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Speeding accounts for more than four out of five driving offences that occur in company cars and vans, according to new data from FleetCheck.

The top five offences recorded from its LicenceAssured driver licence checking product are speeding (82.0%), phone use (2.7%), no third party insurance (2.6%), failure to give information about the driver of the vehicle (2.5%) and jumping traffic lights (2.0%).

Peter Golding, managing director, said: “The precipitous drop from top placed speeding to second placed phone use shows how simply going too fast is by far the biggest issue when it comes to real world fleet driver behaviour.

“In fact, further refining the data produces even more definitive findings. Drilling down into those 82% of speeding offences, three out of four are for exceeding the limit on public roads rather than motorways, so the problem is very much concentrated on everyday driving.

“All of this says one thing to us – that employers should be encouraging and training drivers to slow down and even potentially penalising them when they don’t. Driving over the limit is not just dangerous but uses more fuel and causes more vehicle wear and tear. It’s bad from every angle.”

Peter added that some of the other offences seen in the LicenceAssured data should also be of interest to fleet managers.
“All the other issues that we have recorded are dwarfed by speeding but that does not mean they are not worthy of attention by fleet managers. While much less of a problem than it once was, illegal phone use while driving clearly remains a problem, for example.

“It is also surprising that so many company vehicles are being found by the police without adequate insurance. These could well be grey fleet drivers and checking that employees have the necessary cover is something that all fleet managers should do.”

Launched 18 months ago, LicenceAssured has already been adopted by 20% of FleetCheck’s customer base and was recently accredited by the Association for Driving Licence Verification.

Peter said: “We’ve been really pleased with the reception to the product. Licence checking is a fundamental part of modern fleet risk management and we are confident that we have made it as easy and as effective as possible.”

The spiralling cost of heating could see company car drivers choose to return to the office this winter to save costs, reversing the work-from-home trend that began during the pandemic, FleetCheck is predicting.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, pointed out that the massively increased cost of heating a home in order to work during the day was making the cost and effort of visiting the office much more attractive to many.

“This is unlikely to be a uniform trend and will depend very much on how much each individual’s heating bill has risen compared to the fuel cost of their commute – but the sums will undoubtedly add up for some.

“There will be at least a couple of potential effects for fleets. Working from home has been an overall mileage saver for fleets and if more employees start commuting, mileage will increase, which has an obvious knock-on effects in terms of the amount of SMR needed.

“The other is more subtle. Some company car drivers effectively became home workers during the pandemic and their journey to work was really no longer classed as a commute for risk management purposes. That situation could now reverse.”

Peter added that FleetCheck had already picked up on anecdotal feedback that more EV company car drivers were heading into work to charge their vehicles as electricity costs had risen during recent months.

“The picture regarding EV charging at work remains in flux and many businesses still give the power away to anyone who parks on their car park and wants to use it, whether it is for business or private mileage. This may have to change if more drivers use free company facilities for all of their charging needs. Electricity is becoming, or has perhaps already become, too expensive to be given away for non-work purposes.”

The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) could see some fleets operating a number of diesel vans on an almost “indefinite” basis, FleetCheck is warning.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, pointed out that a variety of businesses already felt that they had applications for which current electric van designs would never be suitable, leaving diesel as their only option.

He said: “Some of our customers are telling us that they feel caught in a difficult situation. As they see it, there are some jobs for which electric vans are unlikely to ever make sense – for example, where very long range is needed, where there is a lack of charging facilities in remote areas, or where there is a need to keep moving during power cuts. They believe that this leaves them no choice other than to operate diesel vans until the technology changes

“However, they also foresee a point fairly soon when they’ll no longer want to buy new diesel vans because of concerns over future residual values as the market shifts to electrification towards the end of the decade. If you keep your vehicles for 5-6 years, this is a concern.

“Essentially, what some are planning to do is keep a handful of diesel vans indefinitely and there is a possibility that they already own these vans now. They see no choice but hanging onto these vehicle is something that is going to create a whole range of operational issues.”

The key problem, Peter said, was that ensuring these diesel vans were kept in a safe and roadworthy condition was likely to prove extremely challenging.

“It’s no exaggeration to suggest that, by the turn of the decade, some fleets may already be operating a number of diesel vans that have been in service for nearly a decade with no plans to take them out of service.

“There appear to be two scenarios. One is that fleets will want to keep some diesels rather than use EVs because they are used intensively, the other is that they will be used infrequently as a flexible back-up. Both of these situations create maintenance problems. Keeping a 10 year old van covering 30,000 miles a year in a good state of repair is expensive and difficult; ensuring a rarely used van is always ready to go is almost equally tricky.

“We believe that the ideal solution would be for the UK government would introduce an effective road hydrogen strategy, giving these fleets a more flexible, zero emissions alternative to diesel in the long term but there is simply no sign of this happening. In our view, this is a mistake.

‘The only other outcome, in our view, is that there is a technological shift in either electric van range or the charging infrastructure that resolves the issues that these fleets believe make ongoing diesel van necessary – but it’s difficult to envisage what this would look like.”

Use of technology is making it easier for fleets to enforce “golden hour” guidance following any kind of road collision, FleetCheck is reporting.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, explained if details about an incident can be quickly recorded and submitted to your insurer and accident management company then large amounts can be saved in claims costs.

He said: “The first concern following a road collision for fleets is to ensure that the driver and other road users are not badly injured. Once that is established, there should be a concerted effort to gather as much relevant information as rapidly as possible.

“The golden hour is a long-recognised concept in insurance. There are whole industries that exist to try and make money out of claims following collisions – with costs for replacement vehicles and injury claims being among the most onerous. However, these can be avoided by moving within the first 60 minutes or so.

“Historically, it’s been difficult for fleets to enforce any kind of guidance for employees in this situation. Drivers may not know what information to record or where to send it. However, that is now changing quickly.

“We’ve added collision recording facilities to our standard FleetCheck app and this walks the driver through the process and allows them to send it immediately to their fleet manager. Some other companies have created products following a similar concept. It is no exaggeration to say that these are revolutionising the process.”

Peter added that uncontrolled costs following the golden hour could easily run into thousands of pounds.

“If you ask industry experts, there are all kinds of estimates about how much accident costs increase if you aren’t able to get on top of the situation but the very lowest are still well into four figures and some are much, much higher.

“These additional expenses add nothing to the process of dealing with the aftermath of the collision and exist only to artificially inflate the value of the claim. If fleets can successfully take control in this area, then very substantial savings can be made.”

The fleet sector needs to start having a constructive discussion about the likelihood of road charging being introduced in the future and the kind of scheme it would like to see, says FleetCheck.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, said that the rapid growth in electric vehicles expected over the next few years – and the subsequent decline in revenue for fuel, road and company car taxation – made an initiative of this type almost inevitable.

“It went under the radar a little but one of the things that Boris Johnson mentioned to the Commons Liaison Committee the day before his resignation was the probable inevitability of some kind of road charging scheme.

“Now, exactly how much influence he has now is very much open to question but his comments did provide a window into Government thinking. The topic is clearly a live one – especially at a time when the public finances are under pressure – and it is probable that different models are under discussion.

“Our view is that it very much makes sense for the fleet sector to begin to give formal thought to the subject. The declining tax take resulting from electrification means that Treasury revenue will be falling every year. It is inevitable that some kind of new scheme fills the gap.”

Peter said that his own opinion was that any road charging scheme needed to be, above all, fair and easy to use – especially when it came to payment processing.
“Our main concern is that the technology adopted proves too complex and, as a result, is difficult both to introduce and to use. There is a strong argument, we believe, for a graduated approach over time with simple systems being introduced in the first instance, such as tolls on some major motorways.

“However, what really needs to happen is for the views of all the fleet industry’s major players to be heard. This is something that is almost certainly coming and we should be doing everything to ensure that whatever solution is adopted meets our needs, as one of the major interested parties.

“It would be responsible to start constructive discussions now. There is some good work being done in this area already – such as by the AFP’s Future Roads committee – and it would be positive for as many fleets as possible to make their views known.”

As the earliest potential adopters of autonomous technology, fleets need to make their thoughts clear to a new official inquiry, FleetCheck is advising.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet management software specialist, said the new Transport Select Committee inquiry into self-driving vehicles could be an important influencer on the creation of the legal infrastructure surrounding their use.

“We’ve already had the Law Commission look at this subject in some detail and this new inquiry should build on that work alongside other investigations into how autonomous technology might be used in the future.

“Our view is that fleets need to be a big part of this. As almost certainly the main buyers and earliest adopters of vehicles with these kinds of capabilities, we should make sure that our voices are heard.

“Our view is that concerns are likely to fall into two parts. One is that as employers, fleets need to know that any technology fitted to cars and vans used by their drivers is absolutely as safe as it can be. Our people and other road users must be protected.

“The other is a complete understanding of how autonomous tech fits in with existing duty of care responsibilities. Giving a third party control of a vehicle is a significant change in this area and not something that should be done lightly.”

The new inquiry will look at the development and deployment of self-driving vehicles, the progress of research and work in the UK and abroad, and what needs to happen to prepare for their arrival. This includes regulation, perceptions of safety, the role of government, implications for infrastructure and for existing car use.

Peter said: “I don’t think I am being controversial if I say that I hear quite a lot of scepticism among fleet operators about this technology and the temptation for manufacturers to push for its use before it is really ready.

“Certainly, every commentary I have read on the subject in recent years contains the same message – that engineers have 90% solved the issue of self-driving but are having trouble with the last 10%. That would be too big a risk for any fleet.

“The industry is relying on regulators – over whom the Select Committee should have an influence – to ensure that no vehicle makes it to market carrying tech that is not fully proven in real world conditions.”