TDG saves costs via rentals

TDG is increasingly turning to rental vehicles as a way to manage costs and ensure maximum fleet efficiency.

Alison Muir, TDG group procurement manager, says: "At the moment, we're running 1,000 [rental and contract hire] vehicles from all the main chassis manufacturers, plus a further 2,000 trailers.

"Before the recession, we predominantly bought trucks based on availability, due to extended lead times.

"While we always looked at whole-life costs before, we've become more selective when looking at new vehicles and have shopped around for the best deals."

Muir adds that the rental market is extremely competitive at the moment.

She says: "It makes sense to rent when demand dictates. This way you don't have an excess of trucks standing idle. In the current market, both operators and customers are looking for maximum flexibility given the instability surrounding contract renewal and access to finance.

"Again, rentals, and to some extent leasing, allow us to utilise our fleet to its capability without the added cost, and depreciation, of purchasing outright."

In addition to tight management of its truck fleet, TDG says it has recognised the importance of driver training and telematics as a way to reduce costs, improve performance and keep drivers happy. As part of this strategy, the company has recently been certified to provide Driver CPC training.

Kenny McCallum, driver development manager at TDG, says: "We will offer Driver CPC training to our own drivers as well as other transport operators or owner-drivers. We have drawn up a syllabus and will be opening a dedicated CPC training centre."

Muir adds: "Core to improving performance and operational efficiency is driver training, because ultimately, if a driver is trained on best practices, they can have a dramatic effect on overall operating cost."

Furthermore, Muir says that adequate driver training is not only beneficial to a company from a cost perspective, but from an environmental one as well.

"Lowering fleet emissions requires a combination of factors, and driver training can raise miles-per-gallon - in turn lowering CO2. We also use aerodynamic trailers on our AkzoNobel contract, which help reduce fuel consumption and lower operating costs."

TDG estimates that aerodynamic trailers will help reduce fuel consumption by 10%, compared with a regular box body, equating to a 100-tonne reduction in CO2 emissions annually.