LeasePlan has announced the launch of a new product to help minimise off-road time for light commercial vehicles.

The new offering, UPtime, aims to allow fleet managers to maximise the efficiency of their LCV fleets by continuously tracking maintenance and repair requirements.

Through in-vehicle telematics, the UPtime solution transmits performance updates to LeasePlan’s dedicated LCV team every 24 hours. All routine MOTs and repairs are then automatically co-ordinated through the LeasePlan service network.

The UPtime solution also maintains electronic copies of MOT documents and all service, maintenance and repair work carried out, to ensure each vehicle is fully compliant with existing legislation.

LeasePlan said that a three-month trial with 20 customer vehicles shows that UPtime can generate over 60% cost savings for clients, primarily stemming from an overall reduction in vehicle downtime.

UPtime is a key element of LeasePlan’s overall strategy to grow its LCV offering by 54% by 2015. The enlarged LeasePlan LCV team, led by Mark Lovett, has a combined 60 years of LCV experience.

Mark Lovett, head of LCV, LeasePlan, said: “We’ve listened to fleet managers who tell us that off-road time is the biggest challenge faced by LCV fleets.

“We have designed a specific solution to address this issue while driving down costs and reducing the administrative load associated with this type of vehicle. Our goal is to slash off-road time for fleets.

“UPtime is the result of a lot of hard work from the team here at LeasePlan, and we’re really excited by its potential to transform LCV fleets for customers.

“The launch of UPtime is central to our commitment to growing LeasePlan’s specialist expertise in the LCV sector. Backed by a fantastic LCV team with a wealth of experience, we are confident existing clients and prospects alike will be able to benefit hugely from UPtime’s capabilities.”