GreenFleet

It’s happening! Against the odds, one might think, given that these are the very people who don’t have to think much about the price of their car or how much it costs to run. But company car drivers are turning green.
    
Considering the environment
Perhaps it’s a natural extension of the good work that organisations have been performing in pushing social and environmental issues up the corporate agenda. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycling” schemes, volunteering programmes, car sharing, sustainability in the supply chain. All good stuff. Perhaps it’s the result of green issues in the wider world outside the organisation. But one thing is clear. According to new research by the Energy Saving Trust, even company car drivers are beginning to think about the impact of their vehicle on the planet. Not all drivers by any means. Not even the majority. But a substantial proportion – 46 per cent – tell us that they are concerned about the environment.
    
That’s good news for organisations in these credit crunched times, particularly as the forthcoming changes in capital allowances will make it more expensive to run high carbon emitting fleets. The Chancellor may be about to tax your organisation on the basis of fleet emissions, rather than purchase price, but a significant proportion of drivers want to help you achieve greener targets too.
    
Forcing changes
As most fleet managers will attest, forcing changes on drivers – pushing them into smaller cars, realigning grades against vehicles on the list - can be organisational dynamite. Yet perhaps to your surprise, you might be pushing against an open door, especially as manufacturers are now designing some fantastic new low carbon-emitting models that would sit proudly on any executive fleet list.
    
Attitudes and behaviours
The Energy Saving Trust’s research aimed to understand the attitudes and behaviours of company car drivers more deeply. In the past, a number of studies have been undertaken into organisational fleet policy. These told us, for example, that sometimes companies were inadvertently directing eligible employees into taking the cash alternative to a car (which isn’t usually the environmentally friendly choice). These studies revealed that companies believed that greening their fleets would cost money, rather than save it. The forthcoming changes this April will go some way to changing that perception. This time round, the Energy Saving Trust wanted to understand more about drivers themselves.

For the decisions they make about when to use the car and the driving behaviour they exhibit can be even more important than their selection from the fleet list in the first place.

Car tribes
Five distinct company car driver tribes were identified:
Responsible Roadies (27 per cent)
Calm, respectful middle managers, a high proportion of whom are women, who are not fussed about the car’s brand. They are interested in green issues, but don’t necessarily drive a more environmentally friendly car – yet.
Petrolheads (27 per cent)
Status-driven middle-aged male speeders who love knowing about cars and have little interest in green issues.  
Eco Drivers (19 per cent)  
Younger middle managers who are sympathetic to green issues. The car is a necessity, but they want their company to pay more tax if they run high emitting fleets.
Cash Counters (15 per cent)
Younger, junior executives, ambivalent about green issues, who admit to driving fast and dangerously. Their aim is to make money out of their car.
High Milers (13 per cent)  
Older managers who spend a lot of time on the road, don’t care if they irritate other drivers, and don’t bother much about green issues, or brand status. Quite frankly, they’re sick and tired of driving for work.
    
To gain a real understanding of each type of driver, qualitative research was conducted on the road with each type of driver, sitting in their vehicles, whilst they explained the choices they make and why they make them. Their driving behaviour was observed and their attitudes to other road users was taken into account.  They were also allowed to vent their opinions on government policy, their own companies and the behaviour of other road users. And the results were a real eye-opener – largely because the stereotypical company car driver is a dying breed. Yes it identified the Petrolheaded Jeremy Clarkson clone - and that a quarter of drivers who still believe that green is for girls. But the world is changing. The planet is changing. And company car drivers are changing too.
    
Cutting costs
Because nearly half of drivers think green, they are happy to select lower emitting cars – and adopt smarter driving techniques. That’s even better news. Because putting your fleet drivers through an Energy Saving Trust Smarter Driving course can cut fuel bills by up to 15 per cent, saving up to £250 a year*. So there’s not just a carbon saving, but a cash one too. And that can only be a good thing.
    
For more information
To find out more about the Energy Saving Trust research and enter a prize draw  to win a Smarter Driving Course for 32 of your employees, sign up to the Energy Saving Trust fleet update email at: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/drivertribes

*Based on a car travelling 12,000 miles per annum