SAVINGS worth billions of pounds could be within reach of the nation’s van fleet operators if they make a small investment in their drivers.

Simple driving techniques which have helped lorry drivers slash their costs are now being promoted in the van fleet industry and could cut fuel bills by 10% and slash maintenance costs.

Claire Shrewsbury, program manager for SafED, which promotes safe and fuel efficient driving, told delegates that the training scheme has already been piloted with the Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s, with trained drivers achieving a 9.5% improvement in fuel economy and cutting fuel-consuming gear changes by 59% over a nine-mile route.

Fleets are being urged to take part in the training scheme, either through signing up their employees for the initiative, which aims to train 3,000 drivers, or by putting forward staff who are already approved driving instructors so they can take further training and run the courses.

The one-day driver development course is free for firms with fewer than 50 employees and costs a maximum of £100 per driver for large fleets.

For details log on to www.safed.org.uk or call 0870 1908440.