He may be 70 but Mercedes-Benz Sprinter driver Mick McHugh can still teach his younger colleagues at leading construction and infrastructure group Morgan Sindall plc a thing or two when it comes to safe, fuel-efficient behaviour at the wheel.
Gloucester-based foreman Mick is the latest winner of the Morgan Sindall Driver Challenge, a quarterly competition launched last year with the aim of developing and rewarding best practice on the road.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, supplied by Dealer Midlands Truck & Van, account for roughly half of Morgan Sindall’s fleet of 520 vans. Like the operator’s 80 trucks, all are fitted with tracking devices that monitor driving style. As part of this challenge, instances of speeding, harsh braking and acceleration, and severe cornering, for example, attract ‘penalty points’, as do extended periods of engine idling. At the end of the period the driver with the lowest score is the winner, with successful drivers receiving cash prizes and certificates to mark their achievements.
Morgan Sindall Fleet Development Manager Steve Kirby explained: “Our primary aim in introducing the Driver Challenge was to reduce work-related road risk and CO2 emissions by encouraging colleagues to drive in a smooth, efficient manner. This has also led to a reduction in operating costs.”
Mr Kirby said Morgan Sindall chose the Sprinter for its impressive fuel efficiency – “they return about 23 mpg in our operation, which tends to be between 1.5 and 2 mpg ahead of our other vans” – and “excellent towing capacity”. The company’s Mercedes-Benz vans work with trailers that carry mini-diggers at gross weights of 2.4 tonnes – its 3.5-tonne Sprinters are specified with increased towing capacities and can pull up to 2.8 tonnes. Sprinter customers wishing to do so can go even further, by selecting an impressive 3.5-tonne trailer capacity option.
Mick McHugh, who often tows a mini-digger throughout Gloucestershire as part of his work on an electricity network contract, won the latest round of the Morgan Sindall Driver Challenge with a score of 57 points, 19 clear of the runner-up.
“I pride myself on being a careful driver, and am quite gentle with the right foot,” he said. “The Sprinter is a lovely, comfortable drive and excellent when it comes to fuel economy. I’m always fully loaded and usually pulling a trailer too, but it’ll still return up to 28 mpg on motorways and around 20 mpg in town, which is very good.”
He added: “I’ve driven a few vans over the years but this Mercedes-Benz is definitely the best yet. Having celebrated my 70th birthday in June I suppose I should be putting my feet up now, but I’ve no plans to retire just yet. I enjoy the work, getting out and about and meeting people – it keeps me active. And I love driving my Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.”
