Freight Best Practice - Anne Johnson

Issue: Spring 2010

It’s been great to once again get ready for the Commercial Vehicle Operator Show after last year’s break. It’s been a challenging year for everyone.

Although saving costs and improving efficiency have been the watchwords for survival, cash for investing in initiatives like driver development, fuel management systems and technical innovations is scarce.

The Commercial Vehicle Operator Show will of course be jam-packed full of the latest technological advancements in vehicle design, fleet management and driver safety. We’ll be profiling our own pieces of technology in the shape of the latest developments to the On Line Benchmarking system and for those looking at modal shift options our new multimodal map that identifies ‘open user’ multimodal facilities.

At the end of the day though, technology can only be part of the story. It is of course people that make the difference, not products. Managers, drivers, office staff, technicians and trainers must all be motivated and have the knowledge and the confidence to do things better in their businesses. I’d like to think that Freight Best Practice is noted not only for providing information and ideas for improvements, but importantly for giving the individual the confidence to actually make the change.

It’s with the individual in mind that we’ve put together three specially tailored packs catering for engineers, for managers and trainers of drivers and for small fleet operators. Each of these packs brings together core programme material targeted at specific job roles, helping you to get the most out of the programme.

So if you’re looking for help getting your own initiatives underway, do come and see us at Stand 5 6 7 1 where you can pick up your pack. If you’re not planning to make the Show, don’t miss out, why not drop us a line at info@freightbestpractice.org.uk and let us know about your efficiency initiatives and we will see where we can help out. And don’t forget, you can still download programme material for free from the Freight Best Practice website: www.businesslink.gov.uk/freightbestpractice

Anne Johnson is spokesperson for the Freight Best Practice Programme and principal consultant for the transport and engineering consultancy AECOM. For further information, contact Anne via e-mail: anne.johnson@aecom.com or visit: www.freightbestpractice.org.uk

Published: 20/04/2010