Cleaner fuel the top priority for 45% of fleet operators

Decarbonising fleets is now the number one business priority for almost half of all UK commercial operators - topping driver safety and digital transformation, according to new research.

However, despite the commitment to being net zero, the study by Bridgestone and Webfleet Solutions found it will be seven and a half years before HGV fleets are fully carbon neutral and 8.7 years for van fleets.

The research revealed that 45% of UK commercial fleets have prioritised a move to cleaner fuels, with 42% of decision makers saying digital transformation of fleet processes was their number one priority and 37% citing driver safety.

It also found that 43% of HGV operators and 36% of van fleets plan to invest in alternative fuel vehicles over the next 12 months.

Around two in five fleets (39%) intend to purchase energy efficient tyres.

Andrea Manenti, Bridgestone VP for the north region, said the findings revealed the “generation-defining zeitgeist of climate change, with the road transport industry at the very epicentre of our collective efforts to secure a more sustainable future.”

He added: “Strategic action is being spurred not only by regulation, but by increasing recognition that the cost of buying, operating and maintaining EVs – their total cost of ownership – is now typically lower than for fossil-fuelled equivalents.”