Low-carb fleet scheme lands in Victoria

A NATIONAL strategy to help light-vehicle fleets slice fuel consumption has taken another step forward with the introduction of the FleetWise program in Victoria.

The low-emissions fleet scheme was pioneered in New South Wales almost two years ago and picked up nationally by the Council of Australia Governments (COAG) as a plank of its national strategy on energy efficiency.

Greenhouse gas savings of between eight and 12 per cent have been made by fleets that have signed up to the program in NSW, prompting the push for a national roll-out.

Victoria has become the second state to sign up, with that state’s transport department holding information seminars to get the ball rolling with light-vehicle fleet operators to explain how the program can help with vehicle procurement, options to reduce travel and information on emerging vehicle technologies.

Other states and territories are expected to follow over time, depending on resources.

Victorian transport department director of strategy and resource efficiencies Fiona Calvert told GoAuto that the program gave fleet operators the tools and information to maximise fleet fuel efficiency, not only cutting greenhouse gas emissions but also saving money.

She said the scheme was piloted for a year in NSW and then introduced permanently in partnership with Rare Consulting, which also had a team working on FleetWise in Victoria.

“It found that there is a real need and a real opportunity for people to make quite considerable savings in their fleets in terms of their ongoing costs of their fuel bills,” she said.

“This program seems to be quite successful at giving people the tools and the information, or working with them to develop the tools and helping them to access the information they need to unlock those potential savings.

“It is a very flexible program and that’s one of the things that we liked about it.

“It doesn’t decree this is what you must do. It is a process of working with the fleet for them to decide what they want to do, so the decisions stay with the people that need to be making them.

“It is about helping them to unlock that, rather than imposing something from big brother government.”

Ms Calvert said fleets were invited to attend information seminars on FleetWise where the program was outlined.

She said those who decided to sign on for the program were later invited to a workshop where more specific strategies were discussed.

“It starts off with a benchmarking exercise, so the first thing people have to do in the program is to look at their existing level of performance in terms of their fuel consumption levels,” she said.

“Then it is a question of working through the strategies and deciding which ones they are going to adopt and setting a target for themselves.”

Ms Calvert said fleets work with the assistance of Rare Consulting team members.

She said Rare Consulting had been involved in the NSW pilot, and already had broad experience in the implementation of FleetWise across fleets.

The next Victorian FleetWise information seminars are scheduled for November 2 and 3. Interested fleet managers should call Rare Consulting on 03 9602-0799 or email [email protected].

NSW fleet managers can get more information – including contact details for seminars in that state – at www.cleartheair.nsw.gov.au/fleetwise/ or email [email protected].