Cumbrian haulage businesses and road fleet operators are being given the chance to cut their fuel bills by thousands of pounds per driver and reduce their environmental impact as part of a new funded training course aimed at decarbonisation.
The new course, launched by Cumbrian training firm SP Training, will enable logistics companies to significantly reduce their fuel and energy use, improve road safety and reduce scope 3 emissions.
The course for driver training instructors and assessors will teach them how to equip fleet drivers with the necessary skills to use less fuel, extend the range of their vehicles – whether using conventional fuel or hybrid, battery or hydrogen power – avoid vehicle incidents, reduce fatigue and reduce their carbon footprint.
SP Training, at Carlisle Airport Business Park, has been awarded grants to provide 40 funded places on the three-day Low Carbon Instructor course for instructors and assessors at any company that has an operational base in Cumbria.
SP Training chairman Robin Brown said: “The benefits of this course are immense. Drivers play a critical role in a vehicle’s fuel and energy use and a reduction in fuel use of an average of five per cent represents a massive cost saving to hauliers and large fleet operators.
“For hybrid and electric vehicles, it will teach drivers how to extend the range so they can go further without recharging, saving carbon and down time to recharge.
“The Low Carbon Instructor course is based around sustainability and will have a positive impact on firms’ environmental targets. It’s also a significant commercial advantage as customers are prioritising sustainability when awarding contracts, as they want operators to help reduce the carbon footprint associated with distribution of their freight.”
Developed initially for large vehicles, the training is applicable for all types of fleet vehicles from 44 tonne HGVs to PCVs and fleet cars. The qualification is certified by Skills for Logistics and is recognised as CPD (Continuing Professional Development) for existing instructors.
National companies including Co-op, Yodel and Evri have already taken up the new course for their instructors.
Geof Armstrong, vice chairman at Cumbrian logistics operator Wm Armstrong Group, said: “As a business we are constantly looking at ways to cut our emissions and our environmental impact. A course which helps us to achieve those aims while also reducing our fuel usage is an attractive proposition for any business with a road fleet.
“Increasingly, our customers want to know about our sustainability strategy and how we can help cut the scope 3 emissions associated with their deliveries, so if we can train our drivers to be more environmentally efficient it is a real business boost for us.”
