Breedon cut fleet carbon emissions with Lightfoot

Van driver coaching technology set to reduce CO2 emissions by 1,651 tonnes over five years

BREEDON have succeeded in dramatically reducing instances of aggressive and inefficient driving in their fleet thanks to the installation of Lightfoot’s innovative green fleet technology. This has led to a 12.2% fall in fuel costs, a 10.9% drop in CO2 emissions, and a 24% reduction in pollution caused by vehicle idling.

Following the roll-out of Lightfoot’s trail-blazing in-cab driver-coaching technology and rewards platform, Breedon are now on target to reduce fleet CO2 emissions by 1,651 tonnes over the next five years – equivalent to removing 359 passenger vehicles from the road.

In addition to cutting emissions, Lightfoot have played a key role in enhancing the safety of Breedon’s drivers. Within just one month of being fitted, instances of aggressive driving were cut by 80%, with harsh acceleration falling by 63%, severe braking by 28%, and cornering at speed by 19%.

Installed in the company’s fleet of 380 vans, Lightfoot’s dashboard-mounted driver-coaching device provides audible and visual in-cab alerts to keep Breedon’s drivers in the sweet spot of their engine.

Nigel Clamp, head of health and safety at Breedon, explained: ‘As an organization, we aspire to deliver society with carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. We also actively support the Mineral Products Association’s ‘Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero’, which aims to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the UK concrete and cement industry emits each year.

‘To deliver against these ambitious goals, and to hit our own Net Zero by 2050 decarbonization targets, we are working at every level within the business to identify measures and technology that will enable us to achieve this.

‘Within our fleet, we wanted to find a solution that not only enables us to hit these goals, but which also allows us to stay true to our corporate values – creating a workplace where our people feel safe, proud, and motivated to do their best.

‘That’s where Lightfoot come in,’ said Mr Clamp. ‘By engaging with our drivers and giving them a reason to be smoother, safer, more mindful, and more efficient, we’re not only dramatically cutting emissions, but we’re also lowering the frequency and severity of accidents on the road. That keeps our drivers safer in their daily duties and, in doing so, contributes to lower levels of vehicle wear and tear, and costs associated with vehicle downtime.’

Mr Clamp continued: ‘By routinely recognizing our staff and encouraging positive competition through Lightfoot’s leagues, our drivers are motivated, day in, day out, to be better. That enhances positive competition and driver engagement in a way that has not been possible before and provides a win-win outcome at every level, from the individual driver through to the environment.

‘As a result, we’ve gone from just 12% of our drivers achieving Elite Driver status during the Lightfoot blind trial period, to 100% consistently hitting that target each and every week. That’s driving big fuel savings and emissions reductions.

‘But that’s not all,’ he added. ‘Lightfoot’s technology also flags engine faults, MOT and tax renewal dates, and provides battery health alerts. These ancillary services allow us to operate our fleet as efficiently as possible, and deal with issues before they become a problem. Combined with impressive driver engagement levels, Lightfoot leave traditional telematics far behind.’

Paul Hollick, managing director of Lightfoot, commented: ‘Breedon are focused on reducing their impact on the environment. That’s where our driver-first, self-managed solution comes into its own, actively encouraging and sustaining better driving through reward and recognition.

‘With Lightfoot, Breedon’s drivers are striving to be the best that they can be every time they get in their van. The outcome is reductions in CO2 and fuel use, and enhanced safety records on the road, delivering positive change one mile at a time.’