| Eco-driving leads to savings in large logistic companies (Slovenia) |
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Ljubljana (Slovenia)
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| Viator&Vektor, one of the largest Slovenian logistic companies, has implemented Driver Training and Rewarding to achieve lower fuel consumption. |
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Background & ObjectivesViator&Vektor is one of the leading Slovenian logistics companies, operating an international network of more than 70 business units in the countries of south-eastern and central Europe. The company delivers a complete range of logistic services, comprising of sea freight, air freight and rail forwarding, as well as fully integrated solutions in the field of road transportation activities. The company also owns facilities for complete maintenance of commercial vehicles and mobile machinery. Viator&Vektor employs more than 1.300 persons, and operates a fleet of more than 500 of its own large goods road transport vehicles.
The company has joined RECODRIVE incentive in order to implement and test recognition and rewarding schemes for the truck drivers. As the logistics planning and routing, vehicle procurement and maintenance are already highly sophisticated and complex, one of the areas remaining to be implemented in order to achieve lower fuel consumption is Driver Training and Rewarding.
ImplementationIn order to improve drivers’ competence and skills the company has conducted comprehensive training sessions for several carefully selected drivers who act as in-house instructors and pass on the eco-driving knowledge to their fellow drivers.
Six selected drivers have undergone a whole day training course comprising of theoretical lectures on safety, engine characteristics that are important for eco-driving, and driver and load related legislation. The theoretical lessons were put into practice after the drivers have completed two practical driving lessons with eco-driving instructor.
These six drivers have achieved significant savings in six month period after the training - on average 112 litres of fuel were saved by each vehicle every month that is the reduction in fuel consumption is 2,48% per month on average (A vehicle covers 11.9 kilometres consuming 3.905 litres of fuel a month on average after the driver training). As in-house instructors these drivers are now passing their knowledge to other drivers through informal meetings and conversations |
The company has originally opted for sophisticated recognition and rewarding scheme where drivers should be divided into several groups according to the vehicle model and characteristics. These groups should then “compete” against each other in terms of achieved fuel savings (in %). The winning group (the group that achieves the highest reduction of fuel consumption in %) would then receive a collective reward (e.g. field trip, visit to the fair etc). Unfortunately, the implementation of recognition and rewarding scheme was later postponed due to the economic crisis. So the sustainability of the above mentioned results could be jeopardised.
ConclusionsThe results of RECODRIVE project in Viator&Vektor are promising and show that significant improvements of fuel consumption can be achieved through driver training. Notable fuel savings should be achieved through further expansion of eco-driving knowledge among drivers. However in the absence of rewarding scheme that constantly motivates the drivers, the sustainability of achieved lower fuel consumption might be uncertain.
AuthorKatja Hanzic
Contact Katja Hanzic
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