While Raymond acknowledges that the most significant change during his fleet manager career has been improved vehicle quality and reliability, he says technology has played a key role in enabling him and his three fleet department colleagues to minimise cost and downtime.

“We used to keep a ledger recording all details of the fleet with some information recorded in pen and some in pencil. It was very difficult to keep track of vehicles.

“We have been computerised for the past 20 years and we know absolutely everything about every vehicle, driver, journey and operating costs.”

Telematics programme

“I don’t know how we did it before, but we coped. However, we couldn’t have such a system today,” he adds. “We record the same information, but everything is much quicker, checks can be carried out much more efficiently and we have access to an instant audit trail of information that ensures our duty of care compliance responsibilities are met and the focus on cost is maintained.”

The company is currently embarking on a major telematics programme that, by the end of the year, will see every driver/vehicle equipped with a PDA (personal digital assistant or palmtop computer).

It will communicate to technicians details of their next job and location and provide navigation assistance. Additionally, customers will sign the PDA to acknowledge completion of work.

Autoglass has also – in partnership with a specialist supplier ‘Ecodrive’ - developed in-vehicle technology that is being fitted to vans to both record vehicle data and impart best practice driving advice to employees.

“Our vans are already restricted to 70mph, but the technology will verbally tell drivers, for example, when to change gear, and advise them what speed they are travelling,” says Raymond.

“The information recorded will help reduce service, maintenance and repair (SMR) bills as well as fuel costs because we will know how each vehicle is being driven and can then act on the data.”

Such technology will further help Raymond to ensure he achieves his number one objective of operating an ‘efficient, safe and economic fleet’.

He says: “Vehicle must be fit-for-purpose, safe as far as our drivers and the general public are concerned, efficient and easy to repair at sensible cost.”

With cost minimisation at the forefront of his mind, Raymond believes it is crucial to keep contract hire and maintenance charges separate.

“Fleets that lease with maintenance are paying a fixed rate for work from day one when vehicles are new and servicing and repairs should not be required. Opting for pay-on-use maintenance means that we only pay for work when it isrequired,” he says.

Minimising SMR costs at de-fleet

Raymond is particularly conscious that SMR costs are kept to an absolute minimum when vehicles are close to de-fleet time.

“Some organisations will fit an expensive battery with a five-year warranty when the vehicle is going to be de-fleeted in three months time. We only want a battery with a one-year warranty, which will save us money,” he says.

“We go through all invoices to make sure we are happy with what we are paying for. In real terms our costs are coming down and that is due to improved vehicle quality and reliability, the level of information that we have on each vehicle enabling tight cost management by ourselves and suppliers and the trust we have in place with FSG as well as Arval.”

Illustrating his point that vehicle downtime is also minimised, he says: “If a van has a damaged bumper it can still operate. It doesn’t need to be off the road for a week with all the additional administration and costs relating to a replacement vehicle when the repair takes perhaps two or three hours. That is how knowledge and experience can be used.”

Raymond celebrates his 65th birthday in August, but intends to continue to run the fleet for at least another couple of years. In the meantime, Sebastian Sharpe has been learning the business as assistant fleet manager having been recruited four years ago. The Autoglass fleet department is completed by Richard Willmoth and Julie Miller.

Planning for the future

Perhaps not surprisingly Raymond has strong views on the job of the fleet manager and believes organisations running 300 or more vehicles need a specialist in the role.

He says: “The role of the fleet manager could be under-valued. Too many employers are outsourcing fleet-related functions and believe that will take away problems.

“But outsourcing costs money and someone in-house with a certain amount of fleet knowledge is required to manage suppliers. The role of the fleet manager in any business is an important one and that is why we are planning for the future.

“We are saving money each day in association with our suppliers because we tap into their knowledge and expertise and leverage their business relationships, but we also monitor exactly what is going on so we pay the right price for the right product and the work carried out. Handing the fleet over to a third party is more expensive, so the Autoglass fleet department exists to save money and ensure the business operates a safe and efficient fleet.”