Shell data insights help Metcor cut costs, time and carbon

Many UK organisations rely on Metcor for the Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) of their drainage and wastewater systems. Its specialist engineering teams are highly trusted across the board, with clients spanning commercial offices, retail & hospitality, industrial, healthcare, education and public buildings.

As a long-standing Shell partner, Metcor implemented Shell Fleet Insights across its fleet of 200 vehicles. This solution integrates vehicle data from Shell’s telematics partner, LEVL - the largest reseller of Geotab telematics devices in the UK - with Shell Card data, providing a unified platform for comprehensive fleet oversight.

The Shell Card can help simplify fleet management, by bringing all mobility expenses together in one payment solution. With Shell Fleet Insights, Metcor’s Group Fleet Manager can seamlessly monitor vehicle telematics and fuel card usage in one place. The platform delivers clear, actionable intelligence—enabling real-time vehicle tracking, alerts for unusual activity or potential fuel fraud, improved driver safety, and support for developing an effective EV strategy.

As a result, Metcor has successfully reduced operational costs, improved vehicle maintenance, and lowered its carbon footprint. By optimising fleet routes, the company has saved the equivalent of 100 tonnes of carbon emissions, reinforcing its reputation as a sustainability leader.

Metcor began in the mid-80s as a family business and retains many of its foundational values. “Employees are passionate about their work, and they put clients first,” explains Geoff Walker, Group Fleet & Accreditations Manager.

Metcor is on a steep growth curve, with five acquisitions in hand and more underway or planned. In just the last decade, its fleet has grown from a couple of tankers to over 200 vehicles today. These range from 26t Tanker Jet Vac diesel trucks to small traditional and EV vans, with the most common vehicle being the 3.5t panel van. 

Geoff’s top fleet management priorities are to keep these vehicles on the road, and to use the f leet more sustainably and cost effectively.

By introducing Shell Fleet Insights, Metcor has taken its fleet to a new level. “We’re now able to monitor driving styles and engine idling and use fuel spend data to identify patterns. As a result, we have managed to increase the MPG (miles per gallon) across the business” says Geoff.

Metcor has established vehicle hubs in Gravesend in Kent, Leigh near Manchester, Bedford, and Bristol. It purchases over 1 million litres of fuel annually through Shell. This allows it to benefit from the countrywide network of Shell fuel stations and the versatile one Shell Card that covers both fuel vehicles and EVs.

 “Shell’s product is very good,” comments Geoff. He adds that Metcor has worked directly with Shell for 12 years, developing a “very big relationship” across the last four or five. “We have a dedicated Shell account manager who is exceptional. She’s absolutely brilliant at touching base or catching up when she comes down. I know there’s always someone I can talk to.”

We wanted better fuel data. That was the biggest factor for us. Other telematics solutions couldn’t give us that in real time, says Geoff.

This close partnership led to Metcor selecting Shell Fleet Insights to solve a series of problems. The company found it hard to measure the real cost of idling. It was also difficult to calculate accurate MPG across the fleet. And there was no quick or easy way to detect and prevent fuel fraud.

“We wanted better fuel data. That was the biggest factor for us. Other telematics solutions couldn't give us that in real time,” explains Geoff.

Installing the solution was quick, easy and user friendly, he says, and he was pleased he could feed the data into Microsoft Power BI to create additional reports. He also found the solution easy to scale and is currently rolling it out across an additional 40 vehicles from a company acquisition.

With Shell Fleet Insights and LEVL Telematics on board, Metcor is now reaping the rewards of analytics-driven fleet management.

“Due to the Shell Fleet Insights, we have instilled into our workforce an understanding of the need to save fuel, increase MPG, reduce idling, and drive better.”

Importantly, the solution generates suspicious fuel alerts. This saves Geoff hours of trawling through lines of fuel transaction data to spot anomalies, which he used to do every week. The alerts are in real time, enabling him to act instantly instead of chasing up potential fuel fraud incidents weeks down the line.

Another major advantage of Shell Fleet Insights is the vehicle maintenance alerts it sends directly to Geoff so his team can conduct preventative repairs. This saves time and money and keeps the fleet on the road. “If it’s not rolling, it’s not earning. It’s as simple as that,” he quips.

“Shell now supports our day-to-day fleet operations by providing the data, at the touch of a button, to see what’s really going on out on the road,” says Geoff.

For Metcor, knowing where its vehicles are and what they’re doing has helped reduce its total cost of ownership, and turned vehicle data into a business advantage.

The LEVL Telematics platform has empowered the business to reduce idling, optimise routes, and locate vehicles closer to where they are needed.

It’s also highlighting parts of the fleet it could replace with Electric Vehicles (EVs) - such as cars and light vans: a strategy Metcor is actively pursuing. The first EV vans are likely to be introduced in Central London soon, with Metcor, already a provider of EV charger installation and maintenance services, planning to install EV chargers.

Geoff concludes “We’ve got a good partnership with Shell, who are really helpful. We’re at a stage we’ve never been at, with the data and the insights we’ve got at hand now, which is fantastic. Telematics has been a game changer for us. It makes my life easier.”

For more information on Shell Fleet Insights visit: Telematics for Fleet Management: Shell Fleet Insights | Business