PILSWORTH company Garic has revealed annual fuel savings of more than £50,000 by monitoring driver behaviour across its 45-strong sales and delivery fleet.

Following the introduction of TomTom Telematics’ WEBFLEET fleet management solution to underpin a performance improvement programme, the plant hire firm has seen miles per gallon (mpg) efficiency soar across its mixed fleet of HGVs, vans and cars.

And Garic's delivery drivers receive a weekly bonus if they hit agreed performance targets for fuel consumption.

Seen as an industry leader, the company provides mobile welfare solutions and other services to the construction sector. Its ecologically sound products include fuel storage bowsers, wheel washers and welfare and storage cabins, which are utilised extensively by the construction, road, rail and housing sectors.

Garic logistics manager Phil Hibbert said: "WEBFLEET was essential for us to introduce the bonus scheme as it gave us the tools to monitor performance and to demonstrate the optimum mpg our drivers could achieve.

“HGV idling time has dropped dramatically since we introduced the scheme with drivers now thinking about the fuel consumption figures much more and changing their driving styles accordingly to achieve the weekly fuel bonus.”

The optidrive indicator in WEBFLEET combines fuel efficiency information with speeding, idling, harsh steering and braking data, to score and profile every driver. Employees are empowered to correct poor driving style on the move through real-time feedback on driving style via their in-vehicle driver terminal.

Mr Hibbert continued: "In addition to the substantial fuel savings, our hire desk team are using WEBFLEET to provide customers with accurate, real time, estimated times of arrival."

Launched by the Entwistle family in 1983 with just £3,000 of capital, Garic was acquired for an undisclosed sum in 2008 and is now part of the Bibby Line Group. The business is now based at the Kingfisher Park in Pilsworth.

In February, its hire and sales divisions disclosed they had achieved a record quarter with a combined turnover of £4.5 million. This was due to its enviable performance in winning a number of large projects.

These included a £2.5 million contract from Manchester Smart Motorways, a joint venture collaboration improving 15 miles of the M60 and a further five miles of the M62 to the north and west of Manchester. This marked the largest infrastructure project in Garic's history.