Companies now see “going green” as a business strategy – an opportunity to reduce risk, cut costs, burnish image and even increase competitive advantage. PHH Arval conducted a survey of public and private sector managers in 2007 on environmental issues as they relate to fleet.

Key findings from this survey follow. 

Exploring Opportunities to Green a Fleet

Government fleet managers are significantly ahead of their private sector counterparts when it comes to greening their fleets. While right-sizing was the top strategy looked at by government fleet managers, it came in fourth with corporate fleet managers.

Hybrids topped the list among private sectors. Historically, hybrids have had limited availability and price premiums. Not surprisingly, greenhouse gas offsets were the least explored option. With increased media coverage on this topic, this is starting to change.

Barriers to Improving Environmental Performance of Fleet

Eighty-nine percent of corporate fleet managers and 79 percent of government fleet managers who looked at hybrids cited costs and availability of appropriate vehicles as barriers.

Human factors were smaller, but still significant. Driver attitudes were more of an issue for government fleets (35% vs. 18%), and lack of executive interest was more of an issue in the private sector (20% vs. 12%).

More Tools Needed

To develop a successful fleet environmental program, companies need to understand their fleets’ environmental footprints and be able to measure the impact of the changes they make to the fleet. However, more than half of corporate fleet managers said they do not have the tools they need to measure environmental changes to the fleet.

Large numbers of managers also reported they do not have the tools to select the best vehicles and to influence driver behavior, both key components of improving the environmental performance of a fleet.