Get smart before you get snapped
The UK fuel card reseller, The Fuelcard Company, says fuel cards are now more necessary than ever as new ‘super speed cameras’ are introduced to UK roads.
This new breed of speed camera, which can detect motorists who are committing up to five different driving offences, certainly has undisputed safety benefits but could be a financial disaster for fleet managers, who may find themselves landed with multiple hefty fines all at once.
Funded by the European Commission, The Asset camera will be able to catch drivers who are speeding, measure distances between vehicles to prevent tailgating, pick out drivers who aren’t wearing seatbelts and identify vehicles without insurance or valid tax disks.
Jakes de Kock, Marketing Director at The Fuelcard Company, says this new age of speed camera will require fleet managers to exercise a much higher level of driver control to prevent repeated penalties – something which fuel cards will be crucial in facilitating.
“Fuel cards can give fleet managers an indication of how a vehicle has been driven, including whether the driver has been exceeding speed limits, accelerating aggressively or braking suddenly. This information will become absolutely necessary when these ‘super speed cameras’ come into force and will help fleet managers identify which drivers need additional training to avoid an unpleasant financial penalty.”
As well as giving fleet managers access to discounted pump prices, fuel cards act as a barometer for fuel consumption, documenting the fuel usage of individual vehicles, against their expected MPG. This means managers can effectively monitor their employees driving style.
“When a vehicle has been driven badly it becomes evident in monthly fuel reports provided by your fuel card supplier and will show fuel usage to be much higher than expected. Having this information means managers can act quickly to address the problem before this aggressive driving style becomes habitual.”
Although the Asset speed camera is not expected to be introduced until 2013, de Kock said the time is now to start monitoring drivers to ensure they will meet the tough new requirements.
