Following the recent hike in fuel duty and VAT rates, IAM Drive & Survive has announced reductions to the cost of its Ecolution eco-driver training course, as a means for fleet managers and business drivers to reduce running costs.

Simon Elstow, IAM Drive & Survive head of training and field operations, said: “With further fuel duty increases scheduled for April, drivers are being hit particularly hard. We can’t avoid these changes, but increases in costs could be offset by training employees how to drive their cars more economically.

“Ecolution, our fuel-saving driver training course, has increased the MPG of one company’s fleet by an average of 30 per cent. Efficient driving also means reduced wear-and-tear to the car and a better resale value, as well as less frequent car replacement.”

Until the end of January, a full-day of IAM Drive & Survive Ecolution driver training will cost just £25 per head. For an operating fleet of 500 vehicles refuelling once a week, an average 20 per cent MPG improvement could reduce weekly fuel bills by nearly £8,000: That's an annual saving of £410,415. This makes the initial cost of implementing the training a drop in the ocean.'

Elstow continued: “Simple techniques such as advanced anticipation, intelligent route planning and speed control are all it takes to get a much better MPG performance out of your car. These techniques also make for better-prepared, more aware and thus safer drivers; the main premise of advanced driving.”