A guide to help fleet managers deal with the varying challenges of the UK’s Clean Air Zones (CAZ) is now available from the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).

The advice is practical and hands-on, focusing on the everyday issues fleet operators face that have drivers working in CAZs.

Called Clean Air Zones and Your Fleet, and produced by the organization’s Future Roads Committee, it covers everything from fleet drivers to paying the charges.

The publication of the new fleet management guide is timely since London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone is set to expand significantly from October 25 and will cover everything within the capital city’s North Circular and South Circular arterial roads.

Clean Air Zones run seven days a week, 24 hours a day and are enforced by a network of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Non-compliant vehicles are required to pay on entry; meanwhile discounts and exemptions are also available.

In addition, there are four types of Clean Air Zone, representing mild restrictions (Class A) to more extensive compliance requirements (Class D).

There are some 15 CAZs either planned or in operation, from London in the South and Birmingham in the Midlands, to Bath in the West and Glasgow in Scotland.

Explaining the launch of the new guide, Debbie Floyde, chair of the AFP’s Future Roads Committee said:

“We’re now at a point when fleet managers are having to deal with the demands of Clean Air Zones on a daily basis and best practice themes are emerging, so the Future Roads Committee has worked to gather ideas from across the AFP for inclusion in the new document.”

In particular, Floyde added that the AFP was strongly in favour of an automated payment facility that was operational on a national basis.

“As the guide makes clear, the key difficulty of Clean Air Zones for fleets is that the means of payment is different in every location. This seems like a very antiquated approach and a national scheme where fleets and individuals could register their vehicles alongside a method of payment seems like a much better solution.”

Copies of Clean Air Zones and Your Fleet can be obtained by e-mailing administration@theafp.co.uk.