Conversely, actually increasing trailer numbers
could help to improve efficiency. A larger trailer
pool could reduce turnaround times due to
opportunities for preloading. This would reduce
inactivity and could lead to financial savings
through reductions in the overall number of
drivers and tractor units required in the operation.
A detailed analysis of the data for hourly use shows
that at least 28% (525) of the total fleet of 1,879
vehicles were in productive use throughout the 48
hours. Also 16% (300) of vehicles were always
completely idle and empty. The average proportion
of the fleet in use per hour was 39%. This
demonstrates both a practice of 24 hour working and
a significant amount of under-utilised capital. The
hourly audit is summarised in Figure 6.
One cause for this under-utilisation is the demand
made on the fleet through delivery bookings.
Where provided, these showed a peak between
0700 and 0800 hours and a dominance of 0600 to
1200 hours. This close grouping contributes to road
congestion, that in turn results in higher fuel
consumption.
If acceptable to customers, companies should
consider arranging delivery times more evenly
spread throughout the day.
Examples from individual fleets include:
■ an operator with 15 vehicles on the road at
0900, rising to 30 at 1200
■ a second operator with 17 vehicles driving at
0700 but only 7 at 1000 due to a concentration
of unloading activity
■ a third operator with 35% of their vehicles loading
or unloading at 0900, with the percentage on the
road falling from 40 at 0700 to 28 at 0900