SAFED - Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving

The Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving Scheme

SAFED is high quality driver development training with proven, significant fuel saving benefits.

The one-day SAFED course (for Van and HGV drivers) involves a mix of classroom and on-the-road tuition and teaches the use of driving techniques such as better use of gears, keeping correct distances to avoid hard braking, and an overall awareness of fuel economy and road layout.

The government initiated SAFED in 2003 with funding to develop the training material, the trainer pool and to demonstrate the safety and fuel saving benefits to the freight industry. The training industry and the freight industry responded to this initiative with some 12,000 truck drivers and 7,500 van drivers being trained to date under the scheme in England.

SAFED training Guides exist for both the HGV driver and van driver trainers. These are available from the Freight Best Practice programme and can be downloaded from:

www.freightbestpractice.org.uk

Or ordered from the Hotline on 0845 877 0 877. In addition case studies of HGV fleets using SAFED have been published and case studies of van fleets are soon to be published.

Why SAFED?

SAFED has real benefits in terms of fuel efficiency and safer driving:

Safer driving means: less injuries/fatalities on our roads, less accident damage to vehicles, less unproductive downtime for vehicle repair, improved environmental performance and the potential for reduced insurance premiums.

Fuel efficiency means: lower costs, improved profit margins and reduced emissions.

One example of the benefits is from average performance figures across SAFED van driver training days producing 16% fuel consumption reduction, 56% reduction in driver faults and 34% reduction of the number of gear changes. The fuel consumption reduction alone represents a saving of up to £500 of fuel per vehicle per annum, depending on mileage.

Find out more about SAFED Training

SAFED training is now available commercially. The following contact points can provide further information:

SAFED for HGV Drivers and Van Drivers
(includes vans up to 7.5t) SAFED for HGV Drivers
Momenta Simon Management Ltd
Tel 0870 190 8440
Tel 0800 783 7434

Website: www.safed.org.uk (click on 'Vans' or 'HGV' icon) Website: www.FuelChamp.co.uk

Email: vans@safed.org.uk Email: info@FuelChamp.co.uk

Further Funding

Further DfT funding for SAFED for Vans was announced on 12 September 2007. Further details are available from the SAFED website.

3.5t to 7.5t - a Truck or a Van?

The two SAFED schemes both cover training for drivers of goods vehicles in the GVW range of 3.5t to 7.5t. It is for a fleet to decide whether their operation is HGV or Vans, and then to choose the appropriate course, SAFED HGV or SAFED Van.

SAFED and Driver CPC Training Requirements (not applicable to drivers of vehicles below 3.5t)

SAFED as a training module does meet the relevant syllabus area of Driver CPC, but only when delivered by a training centre approved by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT).

For drivers, this means that if your training must meet CPC requirements, you should select a trainer with JAUPT approval of the training organisation and their SAFED course. Such approval will have a unique number issued by the JAUPT.

For trainers, this means that if you wish to deliver SAFED to meet CPC requirements, you must either operate within an organisation that has JAUPT approval for SAFED, or alternatively obtain JAUPT approval for your organisation and SAFED course. When considering whether to join an organisation to operate under an 'umbrella' JAUPT approval, note that in that case, your approval to deliver CPC training would be subject to continued compliance by all members of that organisation.

General Guidance - CPC

A Guide to Periodic Training has been published by the DSA to provide detailed information on the approval process for trainers. The guide can be found at

www.dsa.gov.uk/Documents/CPC/guide_to_periodic_training.pdf

Drivers can find a list of JAUPT approved training centres on the website www.drivercpc-periodictraining.org

Updates

The Department for Transport will provide further guidance as the SAFED programme develops.

www.safed.org.uk

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