Home Delivery Network - Training Case Study

Overview

Home Delivery Network (HDN) is the UK's largest dedicated home delivery and collection service and delivers parcels of all shapes and sizes to every postcode in the country, currently employing over 2,200 drivers to make sure 300,000 consignments a day reach their destination.

However, with fuel costs continuing to rise, the company had to take action in order to maintain its ability to provide a cost-effective service.

Strategy

In May 2009 System Training offered to assist HDN’s current driver training team by training Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) instructors to reduce fuel consumption and accident rate.

HDN has three distinct divisions:

Transport – HGV drivers using articulated vehicles that transport goods to the distribution centres. They must comply with Driver Certificate in Professional Competence (CPC) legislation.

Two Man – delivery drivers using 7.5 tonne vehicles, with two people on board, delivering goods from distribution centres to the public.

One Man – delivery drivers using vans and delivering goods from distribution centres to the public.

System Training up-skilled 13 existing members of staff to become Driver Training Instructors (DTIs). They completed an initial five-day course and a further two-day SAFED instructor’s course.   As a direct result all the instructors then went on to deliver Driver CPC and SAFED training across the business. Eight DTIs were also sent on a Collision Investigation and Reconstruction course.

To date, 202 drivers from the Transport and Two Man teams have completed CPC training with a further 133 drivers completing the Driving Goods Vehicles NVQ at Level 2.

System has also provided NVQs in Driving Goods Vehicles for all LGV drivers and has proposed to continue this program with NVQs in Carry and Deliver Goods for all the 2,200 van drivers.

Furthermore, System is looking to provide management CPC refresher courses to all transport managers and a Transport Operators Compliance System.

HDN has two regional Driver Training Managers with nine DTIs reporting into them. There is also a national tachograph compliance manager and two accident prevention and reduction managers.

 Conclusion

Home Delivery Network has saved £2.2million in fuel costs and accident damage since introducing the training programme for its staff last year.

 With its implementation of SAFED it has saved £600,000 in fuel costs across the fleet. This figure takes the winter period into account when the weather was poor and there was more stop/start driving - and the company expects even more impressive figures later in the year.

Furthermore, accidents involving its drivers have been reduced by 48% from May 2009 and the cost of damage due to accidents has decreased from £3.4m to £1.8m per year.

The impressive benefits resulting from the training has led HDN to also put its company car drivers through the same advanced and fuel-efficient driving course – meaning that eventually everyone who drives under the company’s insurance will have received some form of fuel-efficient training.