The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has revealed big plans for the coming months, including tackling EV charging improvements and promoting fleet industry diversity, as it celebrates its achievements to date.

AFP chair Paul Hollick

The trade body told members at last week’s annual conference that it continued to grow rapidly since its launch three years ago and said it had become established as the industry standard provider of fleet management training, plus a powerful lobbying voice for the sector.

Chair Paul Hollick commented: “By working together we have achieved a lot in a short time, from significant results on Benefit-in-Kind taxation and the creation of a national EV charging database, through to the launch of the AFP Academy and our wide-ranging sub-committees providing advice in many key areas of fleet management. The latter are especially important when it comes to proactively tackling the issues our members face and sharing best practice.”

Hollick added that the organisation was ramping up its work to tackle a wide range of issues over the coming months.

“There’s an exciting programme of work ahead. We’re carrying out new enhancements to our charging database, pushing for the creation of a charging infrastructure czar, working towards further improvements over the AER situation, providing new training in areas such as diversity and inclusion, and much more. Again, this is all happening very much in response to member input.”

The conference, which took place at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, and was sponsored by Mina, also focused on practical advice for fleets facing a range of current issues. Panel discussions, featuring leading fleet managers and chaired by AFP board members, covered an array of topics. These included handling supply matters, dealing with the rising costs of leasing and rental, managing an aged fleet, reimbursing drivers of electric vehicles, and optimising van fleets while gearing up for electrification.

It also featured a live training exercise, designed to show how to engage stakeholders with future fleet policy.

Certificates to fleet managers who had completed AFP Academy training courses were also handed out at the event, with Dean Smith of Rydon being named the AFP’s Strategic Award Winner for outstanding work during his Fleet Vehicle Management course.

Hollick also paid tribute to the AFP’s first training manager, Steve Hook, who died earlier this year. Hook had worked with the ICFM since 1992, retiring in 2021.

“Steve was both a friend and an individual who played a huge part in enhancing the abilities of many fleet managers – coaching, training and developing more than 2,000 professionals. He made a genuine contribution to our industry and his legacy will be felt for many years to come. He is very much missed.”

Hollick added: “While this is just the second AFP annual conference, it already feels like a well-established part of the fleet calendar. The fact that we are able to attract 300 members to this conference is a clear indication of the role that we play for our sector in helping fleet managers to meet the challenges they are facing head-on.”