Compiled by Antonio Fabrizio

 

WCG

New version of
CALMS

IT company White Clarke Group (WCG)
has launched the latest version of its lease software solution
CALMS for the asset finance, motor finance and fleet sectors.

The software house said CALMS2 Web
2.0 delivers all the benefits of its CALMS platform – supporting
the lifecycle of leasing contracts – along with information
sharing, interoperability, user-centred design and collaboration
across the web.

The new system extends CALMS’s
automotive and asset functionality to the fleet sector, providing a
multichannel end-to-end platform for fleet operations, WCG
said.

The software is component-based and able to support cross-border
operations. It includes a fleet portal whose services comprise
driver-specific quotes, vehicle selection, configuration and
ordering, the company added.

 

Fiat

In-car system for
fleets

Italian car manufacturer Fiat has
launched a new version of its eco:Drive system to target
fleets.

The in-car system – a computer
application aimed at saving fuel and reducing CO2
emissions – is free to download and is being made available for
fleets which include Fiat vehicles. It can be used with Fiat cars
as well as Fiat commercial vehicles equipped with the Blue&Me
platform.

Andrew Humberstone, MD of Fiat
Group Automobiles for the UK and Ireland, said: “In a fleet market
context, individual drivers making small savings can have a
positive effect in reducing the overall fleet carbon footprint, and
eco:Drive can help with this.”

Launched by Fiat in 2008, the
system monitors fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, and
offers suggestions on how to improve efficiency by changing driving
habits.

The company said that an overall CO2 saving of about
2,600 tonnes has been achieved so far through the new system, and
that more than 34,500 motorists have already signed up to use the
system regularly.

 

Days Contract Hire

Licence
checking

Fleet management and leasing
company Days Contract Hire has selected Jaama’s driver licence
checking service.

The Swansea-based lessor said it is
introducing the new service due to increased client demand – as
news has emerged that a number of drivers for blue-chip companies
in the UK were found without a legal licence, and employers have
been warned to carry out DVLA driving licence checks on employees
who drive for business.

Jay Lovell, maintenance controller
at Days Contract Hire, said: “We have introduced driver licence
checking following requests from customers for the service, as they
look to comply with best practice occupational road risk management
advice.”

Jaama MD Jason Francis said:
“Driver licence checking should be a vital component of every
company’s occupational road risk management policy.”

He said that once a three-year
mandate has been signed by drivers authorising their employer to
check their licence with the DVLA, the service can be carried out
online without the need for a hardcopy of the mandate to be sent to
Jaama to comply with the DVLA’s auditing requirements.

Francis said that the fleet
software specialist will handle all matters around the drivers’
mandate, including issuing reminders to them, obtaining information
from the DVLA, and alerting fleet decision-makers to all licence
issues uncovered.

“This means that not only is the administrative burden around
driver licence checking completely removed from customers, but they
will have all information on drivers and their vehicles held in one
central database,” Francis said.

 

iPhone

Apps for car
industry

A number of iPhone apps are being
developed for the fleet industry, taking advantage of the
easy-to-use and increasingly diffused Apple smartphone.

One iPhone app has just been
introduced by dealer group Bristol Street Motors, to allows users
to search and review cars on the Bristol Street Motors website.

The UK motor retailer, which was
acquired in 2007 by Vertu Motors, said that the launch is part of a
“digital strategy to make use of the new technology”.

The company’s CEO Robert Forrester
said that: “It is clear […] that the internet is only just starting
in its transformation of our industry. Use of mobile devices and
social networking sites have to be thought out when dealers are
assessing their marketing strategies.”