Fleets should ensure they’re set up to gain the maximum benefit for each £1 for mile travelled by offering a full range of mobility options.

ACFO chairman John Pryor

So says ACFO as it says it will further evolve over the coming year to ensure it supports the industry shift from fleet to professional mobility management.

Outlining how the change will see the fleet manager role expand and develop at a more rapid rate than ever before, the organisation is calling for employees with fleet responsibility to join the organisation as it looks to develop representation and support for this “new breed of operator”.

ACFO chairman John Pryor said: “Mobility is a significant cost to many companies and today travel embraces far more than company car procurement and in-life management of vehicles.

“Employees are looking for a more encompassing solution to meet their transportation needs, but ACFO’s belief is that managers should measure the cost of the mile travelled however a journey is made. Previously it would have been in a company-supplied car, but today there are various ways to travel that mile and managers must build into their systems the most environmental, risk-free and cost-effective way to complete a journey.

“Therefore companies should be looking at the mile travelled and let technology dictate how that mile journey is actually made. Businesses – and they must encourage employees to do the same – must focus on gaining the maximum benefit for each £1 for mile travelled.”

ACFO’s plans to support the establishment of the professional role of a travel mobility manager include amalgamating the traditional ACFO autumn seminar and annual Awards dinner into a single afternoon and evening event to attract a larger audience, and developing a new strapline to replace ‘the premier organisation for fleet operators’. The organisation had already previously announced its  decision from 1 January 2018 to restructure with one region replacing nine regions and the introduction of webinars in addition to continuing to hold its popular twice-a-year seminars on key topics.