Small businesses are being offered a unique opportunity to share best practice and reduce the cost of operating vehicles.

The first Small Fleets Conference will focus specifically on organisations that run between five and 50 vehicles, and offer insight and expertise that improve efficiency, ensure staff are safe and help save money.

A line-up of experts from across the fleet industry will cover key topics crucial to driving for business, as well as bring the audience up to date on the latest legislation.

David Rawlings, director, at BCF Wessex Consultants will consider key messages a smaller fleet should focus on and how they can ensure they generate maximum value from their fleet spend.

“Typically, small fleets are faced with the same financial decisions as larger operators, but they make these decisions less frequently and generally without being able to call upon a team of experts. This lack of experience and expertise often means decisions are made by reference to easily identifiable factors such as lowest rental or list price.

“Advising the smaller fleet operator on the relevance of CO2 emissions, tax and total cost of ownership should help them make the best financial decisions.”

Andrew Wetters, senior policy advisor for the workplace transport team at the HSE, will talk about the responsibilities of employers and employees in ensuring workplace transport is operated safely. He will identify common causes of incidents, which can often lead to serious and sometimes fatal injury and what needs to be done to prevent them occurring.

Jay Parmar, director of policy and membership at the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), will cover the Fleet Industry Manifesto, launched in partnership between the BVRLA, fleet operator association ACFO and Fleet News.

He will also look as how regulation affects fleet operators and look at the impact of the proposed ultra-low emission zone in London in 2020, as well as the more recent changes at the DVLA, including the ending of the paper tax disc and the demise of the driving licence paper counterpart.

With these and other presentations, insights gained from the conference could be vital in changing practices to making small fleets safer, smarter and most cost effective.

To book your places visit www.smallfleetsconference.co.uk, or contact Emma-Louise Kinnaird on 01733 395133 or emma-louise.kinnaird@bauermedia.co.uk