FleetSmart Profiles: Highway Trucking

Transport L. Bilodeau & Fils Ltée – Honfleur, Québec

FleetSmart Savings

The Transport L. Bilodeau et Fils Ltée family business, founded in 1963, manages activities from its head office in Honfleur, 50 kilometres south of Québec. From the beginning, the company specialized in the transportation and trade of live animals in Québec. The current president, Guy Bilodeau, the son of the company's founder, Léonard Bilodeau, directs operations with the help of his daughter and two sons.

Over the years, this company has stood out by expanding its services and finding new markets. Thus, in 2002, it became a leader in international transportation, 35 years after its foundation. Its fleet of 205 tractors and straight body trucks serves clients from all over Canada and the United States. A total of 145 people work for the company, including 100 drivers and 17 mechanics.

Over the years, the company has implemented the following four transportation divisions:

• animal transportation
  
  
• poultry transportation
  
  
• general transportation on flatbed trailers
  
  
• transportation of refrigerated goods
  
  

All the company's trucks have a satellite tracking and communication system.

The company's energy efficiency training centre

The company must recruit new candidates each year to meet its personnel requirements. The new recruits must undergo diversified training in order to work effectively for the company.

To meet its training needs, the company requires educational material dealing with energy-efficient driving in rural and urban areas and under all climate conditions. FleetSmart's SmartDriver documentation turned out to be exactly what the company needed. After its content was revised, the SmartDriver module was integrated into the training program for new candidates, who receive 200 hours of company training, in addition to the proficiency training given to employees. Claude Labbé, accountable for training and prevention, is in charge of driver theory and on-the-job training, which is provided by company-certified trainers.

In January 2000, the company also decided to build its own training centre. This centre's goal is to provide Class 1 driver's license holders with additional training tailored to the specific needs of their position in the company. This training complements other training given in traditional training centres.

To ensure appropriate training in driver theory, the company provides trainers and candidates with a classroom equipped with the required technical and teaching materials. Also, to allow participants to put into effect the benefits of classroom lessons, the employer provides a tractor with an electronic diesel engine, a manual gearbox, pneumatic brakes and a compression brake, and a 48-foot semi-trailer. The basic manoeuvres are conducted on a training circuit located on company property.

After the training is completed, each candidate is given a road test. After passing the test, the candidate receives a certificate from the company and becomes an employee.

Integrated approach

The company's administration found that the SmartDriver module met several of the company's objectives and blended perfectly into the company's short- and medium-term plans. These plans are aimed at improving energy efficiency, which was achieved by:

• a speed policy for trucks
  
  
• incentives
  
  
• driver training
  
  

With regard to the truck speed limit policy, Jérôme Bilodeau, Vice-President of Operations, set a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour for fleet vehicles. Furthermore, in accordance with this policy, Mr. Labbé received the mandate to tailor energy-efficient driving principles to company activities.

In 2001, recognizing the drivers' commitment to energy efficiency, the company organized a training committee to implement a driver recognition and encouragement program. According to the program, the company gives a bonus to drivers who meet or exceed the energy efficiency level set by the company. This energy efficiency level is determined by a reference value, established according to an average fuel consumption rate for a specific 100-kilometre route, and the fuel consumption of each driver is assessed according to this reference value.

According to Mr. Bilodeau, integrating FleetSmart's SmartDriver program into the company's training was a success; there were significant fuel savings, and the drivers were highly motivated and unequivocally committed to the success of such a program.

Award-winning business action plan

In December 2001, the company's competitors recognized its proficiency program for company drivers based on FleetSmart's SmartDriver educational module, when it received the Initiative énergétique award from the Rive-Sud Chamber of Commerce of Québec.

Results

Training its employees under the SmartDriver program improved the company's energy efficiency. The following table compares trip statistics before and after the workshops.

1. litres per 100 kilometres
2. miles per gallon
3. kilometres per hour
4. horsepower
5. kilograms

Each week, eight vehicles travel the 1690-kilometre (1050-mile) road between Honfleur and Kitchener. Before the drivers attended the FleetSmart's SmartDriver program, the company used 709.1 litres (156 gallons) of fuel per trip. Since the energy efficiency techniques were introduced, the company uses only 659.1 litres (145 gallons) of fuel – a saving of 50 litres (11 gallons) of fuel per trip. Annually, the company saves a total of 20 000 litres (4400 gallons) of fuel for its eight vehicles. Over a 50-week period, these savings can vary according to seasonal temperatures.

Financially, adopting an energy efficiency policy has saved the company nearly $12,000 for the trip between Honfleur and Kitchener, assuming fuel costs of $0.60 per litre. This policy has also eliminated more than 54 000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions for the same trip.

Conclusion

The company has quickly noticed enormous benefits since the implementation of its energy efficiency policy. According to Mr. Labbé, "The SmartDriver program has allowed this family business to educate and train its employees using clear and simple documentation that is easy to apply. Furthermore, the trainers have everything they need."

The SmartDriver program helped the company implement its energy efficiency policy, draw noticeable energy efficiency benefits, improve its competitiveness, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, above all, stand out in the industry. The prize awarded by the Chamber of Commerce is a token of appreciation from businesses that may become potential clients.

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