We know we can now rely on Webfleet to protect our drivers and our reputation.

The company

A major UK deep-sea multi-modal transport hub with a 2,600-acre estate, The Bristol Port Company handles around 12 million tonnes of cargo annually, supporting more than 20,000 jobs in the UK and contributing over £1 billion to UK GDP.

The challenge

The port operates more than 200 fleet assets, including cars, LCVs and heavy plant such as container stackers, excavators and Class 5 forklifts.

With hundreds of dockers, plant operators and subcontractors on site daily, ensuring that only fully trained and appropriately licensed personnel can operate high-risk plant equipment is critical. Any unlicenced vehicle use could expose the port to serious risk of uninsured liability for accidents and injuries.

A basic ignition lock key system had already been introduced to meet health and safety requirements. However, the previous over-the-air technology lacked precision and reliability, occasionally immobilising multiple vehicles unintentionally and disrupting operations.

The port also wanted greater visibility of driver behaviour, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions to support its ambitious commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2040.

Watch video

The solution

Webfleet adapted their existing driver ID platform, tailoring it uniquely to the operational complexity of the port environment.

The Webfleet team was highly proactive in developing a specific solution which integrated all our fleet management and compliance needs onto one platform, said Bailee Harrison, Engineering Coordinator at The Bristol Port Company. We know we can now rely on Webfleet to protect our drivers and our reputation.

Specialist licence validation

At the core of the system is advanced driver identification technology for heavy plant. Before ignition, the platform performs an instant validation check to confirm that the driver’s access control keycard is linked to an approved whitelist held within Webfleet and the correct, in-date specialist licence. If it doesn’t, the vehicle ignition will remain immobilised.

Driver behaviour monitoring

Webfleet’s integral OptiDrive 360 driver behaviour monitoring highlights speeding, excessive idling and harsh manoeuvring on vans and cars, with a pilot trial revealing an improvement of 15.5% in mpg, a 4.7% reduction in idling and a potential annual fuel saving of £161 per vehicle.

Crash alerts

The platform provides instant crash alerts with contextual data including speed, location and g-force impact. Because we have the full picture, we can analyse fault very accurately. There have been very few objections to the new technology, as it often backs up drivers’ claims, said Harrison. It means we stay a step ahead of any issues rather than relying on employees to log accidents.

It has also helped us to highlight risk hot spots, for example, speeding along the route to the parking areas at the end of shifts.

Safety inspection planning

By downloading the Webfleet app onto their tablets, port employees and third-party workplace safety equipment inspectors can now quickly and easily locate relevant vehicles and plan out inspections themselves, saving the port engineering team hours of time and effort.

Driver upskilling

By alerting the fleet team whenever a driver is denied access to plant equipment, Webfleet is helping to highlight skills gaps. We have about 780 dock equipment operators but only 320 hold specialist licences, said Harrison. The new system has highlighted an opportunity to upskill several employees to allow them to operate heavier forklift trucks. It’s free training in ultimately transferable skills, which is a win for both the port and the driver.

EV transition

Using real-world mpg data rather than manufacturer-quoted figures, the Webfleet EV transition tool is helping the port to accurately assess which vehicles are viable candidates for replacement with electric alternatives.

By giving us a quick TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) estimation, as well as operational cost and CO₂ saving predictions, the technology is taking the guesswork out of EV transition for us, said Harrison. We’re also getting valuable insights into the most suitable EV models and the charging infrastructure we require.

As part of the transition strategy, all 18 diesel transit vans used as crew buses will be replaced with PHEV Ford Transit Kombis by 2030 with a predicted annual fuel saving of £23,000 and annual CO₂ saving of 79.2 tonnes. The first four hybrids have already delivered a 62% improvement in mpg and more than 50% improved fuel efficiency.

The road to Net Zero

Webfleet’s telematics insights now underpin the port’s decarbonisation strategy. Accurate daily fuel usage and CO₂ data enables the Net Zero team to establish a robust carbon baseline and track progress against reduction targets.

Previously we had to manually analyse individual vehicle records. Now we can generate detailed reports showing exact CO₂ output by vehicle and across the fleet in seconds, said Harrison.

Driver behaviour data also supports initiatives to cut fuel wastage caused by idling and inefficient driving. An internal Oi! Switch It Off! campaign has reinforced these behavioural changes across the fleet.

Added value

The partnership continues to deliver ongoing strategic value.

The aftercare has been excellent, said Harrison. The Webfleet team is highly responsive and consistently adds value by helping us turn the data into actionable insights. And the user interface is so intuitive - you can choose from over 50 KPIs to create a bespoke dashboard with those that matter most to you.

The Bristol Port Company found the perfect fleet management solution with these components¹:

PRO

PRO Driver Terminals help your drivers avoid traffic and arrive on time. They also feature job workflow management, working hour registration and much more.