The meeting, held in Hertfordshire last week, brought together a wide range of interested parties, to discuss many of the pressing issues facing light commercial vehicle fleet managers.
‘It was certainly an excellent group of people,’ said Tony Grove, LCV manager at Arval.
‘It was a great event and very useful,’ added Scott Michael, head of commercial vehicles and business centre programme at Citroën UK.
Topics included the coming move to Euro 6 engines in vans and the adoption of exhaust additive technology. It was agreed that more communication was needed, between manufacturers and leasing companies and their customers, to ensure a smooth transition to the new technology.
The Round Table also examined a range of alternative fuels and their viability in everyday operation, concluding that for many companies, greater initial savings could be made through driver training and education.
Attendees recognised that for many companies, the fleet manager role itself has changed, in some cases being included in procurement or HR functions. This has led to a greater need for fleet manager assistance and training, something that Fleet World itself continues to push through the Fleet Academy.
Despite the positive message from high street banks, it would appear that vehicle finance, particularly for SMEs, continues to be limited, leading to growth in contract leasing and manufacturer backed finance. Delegates also looked at the importance of vehicle specification and condition, in relation to residual values and resale.
Looking to the future, telematics and the concept of a “connected van” highlighted the amount of information available to fleet managers these days, and in some cases the difficulty there can be in interpreting and making the most of that data.
A full report of the LCV Round Table will be included in the March issue of VAN Fleet World.