Commercial fleet briefs: Latest from Nexus Rental, Zego, Craggs Energy, Moorland Fuels, Greencore, Leyland, R2C, TruckEast, Webfleet and Dynamon

Nexus Rental increases focus on HGV sector

Nexus Rental is increasing its focus on the HGV sector for its advanced hire proposition – a move aimed at simplifying and modernising the HGV rental landscape.

Through its software platform, Iris, Nexus gives businesses access to more than 100,000-plus HGVs from more than 75 audited providers across 150-plus UK locations.

The Iris platform also collates compliance documentation, including LOLERs, LBT, Tachos and MOTs into one place to help simplify the rental process, as well as help manage compliance tracking and cost visibility.

While Nexus has long supported some of the UK’s largest operators within the HGV sector, the increased focus will help to support the ever-growing number of businesses that are turning to rentals to reduce capital expenditure and better manage the cost and complexity of vehicle maintenance and compliance.

Chris Brown, head of strategic delivery at Nexus, said: “HGV hire has always been a part of our business, but this repositioning is about making our specialist offering even clearer to the market.

“It is the first time we have packaged our expertise into a focused, branded offering.

“We are looking to set a new standard for what HGV rental should look like in today’s world, and the partnership between our technology and people will do just that.”

Britain’s ‘best van driver’ crowned

Britain’s ‘best van driver’ is Isidoros Alexoudis, a 38-year-old home removal specialist from West London.

He outscored thousands of professional drivers in a year-long nationwide competition run by UK van insurance provider Zego.

The contest used Zego’s smart driving app, Sense, to monitor thousands of van drivers for a full year.

The system analysed real-world driving behaviour and scored them on speed limit discipline, smooth acceleration and braking, cornering control, and consistency and safety across thousands of miles
Alexoudis topped the national leaderboard with a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100, earning him the title of Britain’s best van driver and a £250 prize.

He said: “I treat every job like I’ve got my own kids in the back seat. That’s the mindset. No speeding. No harsh braking. No drama. Just respect for the road and the people on it.”

Sten Saar, CEO of Zego, said: “Isidoros is the kind of driver we built our tech for – skilled, responsible and proud of his craft.

“He’s not just a great van driver. He’s one of the safest drivers in the country, full stop.”

Craggs Energy and Moorland Fuels achieve FORS accreditation

Sister companies Craggs Energy and Moorland Fuels, have achieved Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) Bronze accreditation.

The voluntary scheme is open to any company operating commercial vehicles across the UK or overseas.

Its goal is to drive-up safety, efficiency and environmental standards across the road transport industry, by helping fleets operate as safely and fuel efficiently as possible, while also reducing their environmental impact through the reduction of emissions.

Securing the Bronze standard demonstrates the high levels of safety, efficiency, professionalism and environmental protection evidenced during the accreditation process.

The process involved rigorous assessments of both companies’ daily fleet operations to ensure compliance with industry best practice as set out by FORS.

It also saw reviews of levels of training and their team’s day-to-day commitment to running a high-quality fleet of well-maintained Euro VI delivery tankers.

This included having tyre management policies in place, meeting the latest exhaust emissions standards, and utilising the latest safety features on all vehicles.

Matthew Crockett, group managing director at Craggs Energy and Moorland Fuels, said: “Achieving FORS Bronze accreditation is a stamp of quality, giving all our staff and our customers peace of mind.

“For commercial operators who require FORS accreditation as part of their tendering and re-tendering process, it endorses our operations and gives certainty that customers are working with a partner that maintains the highest standards of safety, efficiency, sustainability and environmental performance.”

Greencore rolls out HVO-powered fleet

Greencore has taken a step toward a greener future by launching a new fleet of 15 vehicles powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable diesel alternative that reduces carbon emissions by up to 90%.

The initiative is part of Greencore’s broader commitment to environmental responsibility and reducing its carbon footprint across the supply chain.

“The introduction of HVO-powered vehicles is a major milestone in our journey toward net-zero,” said Jeremy Fitton, head of logistics at Greencore.

“By switching to HVO, we’re not only cutting emissions by up to 90%, but also demonstrating that sustainable logistics is achievable today—not just in the future.”

The new fleet will operate across key distribution routes in the UK, supporting Greencore’s mission to deliver fresh, high-quality food with minimal environmental impact.

Leyland pulls together for local good causes

Families, friends, and colleagues across Lancashire recently came together for the annual Leyland Trucks Truck Pull Challenge, raising £4,500 for St Catherine’s Hospice.

The event, held last month (June), marked the official launch of Linking Leyland 2025 – Leyland Trucks’ flagship summer fundraising series, now in its 10th year.

The challenge saw 30 teams compete in the ultimate test of strength and teamwork. Children’s teams pulled a 4.5 tonne DAF XB, while adult teams tackled an 8-tonne DAF XF, hauling the trucks 40 metres in the fastest time possible.

Stuart Derbyshire, Linking Leyland event lead and vehicle finishing manager at Leyland Trucks, said: “Events like this show the power of community, and we’re proud to play our part in helping raise awareness and funds for causes that touch so many lives.

“It’s been a joy to see so many people pulling together – quite literally – to make a difference.”

Since its inception, Leyland Trucks’ Helping Hand charity arm – the organisers behind Linking Leyland – has raised more than £120,000, supporting local people through some of life’s toughest challenges, from serious illness to bereavement.

Two new online tools launched by R2C

Software specialist R2C has launched a new online tool that helps workshops gain greater visibility over the amount of time spent on tasks to understand the productivity and efficiency of their technicians.

Time Recording analyses how every minute is spent against work lines, letting CV technicians log hours against individual jobs and allowing workshops to chart the efficiency of employees.

It allows users to log each job, providing workshop managers with insight into job over-runs, bottlenecks in the chain or delays before they become too costly.

It will also allow job costing to be far more accurate as the system utilises real-time data to allow for smarter pricing and reduced margin loss from under-quoted work as well as reducing manual input, says R2C.

Time Reporting also offers bespoke data to support technician training, planning and performance reviews, as well as allowing managers to identify high performers, support under-performing staff and ensure a fair workload distribution.

Ash Connell, commercial director at R2C, said: “Our extensive experience shows that workshops are consistently under-estimating the true labour costs of their operations, so we’ve developed Time Recording to highlight the time and cost saving benefits that are available through using a digital workshop management system.”

R2C has also joined forces with Vapta and HGV Direct to launch an integrated digital solution for workshops to help speed up parts delivery, manage supply and control stock.

R2C’s Job Sheet API, which enables integration between third-party systems, including parts suppliers, now works on commercial vehicle parts supplier HGV Direct’s Vapta Systems scanners so that any time a barcode is read in a workshop, the part is loaded directly onto job sheets. New items can also be ordered directly from the HGV Direct website.

Vapta’s Parts Scanner app pushes those parts directly into live job records within the R2C platform using barcode scanning.

The baskets are then sent to several regional parts centres where the parts are sorted and then delivered to the technician, usually within two hours of ordering.

These baskets are then pushed directly into the associated job sheet in R2C, with the aim of reducing administrative effort and enhancing compliance.

Connell said: “It helps to eliminate the gaps between parts usage and job reporting, helping workshops save time on data entry, improve technician productivity, strengthen audit and compliance processes, reduce errors and lost parts, and digitally link procurement to service delivery.”

TruckEast raises £20k for Macmillan Cancer Support

Scania dealer TruckEast has raised £20,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in their biggest fundraiser to date, with 25 employing uniting for the Norfolk Mighty Hike in May.

Joining thousands of dedicated participants, the event challenged hikers to either a 26-mile or 14- mile route from Cromer.

Harley Coulson, TruckEast’s MD, said: “I am so proud of our team and our generous supporters for their amazing efforts. Having completed the hike myself, I know the resilience it requires.

“Each step we took was not just a step closer to the finish line, but toward making a difference.

“It is with great pleasure that we can donate this phenomenal amount of money to the team at Macmillan and support a cause close to so many of our hearts.”

Jade Lambert, regional relationship fundraising manager for Macmillan Cancer Support, added: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone at TruckEast for their support of Macmillan through this year’s Norfolk Mighty Hike.

“Raising £20,000 is an extraordinary achievement that will help us to continue to provide vital care and support to people living with cancer, right when they need it most.

“The dedication shown by the team and wider community is truly inspiring, and we’re proud to have you as part of the Macmillan family.”

Webfleet integrates with Dynamon for fleet decarbonisation

Dynamon has joined forces with Webfleet to deliver data-backed decarbonisation reports for fleet decision-makers.

The new integration enables commercial fleets to produce tailored reports around vehicle replacement, electric vehicle (EV) rollout strategies, charger requirements and low-carbon fuel alternatives, without the need for external consultancy.

Dynamon’s involvement as a service provider within the Webfleet EV Services Platform, which brings together energy and mobility service providers, laid the foundation for the integration.

Using Webfleet Connect, the solution enables data exchange between the two platforms.

“Decarbonising a fleet can feel like stepping into the unknown and can be complex, costly and full of uncertainty,” said Dean Mahoney, business development director at Dynamon.

“By combining Webfleet’s telematics data with Dynamon’s advanced simulation and insight tools, we take the guesswork out of the journey and give fleet operators the confidence to move forward.”

Beverley Wise, regional director for the UK and Ireland region at Webfleet, a Bridgestone company, added: “Our collaboration with Dynamon empowers fleets to transform their operational data into practical steps toward decarbonisation.

“Together, we’re removing barriers to electrification by making data-driven decision-making more accessible and affordable.”