It may have been in a new place, but EROAD’s first South Island Fleet Day event saw plenty of familiar faces from the north.

The fleet management conference which has become an annual fixture celebrated its ninth consecutive event in style, integrating traditional conference elements like networking opportunities, 35 exhibiting companies, and 13-speaker sessions with the immensely popular interactive multi-brand vehicle display.

However, as attendees have come to expect of the Fleet Day events, this one offered something new and innovative: complementary test drives up and down the runway of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand – the impressive host venue for the Fleet Day event.

The museum proved to be an excellent choice of venue, underscoring the latest trends opportunities and challenges with a regal display of New Zealand’s young but rich aviation history – the perfect backdrop for transport industry professionals, exhibitors and experts to discuss three crucial aspects of modern fleet management, namely safety, efficiency and sustainability.

Topically, one of the focused areas of the event was the evolution of the New Zealand fleet market with EV and hybrid fuel technology, particularly the tough used vehicle sector.

Shane Prince, general manager of Turners Auto Retail division, highlighted the importance of fleet maintenance to extract more value from these vehicles.

Meantime, for those fleet managers considering making the transitional step from ICE to EV fleets, TransNet NZ’s Glenn Inkster and Thundergrid’s Jonny Parker emphasised having the right charging plan and infrastructure in place, whether that’s installing chargers in the workplace or in employees’ homes to provide the ability to charge overnight.

Between them, Inkster and Parker explained the behavioural change that was needed by those moving from petrol/diesel vehicles to EVs. Recharging, as opposed to refuelling, should be done so that the vehicle is fully charged before its daily start, as opposed to using ‘convenient’ fast chargers regularly.

The automotive world is changing more rapidly than it ever has and how businesses operate should be keeping pace. A good example of collaboration encompassing both the changes in the automotive and the business space can be seen between Downers New Zealand and the New Zealand Police. These non-competing business entities have shared knowledge and learning for some time, and both have seen ICE vehicles replaced with hybrids and EVs.

Josh Hedley (Downers) and Brian Yanko (Police) have been collaborating and reaping the rewards of their shared experiences to adopt or eliminate fleet changes quickly and efficiently – they believe other organisations can do the same and uncover innovative solutions to the challenges of efficient and effective fleet management.

A thought-provoking discussion came about through NZI’s presentation on the impact of technology on insurance.

This highlighted driver-aiding technology such as lane departure warning and forward collision warning systems for example, designed to reduce accidents and injuries, and yet, many fleet managers do not understand how they work. Worse, drivers have not been trained in their use.

This was among the findings of a recent NZI survey which, according to NZI’s Andrew Greatbatch, suggests fleet businesses should consider ongoing driver training to keep their on-road users upskilled on new technologies and driving behaviours.   
 
This supported the talk from keynote speaker and professional New Zealand rally driver Harry Bates, whose address focused on managing the three key elements which make up safety on our roads: increased focus on human behaviour, on the road and those around you, reduced distraction and recognising fatigue. All of these elements are effective life savers and can be learned – with discipline.

The EROAD Fleet Day was a resounding success, leaving more than 450 fleet management professionals inspired and motivated to drive positive change in their operations.
 

If you enjoyed Fleet Day Christchurch, or you missed out, you might be interested in Fleet Day Hamilton on 7 August 2024.