Category: Blog

Commercial vehicles weighing less than 3.5-tonnes fall outside of the scope of a DVSA operator licence. They still need frequent, scheduled checks under law, but they are not subject to the same kind of more stringent regulation.

However, to some extent, 3.5 tonnes is an artificial line. Vehicles do not suddenly become more prone to safety issues when they hit this weight. We believe, based on what we see in working with many fleets, is that it is good practice to adopt more of a graduated regime.

Certainly, some of the elements of an O licence, such as pre-use defect inspections and more regular safety checks, should arguably be adopted for sub-3.5 tonne vans, even though they are not strictly legally necessary.

Part of the problem lies with the sheer diversity of LCVs now available. You don’t have to look back too far to a time when there were only really three or four basic types of van in the sub-3.5 tonne sector. Now there are dozens and some are designed for pretty intensive use comparable to a larger vehicle.

Also, we are seeing vans on many fleets run too much higher mileages than in the past. A few years ago, relatively few LCVs reached much more than 100,000 miles because they simply gave up mechanically and were scrapped.

With the rise of better-made vehicles and higher mileage fleets, such as home delivery operations, there are a comparatively high number of vans around that have covered 200,000 miles or much more.

All of these trends are converging to a point where we believe there is a strong argument for more checks, more thoroughly made, more often. There is unlikely to be a downwards extension of DVSA regulation but this is no excuse for fleets not to look at instances where exceeding their strict legal responsibilities might be appropriate.

The walkaround check is very much at the front-line of risk management for fleets, whether it is a simple tyres, levels and lights check for a company car driver or the more formal and controlled checks that commercial vehicle drivers have to complete under VOSA regulations.

What these checks have in common is that they are prone to complacency over time, that drivers start to tick the boxes without really looking properly at the areas they are supposed to be inspecting.

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We often hear from fleets that the standard one-sheet safety checks carried out by dealers when servicing cars and vans need to provide more useful information.

The fact is that the current checks, which tend to use traffic light or estimated percentage wear indicators for items such as tyre and brake pad wear, are of limited practical use.

What is not well-known about these documents is that they actually have a legal significance. Health and Safety guidelines mean that any notification of a vehicle fault needs to be acknowledged and addressed by the fleet. However, the problem is that the information provided presents fleets with a Health and Safety issue but no solution.

Take brake pads, for example. The dealer may report to the customer that these are 70% worn but they give no indication to the fleet about when they are likely to actually need replacing. The truth is that it would be relatively simple for the dealer – with the backing of its franchise manufacturer or an independent expert body – to estimate the likely fail date or mileage based on their experience of the vehicles in question and, for the sake of safety, to use a worst-case scenario when making their appraisal. Instead of just saying that the pads are 70% worn, they could state clearly that they are likely to need checking again or replacing in an estimated three months or 5,000 miles, for example.

This would be genuinely useful information for fleets and, of course, would be of advantage to the dealer, who is much more likely to capture the work that has been flagged up if there is a timescale indicated. This applies especially to jobs such as tyres and pads that many dealers tend to lose to fast-fits.

A further complication is that, in cases where vehicles were leased, the safety checks themselves were often passed to the leasing company rather than the fleet. This is an issue because, as explained, the safety check has a legal status. If it never actually reaches the fleet and there is a resulting accident that triggers an HSE investigation, then the audit trail of paperwork breaks down. It is an area that, we believe, needs addressing.

We recently conducted a survey of fleet operators from a wide range of business sectors and size.  The results clearly demonstrated that regardless of fleet size and profile, companies are often confused about their legal responsibilities.

We also found that a large proportion of operators we questioned are aware of weaknesses within their fleet policies and almost all are concerned on some level about their legal exposure.

If you share any or all of these concerns, we can help you take the first step towards achieving peace of mind.

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GPS is the most accurate way you can track and monitor vehicles within your fleet as most GPS tracking devices have an accuracy range of two to three metres and they have become a vital piece of technology providing fleet managers with accurate information to work with.

How Does GPS work?

GPS systems operate via information being sent to and from 30 or so satellites orbiting Earth.

There are at least four GPS satellites within range of a GPS device no matter where it is on the planet. These satellites send signals to and from the GPS devices. This enables the software to calculate where the device is within a few meters range.

It’s important to be aware that in-car navigation systems and GPS trackers do different things.

Navigation systems provide a location for a vehicle and can plot future travel. While GPS tracking devices keep a record of where a vehicle has been, where it is at any time and helps “fill in the gaps” for some understanding of driver habits.

How does GPS tracking work for fleet vehicles?

The same principles apply to a fleet vehicle with a GPS device fitted. The device will be communicating with 3 or more satellites. These satellites will send and receive information via cellular networks to calculate and record the position of a vehicle.

Modern GPS devices are small and often fitted somewhere in a vehicle where they cannot easily be found. This is because, in the case of a vehicle being stolen, it needs to remain undetected so that it cannot be disconnected. Being able to accurately track where a stolen vehicle is, is one of the most reliable ways a vehicle can be recovered.

Should you install trackers in your fleet vehicles?

There are a number of reasons why GPS tracking devices are helpful for fleet managers and organisations;

• You can collect data on where a vehicle has been and how it was driven
• You can monitor fuel consumption and identify areas to save fuel and reduce fleet costs
• The information enables you to optimize driving routes to save time and money
• If a vehicle is stolen, you will be able to track where it is unless the device is tampered with

While there is a cost involved with installing GPS trackers, most organisations are able to offset the cost with the savings they are able to make by having the trackers.

The main savings come from being able to identify where you can better optimise driving routes and reduce fuel consumption. There are also potential savings on insurance premiums too.

There is currently no better, or more reliable and effective way to accurately monitor the whereabouts of a fleet of vehicles.

The data GPS devices transmit and how it’s interpreted by fleet management systems has become an invaluable tool for improving efficiency when managing a fleet of vehicles.

As the number of vehicles increases within a business, managing insurance policies can become challenging. Insurance providers offer a solution that makes insuring any number of vehicles a lot simpler in the form of fleet insurance.

While the specifics of every premium will be specific to an individual business, here is a basic overview of how fleet insurance works:

What is fleet insurance?

Businesses have a legal obligation to insure every vehicle used within their organisation. There are various types of cover, and insurance policies can vary depending on the vehicle, how it’s used, who it will be driven by, and so on.

Trying to arrange separate policies for each vehicle can quickly become a time consuming and confusing exercise. Both for fleet managers, and the insurance companies arranging the policies.

Fleet insurance is a policy that covers any number of vehicles in a fleet. The policy is often in the name of the company or the owner of the business. The details of the policy will be specific to the insurance needs of the company.

What are the benefits of taking out fleet insurance?

If you’re weighing up if fleet insurance makes sense for your business, the main benefits or advantages for most companies include:

Less paperwork – physical paperwork, digital documents, whichever you choose, there is less work involved when taking out one policy over multiple policies.

Cost savings – fleet insurance typically works out to be a lot less expensive. This is usually reason enough for most companies to pursue a fleet cover.

Greater transparency – with fleet insurance, it’s a lot easier to understand the terms of the policy over juggling multiple policies. This means less risk of someone breaching a policy rule.

What are the drawbacks of taking out fleet insurance?

The main drawback is having all employees and vehicles under the umbrella of one policy. One accident-prone driver can cause a rise in the premium for everyone.

If you have a particularly high-risk employee or vehicle, it’s often worthwhile taking out a separate policy to mitigate that risk.

Types of cover

With fleet insurance, your two main types of cover are the same as with domestic car insurance;

Third-party insurance – this is the minimum level of cover most insurers will accept. Third-party cover protects other road users if the accident was the fault of one of your drivers. There is some obvious risk with this type of cover, especially with larger fleets. The first party, which is the company taking out the insurance, is responsible for their own damages and losses.

Fully comprehensive – as the name suggests, fully comprehensive cover offers full protection regardless of who is at fault in the case of an accident.

Does fleet insurance cover all types of Vehicles?

Yes, this is one of the main benefits of taking out fleet insurance. You’ll need to discuss what types of vehicles you have with insurance companies you’re interested in taking out a policy with. Typically, you’ll be able to incorporate all types of vehicles, as well as plant and equipment.

How many vehicles do you need to qualify for fleet insurance?

In most cases, you should qualify for fleet insurance with any number of vehicles greater than one. If you’re intending to expand your fleet within a calendar year, you should consider this form of insurance.

Can telematics reduce fleet premiums?

There are studies that show companies can reduce their fleet premiums by as much as 60% in some instances if they’re using telematics to monitor their fleet.

Telematics are small devices, which we explain in more detail in this post, that gather data on how a vehicle is being driven.

Fleets of vehicles with telematics devices installed are able to reduce accidents, improve efficiency, and identify vehicle and driver risks. All of which have an impact on insurance claims premiums.

Fleets should have a clear procedure in place should a driver be involved in an incident.

Driver training, ongoing education programmes, telematics, vehicle safety checks, speed limiting technology and driver incentives are all highly effective, proven measures of reducing the chances of your employees being involved in an incident.

However, it’s impossible to eliminate the risk of accidents completely, therefore, it’s equally important to have a structured accident management process in place too, so that if the worst should happen, you’re prepared.

Your accident response procedure starts at the point of impact. Drivers need to know exactly what to do, what information they need to give and gather, and who to contact.  Erecting a warning triangle on the approach to an incident site, or moving a vehicle out of the path of traffic are simple enough tasks, but drivers need to know when to step in and when to leave the site untouched, as intervening with the best of intentions could be potentially unsafe, or could hinder the gathering of evidence.

Encourage drivers to take photographs.  Most mobile phones have cameras, but some companies provide disposable cameras in vehicles as well.  Note-taking is of paramount importance too and drivers should record vehicle and driver details, passenger information, incident location and time, weather conditions, visibility and anything else that could be relevant, plus of course vehicle damage, injury and details of police attendance.  Detailed incident data will assist greatly with insurance claim processing, and will help to establish why the situation happened and how to avoid re-occurrence.

Vehicles need to be treated with the same caution and governance as any dangerous machinery if you are to avoid exposing your staff to unnecessary risk.

Human Resources issues are complex before you start to even think about the HR department’s link to the fleet. Daily challenges include recruiting employees, arranging and carrying out training, preventing discrimination and ensuring compliance, to name but a few.

These tasks are integral to the running of the company. And vehicle management should be taken just as seriously. For instance, business owners would never think of allowing employees to operate dangerous machinery without stringent safety measures and policies in place; but such measures are often overlooked when it comes to vehicles.

Research carried out by Brake, the road safety charity, found that in a single year:

• 1,901 people were killed in road traffic accidents
• 23,122 were maimed or disabled
• 178,927 were injured

Or in other words, every single day…

• five people were killed
• 63 people incurred life-changing injuries
• 60,000 ‘bent metal’ incidents occurred

These powerful numbers speak for themselves.  Vehicles need to be treated with the same caution and governance as any dangerous machinery if you are to avoid exposing your staff to unnecessary risk.

And what’s more, those behind the wheel must be equally governed.  Training, assessing and continuously educating staff about driving standards is crucial if you are to stand a chance of mitigating what is one of the greatest risks that companies – and ultimately their directors – face.

FleetCheck can help you understand the HR challenges connected with fleet management and the steps you can take to ensure they are under control.

Britain has been revealed to be a nation of hidden business fleets, with a third of British drivers who drive as part of their job shown to be uninsured for business driving. On average, these drivers clock up 4,708 uninsured business miles per year whilst driving for work. (more…)