Is your grey fleet management increasing business risk?

Employers remain legally responsible for employees who drive personal vehicles for business purposes. Amanda Webb at FixMyCar explains the risks and what employers can do about them

 

The British economy is driven by the grey fleet. It’s estimated that there are 14 million grey fleet vehicles in the UK today, and more than 80% of businesses rely on them. Popularity is only increasing: 40% of employees believe their employer relies more on the grey fleet now than before the pandemic.

 

Yet despite the grey fleet representing one third of the vehicles on UK roads, confusion remains around responsibilities and liability. This can have serious consequences and greatly increase a business’s risk.

 

 

Liability remains with the employer

Put simply, an employer is legally responsible for employees who drive personal vehicles for business purposes. It doesn’t matter that the employee is using their own private vehicle - when it’s used for work purposes, it becomes the employer’s responsibility.

 

Yet, research from the government-backed Driving for Better Business found that one in two company directors didn’t know they were responsible for employees using their personal car for work.

 

Their behaviour backs this up. Almost half (49%) of employees who use their own vehicle for business-related journeys say they don’t recall having had their driving licence checked by their employer. Just under a third haven’t been asked to show a valid MOT certificate. Yet it’s a legal requirement for any grey fleet vehicle to be verified roadworthy and legal by the driver’s employer. Employers’ lack of awareness around their legal responsibilities is making them neglect vital checks and increasing the risk on the roads.

 

Unfortunately, work-related road accidents are more common than you think. Tragically, one in three road deaths and one in five serious injuries involve someone driving for work.

 

Employers’ lack of awareness won’t protect them if things go wrong - they’ll still be liable if there’s an accident. Businesses need to take greater responsibility for the safety, legality, and roadworthiness of all vehicles used for work. If they don’t, they risk serious legal ramifications.

 

 

How to minimise your risk

If you’re an employer and any of your employees use their own vehicle for work purposes, there are a number of crucial steps you must take.

 

1) Check documentation

Make sure all employees driving for work have valid driving licences, MOT documents, and are appropriately insured for their driving - and that these don’t lapse. Research has found that one in three drivers who use their own car for work aren’t insured to make business journeys.

 

2) Check the safety of your drivers

National regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), states that employers must assess the health and safety capabilities and competence of employees driving for work. This would include checks on an employee’s experience, attitude and maturity, any driving offences, physical capabilities, and the level of skill needed to safely complete their job.

 

3) Check the safety of the vehicle

HSE reminds employers they have an obligation to make sure any vehicle used for business is safe - and remains safe. Insurance firm Marsh McLennan recommends employers collect details of each vehicle that’s used for work including registration, age, mileage, and safety rating.

 

4) Invest in training

Although HSE says employers have a responsibility to ensure workers are adequately trained - and this extends to driving - many are falling short. A survey of senior grey fleet managers found that only 51% say their business invests in training for drivers, meaning large numbers of businesses are making themselves more vulnerable to risk.

 

Driver First Assist’s recent Driving Down Inequality campaign highlights the issue that many employees driving for work are excluded from incident response and first-aid training, because they aren’t based in a fixed location. Not only does this threaten their physical safety, it opens employers up to possible prosecution for failing to provide adequate training.

 

5) Create a driving policy

Industry experts also suggest employers draw up a clear driving policy for their team. This should include the requirements that must be fulfilled in order to drive for work, what’s expected of employees, and their driving responsibilities. Currently, only a third of businesses ask grey fleet drivers to sign and stick to a driver policy.

 

6) Offer guidance on repairs and maintenance

As with any car, repairs and maintenance for your grey fleet will be necessary from time to time to ensure road safety. To ensure that all vehicles under your responsibility are properly maintained by drivers, having recommended guidance on what employees should do for repairs and maintenance could help you avoid unnecessary risk. 

 

Establishing partnerships with reliable garages and garage networks, like FixMyCar, provides employers with peace of mind that their grey fleet will always receive quality care and parts during any servicing or repairs it may need.

 

The grey fleet isn’t going anywhere. But employers must understand that they’re legally on the hook. They must start managing grey fleet vehicles as comprehensively as they would company cars. Otherwise, they face the benefits of the grey fleet being erased by increased risk.

 

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Amanda Webb is CEO of FixMyCar

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and anatoliycherkas