Transport sector sceptical of zeroemission mandates
Less than half of global fleet managers believe governments will follow through on planned zeroemissions mandates, according to the latest industry survey from Teletrac Navman. The study of more than 500 fleet operators throughout Britain, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America sheds light on the industry’s latest trends and challenges, as well as the viewpoints of global operational leaders on topics including safety, AI adoption, alternative energy and 2024’s biggest obstacles for fleets.
The annual report focuses on three key areas: sustainability, safety and efficiency.
Two-thirds of global fleets are currently operating PHEV, BEV or FCEV vehicles. However, the report found that switching still presents challenges with emerging technologies, high vehicle costs, and limited public charging points.
Fleets list their top three expenses as (1) unstable fuel costs, (2) equipment/ vehicle maintenance and (3) purchasing new equipment/ vehicles. Driver wellbeing and safety technology is the No.1 investment fleets are looking to make in 2024.
Sustainability
With 65% of fleets feeling environmental pressure to transition to alternative energy, many are operating a multi-energy fleet or are about to begin their transition while still experiencing a lack of awareness and readily available, trustworthy guidance.
When seeking guidance on transitioning fleets to electric or alternative energy, 25% of respondents prefer advice from experts, and 15% would opt for dedicated training courses.
While the switch to alternative energy keeps rising on fleet operators’ agendas and a quarter of TS24 respondents name tackling rising fuel costs as a key motivation, challenges still remain. The frequency of emerging new technologies, high purchase cost of alternative energy vehicles and limited availability of public charging points have been identified as the top obstacles for businesses on their way to decarbonisation.
This is highlighted even further as 72% of respondents state that ongoing cost pressures will likely delay their transition to EV or alternative energy vehicles. In New Zealand and Australia, 69% express doubts about the government’s commitment to the planned ban on fossil fuels, outnumbering the 46% in the US who share similar doubts.
Driver safety
Driver safety remains a top priority for fleets, with half of the businesses surveyed currently monitoring and measuring driver behaviour and 30% of respondents planning on investing in driver wellbeing technology this year.
Over two-thirds of respondents (73%) have seen fewer accidents on the job since adopting telematics solutions, and 73% are actively rewarding drivers for better performance.
TS24 also found 71% of respondents have seen improved driver performance through driver rewards programmes.
Of the businesses surveyed, 62% recognise the cost-ofliving crisis’s impact on their drivers’ mental health. Teletrac Navman has seen a 110% increase year-on-year in driver appreciation activities, a 54% increase in adopting reward programmes, and a 52% increase in the promotion to senior driver.
Rising fuel costs are also considered in driver behaviour management, with a 33% increase in businesses implementing new driver behaviour programmes to navigate rising fuel costs since last year.
Efficiency and streamlining
TS24 also found businesses are working towards keeping up with the latest technologies in order to achieve streamlined operations.
With the top costs for fleets listed as fuel, followed by equipment and vehicle maintenance and purchase, almost all TS24 respondents (96%) say they have made measurable savings by implementing telematics, streamlining admin time, fuel savings and overall cost savings.
According to the industrywide survey, asset visibility, meeting compliance regulations and more efficient routing and dispatching are the top three benefits operators have seen since implementing telematics solutions.
Despite the widespread adoption of telematics solutions (98%), only 43% of businesses feel they are using these tools to their full potential.
While AI technology is beginning to grow in prevalence, the market is increasingly recognising the possibilities of data-led and machine learning applications, with 47% of TS24 respondents currently leveraging AI solutions.