AW Jenkinson saves £700,000 after Driver CPC courses

Penrith-based AW Jenkinson is expected to shave £700,000 off its fuel bill after putting drivers through a CPC course in fuel efficient driving techniques.

One tipper driver is saving the company £156 a week alone after it approached Focale Training and asked it to design a course for 280 fleet drivers.

The wood processing and green waste reclamation firm took advantage of the Driver CPC to save money on its fuel bill and drive home the message of efficient driving.

Driver development manager Kevin Mitchell said the target was to get 7.5 miles to the gallon out of its vehicles and if it is maintained it will translate into hundreds of thousands of pounds of savings.

“CPC is here and you have got to use it to your benefit,” he said. “I think it’s a must for anybody really. Look at the modules available; with the price of fuel anybody not doing it is missing a trick.”

Focale MD John Horton said Jenkinson’s fuel bill last year was £16m and the course was written to reduce that and encourage drivers back for further training: “We do three and half hours of eco-driving in the morning and two and a half hours of vehicle checks in the afternoon,” he explained.

“The CPC is about choosing your subject and your drivers appreciating what you are trying to do. We are trying to raise the bar.”

* According to Focale Training the top three fuel wasting habits are hard driving, ticking over while stationary and using air conditioning too much.