Bidvest Logistics saves £25k on fuel with bespoke RTITB Driver CPC training

Thanks to a bespoke fuel-efficient driving course from RTITB, Bidvest Logistics has reported a saving of £25,000 on fuel costs. The company is now on track to further improve the average miles-per-gallon of the fleet, potentially increasing its savings to almost £60,000, all while rolling out RTITB Driver CPC Periodic Training to its 700 LGV drivers in the UK.

Bidvest Logistics had established a business objective of increasing efficiency in the transport department and improving the miles-per-gallon of the fleet. After reviewing its existing training programme, the company established that training focused on safe and economic driving could be used to decrease fuel consumption, while also helping to improve driving technique and reduce accidents.

To fulfil this training need, the business approached RTITB, the Master Driver CPC Consortium, to provide a Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving course, tailored to its specific needs. Following delivery of this training, based on an RTITB Driver CPC Periodic Training module, Bidvest Logistics was able to increase its average MPG usage from one depot by 0.9MPG, resulting in the £25,000 saving. The business is on target to extend this to 2.1MPG in the near future, which will equate to a £58,500 fuel cost saving.

“We originally started working with RTITB to equip Instructors with a course to promote safe and economical LGV driving,” explained Pete Thornton, operations, learning and development manager, Bidvest Logistics. “It’s been great to use this bespoke SAFED course to help maintain our standards, and the fact that this training can also form part of our Driver CPC Periodic Training is even better.”

RTITB courses are designed to deliver real, measurable driver behaviour change and safety improvements. “Safe and Economic Driving is just one of our courses that includes pre- and post-training assessment to measure improvement among trainees, as well as the training team’s performance,” added Laura Nelson, managing director, RTITB. “Driver results can be evaluated easily online, along with delivery costs, helping businesses to keep track of expenditure and measure ROI.

“The interactive course meets the learning needs of drivers, helping them to feel more motivated and engaged. Through the training provided, drivers also feel encouraged to stretch themselves, which has helped to upskill the driver community at Bidvest Logistics.”

Delivering driver training in-house, rather than outsourcing, has also provided Bidvest Logistics with another way to potentially make cost savings. Working with the RTITB Instructor Academy, the company has doubled its number of trained Instructors delivering in-house driver training courses. All Instructors have received a formal RTITB qualification, equipping them with the skills to deliver RTITB Driver CPC Periodic Training at different Bidvest Logistics depots across the UK.

Bidvest Logistics is now a member of the RTITB Master Driver CPC Consortium, which enables access to the full library of Driver CPC training modules available through RTITB. To help achieve maximum driver engagement, these training modules can be delivered through quizzes, case studies, workshops, games and discussions, all in manageable 35-minute topics.

“Investing in high quality training tells your instructors and your drivers that you believe investing in them is worthwhile,” Thornton added. “We would absolutely recommend RTITB to other food service and logistics companies.”