Fleet managers under pressure to prioritise safety, insurance and green issues should call on rapidly advancing technology to help them.

Real-time management of drivers’ fuel consumption and purchase trends, or example, will be made easier with the advent of new swipe proximity technology for credit cards.

MasterCard is reportedly already trialling PayPass credit cards with fleets. The cards are swiped on readers from a distance, speeding up payment.

Transaction details can then be uploaded in real-time, allowing fleet managers to check driver ID and performance and compare local fuel prices.

Steve Perham, CEO of telematics group Airmax, advised fleets to take advantage of such new technology.

Speaking at the GE Future of Fleet conference, he explained the benefit of swipe proximity cards and drew attention to other applications such as remote tyre pressure monitoring.

Mr Perham said: “We are moving to a point where telematics could have a genuine impact on the CO2 output of cars.

“If data shows that a vehicle needs servicing, has a mechanical problem or even that the driver has a heavy right foot, then the system can alert the fleet manager, often also explaining what the problem is through monitoring of vehicle diagnostics.

“The ‘track and trace’ element of telematics will remain important but we expect that the environmental aspects will become more and more important.”