Do you look forward to speaking to your fleet consultant who you believe is going to go out of their way to give you the best, impartial advice?
We know that fleet management is never simple. We were reminded of this when listening to a fascinating radio programme called Highways to Hell. The presenter, Ms Alex Forsyth, asks the question that bugs us all when we are on the road, “Why are there so many roadworks?” Delays in traffic can be a nightmare to us all.
You can listen to the full broadcast on BBC Sounds.
The key findings from this report are as follows:
- Up to 3 million road and street works are carried out across the UK every year.
- Councils are responsible for all the highways in England outside the major roads and motorways. The devolved nations manage their own roads directly.
- Notably, 69 per cent of street works are done in a planned and coordinated way through councils, suggesting almost one third are emergencies.
- It costs a haulier £130 per hour per vehicle that is stuck in a long queue of roadworks. The Road Haulage Association figures estimate there are half a million HGVs on British roads every day.
- The government is investing £25 billion in the strategic network over the next four years to improve major roads.
- Also the government has recently doubled fines for breaches of terms of permits issued by councils for companies working on roads.
The Chief Executive of Streetworks UK, the industry body representing utility companies, Clive Bairsto was asked the question, “Why can’t utility companies coordinate better to prevent the same spot of road being dug up for broadband, then later for a different service?”
Mr Bairsto said they do where they are able to, and have notice, but we need to be realistic about the investment profiles of utility companies.
Fascinatingly, water companies currently have an investment profile that looks at a five-year horizon in terms of what they are going to replace and where. That is out of phase with electric companies who plan things in a different period.
What we know for certain is we all need to check before we travel and be mindful when planning journeys. Likewise, plan equally well when considering a new fleet consultancy provider. If you are looking to new horizons in 2026, get in touch with us and we will do our best to assist with our award-winning customer service.
If you feel gridlocked, perhaps we can assist you on your travels by giving you some valuable insights. We will go the extra mile to help you avoid the blocks in the road ahead.