Blog

New fleet software has been launched by FleetCheck that can be adopted for free by any business that operates cars and vans.

Called DriverLite, it is based on FleetCheck’s Driver, introduced in 2017 and to date used by 1,053 fleets to carry out more than 20 million vehicle inspections.

Features include free inspection check sheets for an unlimited number of drivers and vehicles, visibility of how long each pre-use inspection takes, missed inspections, instant evidence of damage and defects, a robust audit trail of inspections, mileage collection for SMR schedules, a driver’s toolkit with read receipts, and a multi-language user interface.

Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “DriverLite contains everything that a fleet needs to ensure they are meeting their fundamental legal requirements when it comes to vehicle inspections. For the many businesses that are still using manual, paper-based systems to carry out these checks, adopting it is something of a no-brainer.

“The impetus for us in offering this product is both ethical and commercial. Every day, we see fleets that are not fulfilling basic safety necessities and this software provides the means for them to dramatically improve their performance in this area. We believe that everybody has the right to be as safe as possible on the road and know that this is a product that can help to reduce accidents and injury in an intuitive and effective manner.

“However, we also hope that it will lead to more fleets upgrading over time to our paid products as they learn the benefits of using our technology. It should be underlined though, that is no pressure to do this, and DriverLite is not in any way restricted. Unlike some free software products, there are no limits on the number of drivers or vehicles registered.”

DriverLite also includes a Driver Toolkit developed in conjunction with National Highways as part of their Driving for Better Business programme, providing safety advice for drivers in areas such as driving licences, road safely, fitness to drive, seasonal driving, restrictions, smarter driving and driving safety.

Peter added: “The core functions of DriverLite will ensure that there are basic risk management processes in place but the Driver Toolkit provides the bones of a genuine safety culture within an organisation. The advice it contains can really help to promote a move towards better driving.”

DriverLite can be downloaded from FleetCheck at www.fleetcheck.co.uk/driverlite.

Fleets need to be able to buy electric vehicles (EVs) now that used car buyers will want in four years’ time – but are being hampered by a lack of choice, FleetCheck is warning.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software company, said those that wanted to acquire everyday family cars today to maximise future residual values (RVs) faced instead a list of options largely consisting of prestige saloons and SUVs.

“What we’ve seen is a car market that has electrified from the top down, so if you want to spend £50,000-plus on prestige saloons or SUVs, you’ll get lots of options. This has worked reasonably well so far and those sectors are now essentially electrified. However, there are large areas of the market where businesses that want to buy bread-and-butter cars that are electrically powered are left scratching their heads.

“The biggest is probably lower-cost vehicles with a reasonable range. If you currently run a lot of small petrol hatchbacks and want to find an EV equivalent from an established manufacturer that covers around 200 miles at less than £30,000 – which seems a reasonable ask – options are very limited.

“There are other areas where choice is similarly almost non-existent – pick-ups, estate cars, anything around £20,000. The EV market is really quite homogenous in a negative way and this is proving damaging to future residual values.”

He explained that one of the key factors behind the dramatic fall in EV RVs over recent years was not a rejection from used buyers of EVs per se but simply that there were too many of the ‘wrong’ types of vehicles in circulation.

“If you look at the used market, there is ample evidence of this happening. Demand for many big, prestige electric SUVs is currently saturated, for example. These are just not the kind of vehicles that everyday buyers want – too big, too expensive to buy, and too expensive to run.

“There are models coming, we are told, and there are lower cost choices starting to appear from a wide range of Chinese manufacturers. However, life is frustrating for those who want to electrify in the short term or who don’t want to buy from a car maker without a well-established UK presence.

“What fleets need is to be able to buy the type of vehicles that everyday used buyers are likely to want in four years’ time. In most cases, that is not going to be the types of EVs available today.”

Fleets should back wider use of 20mph limits in urban areas on risk management grounds, says FleetCheck.

Managing director Peter Golding said that while the subject had become politically controversial, the argument for car and van operators was quite clear cut.

“When the Welsh government introduced their blanket 20mph limit last year, they did so on the grounds that it would save lives every year. It’s a position that very much chimes with fleet management best practice.

“Obviously, the speed limit on any road is a balance between journey time and accident risk, but it is very difficult to imagine that any vehicle operators are having their overall efficiency reduced in urban areas by a switch from 30mph to 20mph.

“In risk management terms, the case for wider use of 20mph is pretty much clear cut and because it is likely to reduce accidents, should be welcomed by fleets where it is proposed to replace current 30mph limits.”

Peter added that arguments against 20mph limits appeared to be mainly coming from private motorists who felt that it was simply too slow.

“There’s no doubt that the first time you drive through a lengthy 20mph zone, it does feel as though you are travelling at a much reduced speed but the truth is that by the time you have added all the normal journey factors into the equation – from congestion to traffic lights – you won’t be arriving at your destination any more than a few moments later.

“Sadly, it’s a debate that is becoming less and less fact-based and more about politics. For that reason, politicians themselves may think twice before wider implementation in the future. However, fleets, with very real Health and Safety responsibilities, are bound to take a different view.”

The new government that the UK is likely to see in 2024 should be pressured by fleets to deliver a more effective hydrogen van strategy, FleetCheck says.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, said there was huge potential for hydrogen as a factor in future fleet zero emissions strategies for light commercial vehicles, and much more needed to be done to support its adoption.

“This is not a political comment but we will get a new government this year or early in 2025, and the polls show that it is very unlikely to be the same as the current administration. That moment will provide an opportunity for change.

“The truth is that one of the victories that this government can claim over the last few years is the rate of electrification by car fleets. Their taxation strategy and other measures means that the average company car is now very likely to be an EV.

“However, it has been a zero emissions all-eggs-in-one-basket approach concentrating on EVs and, while there is some support for hydrogen in their planning, it is pretty limited, and there is almost nothing that looks at the potential for van fleets.

‘The hydrogen refuelling infrastructure that exists across the UK, for example, is almost non-existent. There are plans to build 40 or so stations in support of truck and bus operators but the whole approach is very much based on larger commercial vehicles and buses.

“This is an issue because many van fleets are discovering very real limits to electrification when it comes to range and payload, and hydrogen is a potential zero emissions alternative with real promise.”

Peter said that the issue was being highlighted by the arrival in the UK of the Vauxhall Vivaro hydrogen van, which promised pump-style fuelling, a range of around 250 miles, and could be potentially purchased at prices competitive to electric vans.

“This appears to be a practical zero emissions solution for van fleets but it is very much a vehicle in search of an infrastructure. Unless you are willing and capable of putting your own hydrogen depot refuelling in place, it’s very difficult impossible to adopt.

“Any future government should be pressured by fleets to provide infrastructure for these vehicles, while ensuring that the price of hydrogen is competitive with other fuel sources. In truth, the refuelling network doesn’t need to be huge in the first instance, but it needs to be reliable and in the right places, such as motorway services.

“A scheme to put say 200 hydrogen stations in place across the UK in the next couple of years would make an enormous difference to the viability of vehicles like the Vivaro and others that could follow. For fleets that are struggling with electric van adoption, a future government that is willing to back hydrogen could make a massive difference.

“Of course, even if the government doesn’t change, a general election is a moment for a strategic rethink and our industry should then try to work again in this area with the current administration. Hydrogen simply looks as though it will solve a number of problems for fleets in cases where there are no easy answers for electric power.”

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool soon to be introduced by FleetCheck is enabling fleet managers to scan invoices into its software in a matter of seconds.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, said that the advance, which is currently undergoing customer testing, would mean thousands of hours saved every year across the company’s user base.

“When we survey our users, one of the things they find really time-consuming is manually keying all of the information on an invoice into the system. The new tool means it’s as fast as scanning the invoice, turning a job that would normally take an average of five minutes into one that can be completed in under 10 seconds.

“All of the important details on the document are automatically recognised from the image and populated into our system. They can then be passed directly to your company’s accounting software in the appropriate format.

“We already have several fleets trialling the tool and the feedback we have received from them is extremely positive. It’s a really good use of AI and an example of what it can be used to achieve for fleet managers.”

The new tool follows FleetCheck’s first use of AI in its Licence Assured licence checking product. Introduced in September, it allows users to upload an image of a driving licence, with its details automatically populated into the system.

Peter continued: “We learnt a lot about AI from creating the licence scanning tool, especially the fact that employing the technology is not necessarily easy. To get this to a stage where the data can be accurately extracted has taken quite some time.

“However, we’re now at a point where we can reliably examine images and identify the relevant data, and we’ll be applying the same principle not just to invoice scanning but to other documents in the coming months and years. It’s a question of identifying which tasks are most suited to AI and deliver maximum benefits for users.”

He added that FleetCheck’s view of AI was very much that it shouldn’t be seen as a means to reduce the number of people carrying out administrative fleet tasks but instead should free them to spend more time looking at data and making strategic decisions.

“The time saved by the new invoice and licence scanning tools should be used by fleet managers to look at their operations in more detail, identifying areas where improvements can be made, whether that means operational benefits, cost savings or improved safety. For us, that is what AI is all about.”

The Reader Recommended programme reveals the brands that companies running fleets trust most to deliver an outstanding service. Fleet News conducts research among fleet decision-makers, who are asked to nominate their best suppliers, but also their worst. The research is analysed and the top performing company is granted ‘Reader Recommended’ status for a full year. For 2024, FleetCheck is the ONLY Fleet Management Software Solution that has been selected.

At FleetCheck, we believe that everybody has the right to be safe on the roads. Our business was created so that we could improve the safety of drivers, vehicles, and the public by providing education and solutions that lowers the cost of compliance for fleet managers.

We are working towards a time when everyone responsible for vehicle fleets is using appropriate tools and solutions. Our part in achieving this is to help remove barriers to fleet management by providing simple, easy to use and cost-effective solutions.

When FleetCheck started in 2006, our motivation was to make life easier for the thousands of people responsible for company vehicles. Many of them didn’t even think of themselves as fleet managers because managing the vehicles wasn’t the only role they had in the business and they were simply trying to do the best they could, with limited resources and experience.

Spreadsheets are normally the go-to-tool for those managing vehicles and their drivers. There’s no extra cost and little training is needed as it’s simple and intuitive to use. However, putting more data into ever-more complex spreadsheets can lead to a variety of data problems that are difficult to undo. Lost data, inconsistent formatting and numbers that don’t add up can be difficult to troubleshoot. Key dates such as MOT, road tax, servicing and driver checks can all be missed or worse, accidentally deleted.

Chasing paperwork from drivers for daily vehicle checks is another common bugbear. It’s hugely time-consuming, some records don’t get filed, they must be sorted manually to identify faults, and further time-consuming processes are required to manage repairs.

These problems are preventable with a fleet management software solution. It provides a secure online platform for multiple users, unlimited document storage for any vehicle and driver related files and documents and handles your fleet tasks proactively. FleetCheck can also integrate with other data, such as your fuel card information or telematics system, and provides a comprehensive reporting facility for your fleet activities.

At FleetCheck, we work with businesses as a trusted partner. By eliminating paper-chasing and manual processing, our software helps our clients save time, save money, and enjoy peace of mind that their compliance requirements are being met.

Our clients trust us to deliver excellence. We know that we make a difference when we come together to solve problems and develop ever more effective solutions, increasing road safety for everyone.

Go paperless with FleetCheck – fleet management software you can trust

The extension to full expensing announced in last month’s Autumn Statement provides fleets with a perfect opportunity to replace “tired” vans that have been continually extended following the pandemic, says FleetCheck.

Moves by the Chancellor mean fleets that outright purchase vans, either from cash or using hire purchase, could save substantially on their corporation tax bills.

Peter Golding, managing director, said: “The government made two key announcements to encourage business spending. The Annual Investment Allowance was extended, meaning you can claim 100% tax relief on the purchase of second hand and new plant and machinery – including vans – up to £1 million per annum.

“An accompanying extension to full expensing gives an uncapped amount of tax relief on plant and machinery expenditure, so long as it is brand new and unused, with vans again qualifying. What this means is that a fleet that spends, for example, £400,000 on vans should receive £100,000 off a corporation tax bill for a company paying at the current 25% rate.”

Peter said that many fleets were now operating vans that had been extended several times and should ideally be replaced.

“As is widely known, the pandemic threw van replacement cycles into disarray. Fleets that operated vehicles for perhaps typically five years now often have eight-year-old examples on their books. These vans are tired, often fail, and are expensive to keep on the road. There are even sometimes questions over their safety.

“What the new government initiatives provide is an ideal moment to replace these vehicles. Supply of vans, which has been a major disincentive, has improved and both diesel and electric models are available in reasonable timescales.

“The financial and operational imperatives for replacement have aligned in our view, and fleets should give serious consideration to taking advantage of the new rules.”

Before buying any vehicles however, Peter said that businesses should seek professional advice to ensure they qualify to take advantage of these opportunities.

“All financial circumstances are individual and fleets should look to in-house expertise or, where this is not available, speak to their accountant. We would also be happy to help.”

Driving style is potentially having a greater impact on tyre wear for electric vehicles (EVs) than their petrol and diesel equivalents, FleetCheck is suggesting.

The fleet software specialist says the additional weight and performance of EVs means that employees who drive company cars more aggressively are getting through sets of tyres much more quickly than would be expected.

Peter Golding, managing director, said: “The data behind this is still relatively scarce and much of what we are hearing is anecdotal but it seems as through the range of wear you can expect from different driving styles is wider for EVs than you would see for petrol or diesel, with drivers having an outsized effect.

“The reasons for this are, it appears, the facts that EVs tend to be much heavier, model-for-model than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and often offer faster acceleration. This means that a driver who accelerates sharply and brakes hard puts a lot of pressure on their tyres and can get through a set very quickly indeed.

“At the other end of the scale, it looks as though EV drivers who are much more circumspect in their approach are achieving much lower tyre wear, perhaps not as good as the average for petrol and diesel vehicles, but much closer to being acceptable for fleets.”

Peter added that the potential rate of wear made it arguably much more important to monitor behaviour of drivers using EVs.

“If EV drivers are, for example, adding an extra set of tyres for an average four year car life cycle, this will have a big impact on fleet service and maintenance costs and fleets should be taking proactive action. Telematics and connected car technology can provide a lot of useful information about individual driving styles and this can be imported into software such as ours for analysis, linking this directly to the rate of tyre replacement.

“Of course, there are other potential considerations. A vehicle used largely on the motorway will get through tyres at a much slower rate than one that is used mainly on country B roads, but it is still very much possible to see the impact of driving style in the data.

“It appears there is a strong incentive to introduce driver training and other measures to ensure that EV drivers adopt a more conservative style on the road, something that is proven to work in the vast majority of cases. Encouraging drivers to slow down and be more careful will also have a positive impact on accident rates.”

A new strategic partnership announced this week between FleetCheck and VDO will bring a wide range of tachograph benefits to commercial vehicle operators.

Integration of VDO’s tachograph analysis into FleetCheck’s platform will provide customers of both companies with a seamless and simplified approach to Driver Hours compliance, delivering a reduced administrative burden and enhanced overall fleet performance.

Ben Klarich, head of new business at VDO UK, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with FleetCheck to bring our expertise in tachograph analysis to their comprehensive fleet management solutions. This partnership represents a significant step forward in providing businesses with the tools they need in crucial areas of vehicle operations.”

“We’re very pleased to be working with FleetCheck in this way. The new partnership represents a significant step forward in compliance that maximises the benefits of our tachograph expertise and the capabilities of FleetCheck’s software.”

Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck added: “VDO are the tachograph provider of choice for many of our customers and this partnership will provide important advantages to them when it comes to safety and ease of use, as well as opening up new commercial possibilities for both companies.”

He added that both FleetCheck and VDO were also becoming resellers of each other’s products to their respective customer bases.

“There’s an obvious synergy between FleetCheck and VDO in terms of our offerings to commercial vehicle operators and, even before the partnership was formally announced, cross-sales have started taking place to fleets who want to take advantage of the benefits of the integration. There is clear potential here.”

As well as bringing data from VDO tachograph analysis into the FleetCheck platform, plans are in place to also create a combined Earned Recognition dashboard using VDO data showing key performance indicators for both maintenance and Driver Hours.

Peter said: “There are several ways that we could develop the partnership in the future and creating deeper integrations of this type is one that will bring further, innovative benefits to both sets of customers.”

Based in Kemble, Gloucestershire, and started in 2006, FleetCheck is one of the UK’s leading fleet software and management specialists, with a customer base of almost 2,000 customers operating more than 220,000 vehicles and assets.

Established in 1929 and headquartered in Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany, VDO is a premier global provider in innovative solutions, currently serving over 20,000 customers operating more than 200,000 tachograph equipped vehicles in Europe.