A case study in road safety for The Willmott Dixon Group
The Willmott Dixon Group and TTC
Safeguarding high-risk drivers requires an expert in compliance, assessment and education
With more than 3,000 vehicles on its fleet, including grey fleet vehicles, the Willmott Dixon Group has been working in partnership with TTC to manage its fleet compliance and driver risk since 2021.
As a result of the collaboration the number of new driving offences and own fault claims against Willmott Dixon fleet and grey drivers has halved, and the collective number of points on employee driving licences has fallen by almost a third. However, the benefits extend beyond significantly improving driver safety and fleet efficiency.
The first step to enhancing Willmott Dixon’s fleet risk management was to centralise selected driver information within TTC’s online data platform, Continuum. This provided the foundation on which a bespoke end-to-end compliance and training solution was built, from licence checks through to personalised training.
Today, this platform continues to draw upon driver data to deliver live management information and visual dashboards, providing far greater, more accurate and real-time insight into the fleet and driver risk profile, and clear visibility of driver behaviour. With data able to be interrogated instantly, ‘hot spots’ can be quickly identified, and effective risk management strategies employed.
The results speak for themselves…
More than 99% of drivers have
completed a risk assessment
and are now licence, MOT and
insurance compliant – a total that
is consistently maintained
Grey fleet compliance is fully aligned with
internal policy requirements
New offences committed by fleet
drivers have fallen by 46%
Driver related own fault claims
have fallen by 51%
The number of employees with 6
and 3 points on their licence has
fallen 44% and 26%, respectively
The total number of points
on licences of Willmott Dixon
employee drivers has fallen 29%
“Before we worked with TTC, our fleet and driver risk management and compliance activities were not monitored robustly, and we knew we could do much better for our employees and our business. TTC’s driver and risk management platform, Continuum, has provided a greater level of visibility of our fleet compliance, coupled with the addition of identifying high-risk drivers we are in a far better position to manage our people and predict which of our people need some level of intervention.”
Mark French, Chief Health, Safety and Environmental Officer
Tailored e-learning courses
At the start of their employment or when they change job function and begin a driving role, all Willmott Dixon drivers undertake a digital risk assessment, which is used to create an ongoing personalised, online training programme.
In addition to the core courses and modules for all drivers, those identified through their risk assessment and/or driver behaviour analysis as higher risk will also be allocated additional courses focused on relevant topics such as speeding.
A pick-and-choose suite of other optional and mandatory training modules is also available – each one adapted and continually updated to meet Willmott Dixon’s changing needs, and available to be allocated by fleet Managers.
These include commercial vehicle familiarisation, EV familiarisation, EV training and Accident post-collision. Courses are flexible and the take up of optional courses has been consistently good.
Over
384
EV on-road training sessions have been delivered
““Implementation of TTC’s fleet management programme proved to be an immediate and lasting success. The programme has not only changed corporate culture within our business, but it has also raised awareness of driver safety and compliance for employees at all levels. It has also reduced our risk profile by reducing safety incidents, speeding fines and insurance claims.”
Mark French, Chief Health, Safety and Environmental Officer
Going green to enhance sustainability
As a group, Willmott Dixon is committed to leaving a positive legacy in its communities and environment, and reducing the business’ overall carbon emissions has been part of that mission for many years. Car sharing and the introduction of a bike-to-work policy are just two of the many initiatives undertaken by the company.
With a significant fleet of almost 3,000 vehicles, Willmott Dixon has also implemented an EV-centric vehicle policy for its fleet, and TTC is supporting this transition with a dedicated driver training programme focused on EV best practices. With TTC’s support, Willmott Dixon’s employees now have a far more in-depth appreciation and are better skilled in operating EVs.
Working together, the two businesses have helped more than 500 Willmott Dixon drivers shift to electric vehicles to date. This training continues to be provided, supporting Willmott Dixon’s ambition to be net-zero by 2030 strategy. Bolstered by reducing fleet emissions, Willmott Dixon is both a market-leader and an environmentally responsible organisation.
Building a ‘safety first’ culture
Alongside the desire to mitigate driver risk and improve company compliance, Willmott Dixon also sought to initiate a company-wide culture of driver risk awareness to bring personal safety to the forefront of driver’s minds across the fleet.
Willmott Dixon has been able to take the burden of risk management away from senior management and it is now a matter in which every employee has a stake, and a responsibility to uphold for the benefit of all. With this cultural shift, came a programme of management training around why the focus on safety was being increased, its’ benefits, and the improvements in both CSR and legal compliance.
Through education, Willmott Dixon has built a genuine safety-first culture and can accurately demonstrate and evidence its improved road safety credentials. This has a significant influence on its ability to secure future contracts, actively promoting the importance of responsible supply chains.
“The partnership between Willmott Dixon and TTC Group has made a real and meaningful difference to business risk, driver safety and also the environment. By working together, we have embedded a company-wide culture of driver risk awareness, making safety and wellbeing central to the Willmott Dixon fleet and improving overall road safety. By adapting the Continuum platform and our training courses, we are ensuring we meet the needs of Willmott Dixon and its drivers today, tomorrow and into the future.”
David Marsh, CEO of TTC
A fleet-compliant future driven by collaboration
At the outset of the partnership, to achieve the programme’s objectives within the necessary timeframe, TTC’s dedicated Key Account Manager became an extension of the Willmott Dixon team, working closely and in-house with all levels of the company to ensure a successful roll-out. But that was just the beginning.
With the focus remaining firmly on reducing fleet emissions whilst continually improving road safety and reducing driver risk, Willmott Dixon and TTC continue to work closely together and have recently announced the renewal of their partnership.
This partnership is committed to bringing benefits to both businesses, thousands of employees, countless other road users and the environment.
As testimony to the success of the partnership, road safety charity Brake named Willmott Dixon Group’s Fleet Compliance Manager, Sareen Dhillon, Road Risk Manager of the Year in the 2023 UK Fleet Champions Awards. The award celebrates the fleet manager who has implemented exemplary road risk management policies with proven results. Sareen was applauded by Willmott Dixon for working closely with external stakeholders to bring much-needed improvements while at the same time, creating a culture in the business where road risk management is prioritised by all. Willmott Dixon was also highly commended for Best Driver Risk Management Performance at the 2024 British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) Awards and Safety & Health Excellence Awards.
