Response among customers has been extremely positive, with several already considering follow-up action such as contracting into Volvo's Fuel Management Service.
Day Aggregates, for example, are in talks about a trial of Dynafleet fuel telematics and Phil Loughney, Transport Manager of Tyneside-based demolition operator G. O'Brien & Sons, is equally enthusiastic. "Saving diesel is a big factor these days," Phil remarks, "in terms not just of cost, but of carbon footprint. The seminar was very good, very interesting, and we're setting up a more in-depth meeting. The Fuel Management Service sounds the business; if we go ahead with it, we'll look at employing a full-time staff member just to monitor fuel use. If the projections are accurate, our fleet of 38 trucks could be making savings in the region of £80k per year!"
According to Chris Evans, Volvo's TIS and Sector Manager and the man behind the seminars, the subject matter is particularly relevant to the current economic climate and offers a detailed and challenging look at every factor in fuel use.
"We cover everything from fuel types to aerodynamics to vehicle specification," says Chris. "We run through the principles involved and then we ask questions and get into a lot of specific detail."
"We challenge the customers and their assumptions quite seriously," Chris continues, "and we try to make it as interactive as possible, getting customers up to do presentations - which give the material the credibility it deserves."
Driven by customer participation, some sessions have run to over three hours and were described by Chris Cooling, Transport Operations Manager of Day Aggregates, as "well presented and very informative."
From Volvo's point of view, says Chris Evans the seminars are "a business growth opportunity as part of our total offer," but he points out the unique nature of the services available from the company as follow-up to the events.
"What we constantly hear from customers is that lots of other manufacturers offer telematics, but all they provide is raw data," he explains, "However, as far as we're aware, only Volvo is providing interpretation, analysis and practical solutions based on that data."