Hit for Six takes place at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham on September 24. Tickets cost £49 for fleet decision-makers and £99 for fleet industry professionals.

At their best, green fleet policies produce win-win situations for employers, helping the environment and saving money in the process. At their worst, environmental fleet policies can cost significantly more than traditional fleet strategies without delivering any discernible gains to air quality or other green goals.

Gas-powered cars and vans are a prime example of this conundrum. Access the right subsidy grants, buy or lease the right vehicles, educate drivers to the company car tax savings from driving an alternatively-fuelled vehicle and ensure they refuel with gas, and the corporate bottom line can benefit as much as the environment. But miss out on the grant procedure, source poor quality gas conversions, and employ no procedures to ensure drivers refuel on gas, and your green policy will deliver no environmental benefits, will add costs to the corporate bottom line and could even prove dangerous.

Yet the pressure to go green is only going to intensify, especially with the opportunity to avoid congestion charges in London by buying qualifying alternatively-fuelled vehicles.

So what is the environmental case in favour of liquefied petroleum gas or compressed natural gas? How do you apply for grants? Where do you get these cars serviced? What are the benefit-in-kind tax advantages to staff? And what are the prospects for residual values?

All these issues will be addressed at the conference by Malcolm Noyle, green fleet development manager for Lloyds TSB autolease. He will provide practical, advice for fleets looking to make a greater environmental commitment.
Noyle's presentation is sponsored by the Energy Savings Trust.

Cash for car programmes

COMPANY car tax changes always prompt employers and drivers to review the advantages and disadvantages of running company cars.

For employers who want to minimise their fleet involvement, and drivers who want a free choice of the type of car they drive, the lure of a cash-for-car alternative scheme is clear.

But how much money should you offer drivers in lieu of their company cars? Should this be cost-neutral to the company, or should you pay enough to enable the driver to select an identical car to his or her former company car?

What is the most tax-efficient way of paying the cash allowance and what precautions should you take about restricting car choice and ensuring opt-out vehicles are properly maintained, insured and represent the company in an appropriate light?

David Rawlings, senior manager in Deloitte & Touche's Automotive Sector Group, will address such issues at the Fleet News Hit for Six Conference.

ECO schemes

THE fastest-growing sector of the fleet finance market is the development of structured employee car ownership (ECO) schemes, where drivers technically own their cars and therefore avoid company car tax.

Originally such schemes were the exclusive preserve of very large fleets which could amortise the consultancy costs of introducing the plans over thousands of vehicles. Now, however, off-the-shelf products allow fleets of all sizes to move fleets off their balance sheets and their drivers out of the grips of the Inland Revenue.

But how do such schemes work, how do you achieve the taxman's approval, how do you explain to drivers that they will own their cars, what are the principal benefits and where do the potential pitfalls lie?

Alastair Kendrick, director of PAYE and NI Solutions at Ernst & Young, will tackle these issues at the conference, discussing the essential points to consider and cover prior to introducing an ECO scheme.

Fleet hero

IT'S a tough task being responsible for a fleet of company cars and vans. On the one side, your customers, the drivers, are continually campaigning for greater freedom of choice in the cars they drive, while simultaneously failing to honour their responsibilities to check tyre pressures, oil levels and generally maintain their vehicles in tip-top conditions.

On the other side, your board of directors is looking for greater control of drivers and their driving behaviour, a lower environmental impact of the company's vehicles and year-on-year reductions in the wholelife cost of the fleet.

Reconciling these two diametrically opposed parties requires the patience of Job, the diplomatic skills of an ambassador, and the hands-on practical knowledge and experience to run a happy, cost- effective fleet.

One of the best in the business at balancing all these issues is Dug Brown, fleet executive at Somerfield, and the man in charge of Fleet News' 2002 UK Fleet of the Year.

At the conference, he will share the secrets that have made him one of the most successful fleet managers in the country
Brown's presentation is sponsored by Mazda.

Health and safety

AS an employer and fleet operator, where do your responsibilities towards at-work drivers start and stop? Will company directors go to jail because of driving mistakes made by their staff?

Where does the line lie between the end of your duty of care and the start of your employees' responsibility for their own actions?

These questions have become pressing preoccupations for UK fleet decision-makers as the Government pays ever closer attention to the dangers that at-work drivers present and the risks they face.

The Work-related Road Safety Task Group report called for tougher prosecution for employers who fail in their duty of care towards staff who drive as part of their jobs. And fleet industry rumours continue to circulate that the Crown Prosecution Service is looking to 'make an example' of a high profile company whose driver causes a nasty accident. The potential damage to the corporate brand and the prospect of directors ending up behind bars have become pressing issues for fleet decision- makers.

The truth and myth behind these issues will be addressed head-on by solicitor David Faithful, a partner with law firm Amery Parkes, at the Fleet News Hit for Six Conference in September.

For executives concerned about where their responsibilities to at-work drivers start and stop, this is an essential presentation with information that could keep you and your company out of the courts.
Faithful's presentation is sponsored by Town & Country Assistance.

Maximising RVs

DEPRECIATION is the biggest element in the wholelife cost of company cars, so maximising the prices achieved when selling ex-fleet cars is arguably the most important element of fleet management.

This process starts when you order the new car – which models, specifications and colours are more likely to appeal later to a used car buyer?

And how can you achieve the highest residual values with the hand you have been dealt? What are the techniques to ensure you sell your used cars for their highest possible price?

Where should you sell them, at what time of year, and how best can you manage the disposal process?

Through his job as national research manager at used car market specialist CAP, Martin Ward has gained years of professional insight into these issues. A candid, entertaining, and highly informed columnist in Fleet News, Ward will be sharing his knowledge at the Hit for Six Conference, on how you can achieve the best possible prices for your ex-company vehicles.
This session is sponsored by Manheim Auctions.

Book your place

Once you've filled in the booking form fax it back on 01733 468346.

'Hit for Six' is sponsored by Mazda

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