agenda and we want to give the operatives that we employ an opportunity to go through a bit of extra training, for example, if they’ve never driven a van before,” he says.
At-fault incidents policy review
Lewis is also working in conjunction with the group’s risk management team to review the business policy for at-fault incidents.
One option on the table is to recharge an element of the repair cost back to persistent offenders, but no decision made been made yet.
The maintenance operatives and skilled workers are all home-based and drivers take their vans home with them. Contracts state that they can only use the vans for business mileage.
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