How much does it cost to travel one kilometre? According to experts, this indicator remains one of the most important when a company chooses a commercial vehicle. More and more often the scope of evaluation needs to be expanded for very serious reasons, which are increasingly felt in Lithuania.
It is the lack of labor and the efforts of employers to attract more drivers by ensuring conditions that satisfy them. Therefore, the opportunity to tell a future driver that he will sit behind the wheel of a more technologically advanced and extremely safe car, for example, the steering wheel from Ford, Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen, which this year was rated the best in the tests of the independent safety organization “Euro NCAP”, can become a serious push to fold his hands.
Last year, for the sixth consecutive year, Ford sold more in the twenty largest markets in the European Union: almost 330 thousand. – commercial cars, with 14.6%. market in this segment, and the Transit Custom is one of the most popular models sold by the manufacturer this year, demonstrating the growing influence of modern technology on commercial transportation.
Two groups of buyers
According to Valdas Stanislovaitis, sales director at Sixt Lietuva, business objectives do not change because of a large commercial van, a pick-up truck or a small city courier. Companies aim to make a profit, so they always calculate how much it will cost to drive a kilometer.
“Unless the owner of a commercial car drives himself. Since it is important for every driver to have the newest, safest and most comfortable car possible, if the job advertisement indicates that the company offers new and modern cars, I think it would be easier to attract drivers,” notes the commercial transportation specialist.
Vitoldas Milius, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Auto Bild Lietuva” and member of several automotive election evaluation commissions, also distinguishes two main business groups that purchase light commercial vehicles.
“Light commercial transport is purchased by large transport fleets or by small entrepreneurs, craftsmen. These are the trends not only in Lithuania, but also in the world,” says the specialist.
According to him, businessmen who buy many cars that will travel endless kilometers look at spreadsheets, estimate the price of a kilometer and how many pallets, kilograms or cubic meters of cargo can be delivered at once and compare different models.
“Craftsmen and small entrepreneurs drive a commercial vehicle every day, so their needs are a little different. Particularly experienced businessmen choose commercial vehicles with comfort similar to that of private cars, i.e. they are equipped with automatic climate control, modern lights, auxiliary systems and other equipment,” says V. Milius.
That’s when the benefits of systems ported from personal use models become apparent. Ford Transit models, for example, can be equipped with the Active Park Assist system, which makes parking and maneuvering in tight spaces much easier, even for the most experienced drivers, as it automatically finds the most suitable place and turns the steering wheel in the right direction. This helps to avoid errors and save time, because the driver does not have to consider whether the car is suitable.
Takes care of the safety of the drivers
V. Milius notes that the tendency to see with the naked eye that better equipment or a greater choice of commercial transportation systems that make driving easier is becoming a more important factor for almost all buyers.
Some choose for themselves, while fleet managers try to secure a competitive advantage by offering better working conditions (more advanced cars) to drivers. This is especially important now, when companies are facing a shortage of almost all categories of drivers.
“Inevitably, this also has to do with safety, because representatives of this profession travel many kilometers, so the risk of road accidents is greater. In Lithuania there are all kinds of roads, cities are expanding, infrastructure does not keep up. And then, look, you have to drive on snow and ice, so a comfortable and technologically well-equipped car is very important for the driver,” explains V. Milius.
The specialist’s words are underlined by the fact that “Euro NCAP” has already started checking active safety systems, installed specifically on light commercial models. This year, among large vans, the “gold” Ford Transit was unsurpassed, besting the “silver” Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the “bronze” Volkswagen Crafter, and the Transit Custom, which earned the “silver” rating, was among the best models in the class.
Safety equipment tests focus on automatic emergency braking systems, which are particularly important when trying to avoid collisions with other road users (cars, pedestrians or cyclists) which are more harmful than commercial vehicles.
It should be noted that Ford’s emergency braking system worked exemplary even during the most difficult pedestrian test (a simulated situation in which a child runs off the road in front of a car blocked by other vehicles). The traffic sign recognition systems of the Transit and Transit Custom models are also impeccably rated.
More important than the home environment
It’s the minor road accidents that cause headaches for fleet owners, as cars are forced to not run for a while, thus creating value for the company, not to mention injuries to drivers or injuries to others.
According to V. Miliaus, therefore, the possibility for the employer to declare the driver’s future earnings not in words, but with technical specifications becomes a great advantage.
“For people who spend more time at work than at home, the environment is becoming more and more important, which is why better conditions are being created in cars. Younger drivers in particular are now choosing who and which work tools to offer,” concludes the interviewer.
latest posts published
Citroën ë-Jumpy won the prestigious Millésime Trophy
The purpose and function of the stabilizer
Maintenance of vehicles (transporting dangerous goods)
The Lithuanian jubilee elections for “Car of the Year” have begun
Volkswagen presented the updated T-Roc
An intelligent wildlife warning system for motorists
Features of electric car charging with a simple click
Four ways to identify a sunken car
In the new city – 2 kilometers of new cycle paths, pedestrian paths are being renovated
