What you should know about fleet duty of care and reducing costs

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After you read this whole article you will have a better understanding of your duty of care obligations and you will discover the correct and only way to address your fleet risk obligations with confidence.

The facts are that phrases such as ‘duty of care’ and ‘grey fleet’ are banded about, and in the most are not considered either in the full context of the overall obligations, or by qualified personnel.  Further, in many cases SME operators get drawn into purchasing solutions reactively from suppliers such as ad hoc licence checking, or writing a driver handbook as a starting point that only in part rectifies their problems.  This is instead of planning their approach, considering employing expertise to assess and consider every area, and only then implementing a solution that satisfies their full obligations across the company, and its fleet, drivers and journeys.  This approach in turn provides increased efficiency, lower fleet operating costs and increased risk compliance.

Are you caught in a never-ending worry about what to do, how to do it and where to start, even before you can find the time in the busy day to day to get started? Do you find it impossible to find the starting point knowing with confidence you are on the right track? Is your current fleet risk position a walking target for the HSE to prosecute you with a heavy fine, or even a custodial sentence should the worst happen?

What you need to know as a fleet operator with five or more vehicles, simply to ensure you address your fleet risk obligations correctly, is considerable.  You have obligations in some part to various acts and laws: the HSE Act 1974, Road Traffic Act 1988, Corporate Manslaughter & Homicide Act 2008, HSE Offences Act 2008, Companies Act 2006, to name a few.

What if you are the next serious prosecution case, how would you stand up to the test? Just picture yourself having to face the serious charges, even criminal prosecution.  It makes the bad PR and heavy fine look like a sideshow, all because you didn’t meet your obligations in operating your fleet correctly and didn’t take advice from experts.

Many fleets can become penny wise and pound foolish simply looking to reduce fleet costs by pressurising their current suppliers to lower lease or purchase costs, or moving straight to competitive tendering to try and secure a cost advantage, thinking a self-produced handbook and a licence check is a satisfactory effort to comply with their risk obligations. Then there’s the day-to-day challenges of managing drivers, trying to maintain ongoing obligations, which are usually undertaken by a ‘job share’ employee. It simply becomes false economy due to skill gaps and lack of time input, as it all becomes reactive.  The fallout of this is usually increased cost to rectify situations or slipping back into non-compliant old habits.

The big issue that the majority of SME fleets suffer from is lack of awareness, thinking they are OK, and the reality is that reactive actions – with part-rectification utilising unqualified skills – produce negative factors that prohibit lowering costs and maintaining risk compliance. Are you now seeing the real situation, what really needs to be done? Imagine yourself being in control of the situation, having expert guidance and experience managing the process and framework to evaluate and establish your current risk position, fleet needs analysis, the most effective acquisition methods in unison that provides simple and easy to engage solutions to bring the compliance up to a satisfactory position, everything in check including your grey fleet drivers with cost effective procurement. You already accept that your business is professional in its own area of industry, your clients trust you to advise, deliver and guarantee your products and services.

KeyFleet’s clients benefit from the same expertise, they trust us as professionals in fleet and risk management solutions to provide an objective, independent cost-effective framework to achieve and maintain risk compliance and reduce fleet operating costs. Consider your fleet in 90 days time, from making the decision to employ professionals to structure your fleet, with each day KeyFleet working to increase the compliance and cost reductions follow.  Your employees and drivers will feel a huge weight lifted from their shoulders, as will you once the fleet starts to operate like a well-oiled machine; driver calls are managed, diary dates for key events proactively managed by a KeyFleet dedicated, qualified and experienced fleet manager.

Studies the world over show that professionals who focus and manage projects achieve far higher results than where people try and facilitate the same situation themselves.  Lets face it, from a cost evaluation position alone – take an average 50-vehicle fleet – it’s a £1million asset on average if owned. Under a lease with insurance, fuel and maintenance over a typical three year/60,000mile operating lease cycle, the overall cost will on average be approaching £1.5million.   Are you and your team really qualified to evaluate, structure and deliver the most cost effective, risk compliant fleet?

KeyFleet offer a no obligation fleet review meeting where you will gain an accurate and factual operating position on your three key areas of risk, acquisition and ongoing management.  The reality is this review is provided free from any risk or cost to you.  KeyFleet guarantees to provide you with your true position via a snapshot report that will help you identify your initial framework. After reading this you probably do feel the need to at least explore the professional viewpoint, and should you wish to employ the professionals to implement the framework, then KeyFleet have a modular range of cost-effective solutions that are client-focussed and simply work.

Ask yourself what do you have to lose in booking your free no obligation fleet review meeting? Nothing. There’s zero risk and you only have to invest 45 minutes of your time.  This will be far better spent and more cost-effective than being investigated under a serious breach where the HSE and possible criminal prosecutions will take up far more of your time, money and reputation.

Can you really afford to trust this to another company? KeyFleet provide you with a risk free opportunity to evaluate your key positions, a trusted framework that will be difficult to find from our competitors and we cover all areas, not just a licence check, or a handbook. Take the first step to having peace of mind and increased efficiency in your fleet by booking your no obligation fleet review with KeyFleet today whilst it’s still fresh in your mind…Call our team or book online here…

This article is an advertorial written and published by KeyFleet. The views expressed here are those of KeyFleet, and not of FleetPoint. Find out more about our advertorials here.

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