When you’re thinking about ways to make your company eco-friendlier, you might think about the office space you have, the ways your employees work on a daily basis, or even the products you deliver. However, not many companies think about how they can make their vehicle fleets more eco-friendly and sustainable for the environment. However, this is where a ton of pollution comes from when you think about company operations.
If you’re thinking about reducing the carbon emissions from your company’s fleet of vehicles, then is a great choice! This is a great way to make your company an important part of the energy revolution around the world and help take your stand against the negative effects of climate change. Keep reading down below to learn more about the top ways you can make your fleet much eco-friendlier than it might be now.
1. Be Sure to Check Out What Government Grants Are Available and How You Can Take Advantage of Them
The fact of the matter is, governments around the world are becoming more aware of the threats posed by climate change. This is a serious matter and governments want to provide incentives for companies to improve their fleets and cut down on emissions. That’s why you should definitely do some research into what government grants are available to make these costs less for your company. It can be pretty costly to completely overhaul your entire fleet, so these grants can help with these expenses. You’ll be able to both reduce your operating costs and help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
2. Go for Those Tax Incentives to Help Cut Your Costs
Of course, one of the best ways that a business can reduce costs is to take advantage of tax incentives. And the great thing about the government caring about climate change is that there are plenty of tax reductions you can take advantage of! You can offset the costs of changing your fleet over to electric vehicles, for example, when you file your company’s taxes every year. This is a great way to upgrade the eco-friendliness of your fleet without completely depleting your company’s bank account.
Just speak with your accounting department head to determine what kind of tax incentives there are in your area. These could be on both the state and the federal level, so be sure to check all of the options available to you!
3. Don’t Expect the Impossible from Your Employees
One of the best ways that you can have an eco-friendly fleet without completely changing over to electric or hybrid vehicles is to be reasonable with your drivers. If you tell your drivers that they are going to drive unreasonably long distances for unreasonable hours, then their driving is going to get worse as time goes on. They are not going to care as much about the speed they’re going or how rough of turns they take. When you combine these actions with all of the other drivers in your fleet, then this means that your vehicles are not going to be as eco-friendly as they could be. The actions that your drivers take on the road can seriously increase the carbon emissions of your fleet. Make sure to be reasonable with your employees and don’t make them drive farther than necessary.
4. Make Sure That Your Drivers Are Properly Trained on How to Drive on The Road
Speaking of your drivers, you should ensure that each and every one of them have the proper driving training before they get out on the road. Most of the inefficiencies in your fleet come from drivers who don’t know how to properly drive to take advantage of their miles per gallon. Provide the best training possible for your drivers or prioritize hiring those drivers who already have the best driving abilities if you want to increase the eco-friendliness of your fleet.
5. Use the Right Technology for Your Fleet Cars to Ensure Eco-Friendliness
However, even if you do have the best drivers in the world for your fleet, it can be tough to get to that eco-friendly level you’re reaching towards. That’s where technology comes into play. If you have the budget, there are tons of technology you can use to ensure eco-friendliness in your fleet. If you have fleet vehicles that have adaptive cruise control, for example, this is going to seriously improve the sustainability of your fleet. This technology ensures that the vehicle is going to at the best speed to ensure the best miles per gallon.
You should also be investing in fleet vehicles that have technology to help ensure your driver’s safety. Most of the times, when you have a fleet vehicle that’s super safe to drive in, they are also going to be more efficient than other cars when it comes to carbon emissions.
6. You Have Got To Remember About Your Grey Fleet
Now, you may have figured out how to make your existing fleet eco-friendly. However, have you thought about your grey fleet, yet? That’s right, you probably forgot all about this fleet! These are the cars that are owned by your employees, who then ask for reimbursement for their costs. It’s been shown through numerous business studies that these grey fleet cars are much more bad for the environment than your regular fleet vehicles. They are normally older and more carbon intensive.
That’s why you should speak with those employees who drive a lot on business time and see about getting them a vehicle that’s eco-friendlier. If you have employees with grey fleet cars that are making shorter trips on a less regular basis, then you can speak with them about cutting those costs by taking public transportation when they need to take trips. You cannot forget about your grey fleet when modernizing your fleet!
Each of these points are super important to remember when you are trying to make your fleet eco-friendlier. Keep them in mind and you’ll be able to do your part in helping out the environment!
