Carbon and safety success for Murphy
Driver-tracking device reduces company’s carbon footprint and improves road safety
CONSTRUCTION and engineering firm J. Murphy & Sons Ltd say they have reduced their carbon emissions by 22% and seen a 35% decrease in road traffic accidents among their drivers through the use of an innovative vehicle-tracking device.
The device is fitted to Murphy’s commercial vehicle fleet and monitors all aspects of driver performance, including speed, idling time, distance and location, to optimize journey routes.
In 2009 Murphy set a target to achieve a 10% reduction in carbon emissions across their UK business by the end of 2014. The company achieved the 22% reduction following a variety of initiatives many of which focused on fuel and electricity emissions.
These included fitting 1,900 commercial vehicles with trackers to monitor driver performance and ensure no vehicle could travel over 70 miles/h, investing in electric and hybrid vehicles, and running driver-awareness campaigns to encourage energy-efficient driving.
John Coll, director of procurement, plant and transport, said: ‘At Murphy, we realize the value of getting our drivers to better understand the consequences of their actions – whether that’s the amount of fuel and carbon that can be used up by idling in traffic or looking at ways to improve their driving. The awareness scheme has certainly helped improve the way people think and act, and has helped Murphy push at cutting our carbon and costs as much as possible.’
As part of their driver-awareness campaign, and in line with their ‘NeverHarm’ programme, Murphy used information from the vehicle-tracking technology to engage with their drivers. Workshops were held to discuss the choices they made when driving – both good and bad – and the scheme recorded a number of positive changes in the drivers’ behaviour.
Following the campaign, 53 drivers who had exhibited poor choices and negative driver behaviour previously, have a zero reoffending rate to this day. Latest figures show there has also been a 35% decrease in road traffic accidents per million pound turnover since 2012 and there has also been a significant reduction in the severity of accidents.
Murphy say the driver-monitoring programme has demonstrated that safer, slower drivers also use less fuel, and the company is now trialling engine-management fuel-saving devices in several of its vehicles.
