Last year, McKesson UK, parent company of AAH Pharmaceuticals made a strong commitment to protect the planet by pledging to go carbon neutral by 2030.
Supporting the sustainability pledge, we have implemented a number of initiatives to play our part in a sustainable future for us all. The new initiatives will contribute significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions whilst increasing the safety of our drivers.
With a fleet of over 1800 Commercial vehicles and 1600 drivers, the launch of our new Economical Driving Training Plan has seen the implementation of three training modules for drivers that will cover tips and education on fuel efficiency, route optimization and driver safety.
Ashley Cowen, Sales & Operations Director at AAH said: “We’ve got a long journey ahead of us, but it starts with changing some of our day-to-day behaviours. Currently, around 60% of carbon emissions come from delivering goods to pharmacies, so one of the first targets in our plan to become more sustainable is to reduce our fuel consumption by at least 3%”.
The Economical Driving Training Plan includes training on:
- Fuel efficiency – how drivers can improve their fuel consumption whilst on the road daily, preparing the teams for a move to hybrid in the future.
- Route optimisation – new software can calculate the safest and most fuel-efficient routes whilst getting drivers on and off the road safely.
- Telematic training – a new telematic system to analyse and review drivers’ behaviours whilst behind the wheel means a tailored training plan can be provided to each driver to improve driving skills and safety.
- Ongoing support – the eco training will be provided for each new team member with annual and bi-annual refresher sessions.
Just Five weeks since its launch, over 80% of internal drivers across AAH, Lloyds and LPCH have completed the training so far, and it is expected that all drivers will have completed the modules by the end of May 2021.
Darren Young, Head of Transport and Fleet Transformation, said: “The roll-out of our new fuel efficiency training has been a tremendous team effort. I’ve been very proud of how different teams across the business came together to launch this programme quickly, making sure we’re doing everything we can to cut our carbon footprint whilst keeping our drivers safe.”
Paul Blackmore (AAH Driver from Warrington) shared: ‘The training really opens your eyes to how much we can do to support the reducing of carbon emissions through the way we drive. Saving fuel, optimising routes and driving safely and efficiently are all small things that make a big difference”.
The eco driving plan marks just one step in AAH’s initiatives to protect the planet, with a number of other projects launching later this year including cutting plastic and paper use, switching to green power and improving energy management.