How Fleet Management Can Win The RACE To Improve Fleet Safety

THIS IS a true story.

Several years ago, a small business in Hertfordshire was expanding and recruited a driver to help with deliveries.

On the first morning, the employee received the keys to a van full of stock and went on his way.

Later that day the call came.

The driver had performed an illegal overtake to pass a line of stationary traffic approaching a junction and didn’t understand that the vehicles were behind a motorhome that was turning right.

Everyone escaped harm in the collision that followed, but the new employee left behind a trail of destruction and paperwork that took months to rectify and nearly destroyed the business.

He simply walked away from responsibility and the company, leaving the business with an £85,000 bill for damage to the van and motorhome. It got worse because the insurance company refused to cover the cost of the crash.

“We nearly didn’t make it,” the owner said. “We just didn’t have that sort of money, plus we had to replace the van, handle all the paperwork and try to keep trading.”

To borrow a quote from Lord Sugar to a line-up of Apprentice candidates, the ‘fatal flaw’ was failing to understand that there can be no shortcuts when it comes to safety.

Small business owners often believe that getting things done takes priority over doing things right, but it can be the equivalent of sprinting towards a brick wall where safety is concerned.

Fleet management is not just a box-ticking exercise: it has a fundamental effect on a business by making transport more cost efficient, reliable and effective.

RACE: Reduce Accidents, Costs And Emissions

So, although all companies have a legal duty to protect drivers and the public during work-related journeys, called a duty of care enshrined in the 1974 Health and Safety At Work Act, owners are actually in a RACE to build a better business as they Reduce Accidents, Costs and Emissions.

There is a widely accepted rule that a safe fleet is a cost-effective fleet as it creates a virtuous circle of business benefits.

With the right training, drivers have fewer incidents. This reduces insurance premiums and the hidden costs of disruption, such as repair costs, replacement vehicle hire, missed deliveries and appointments, lost business opportunities, management time wasted on related paperwork, employee absences – the list is almost endless.

Furthermore, because vehicles are driven more carefully, they use less fuel. For example, planning ahead on the road reduces braking and acceleration, which can improve fuel efficiency by 30% of more.

In turn, fuel efficient driving reduces vehicle wear and tear, as tyres and brakes last longer. There is also a reduced likelihood of breakdowns.

As vehicles are off the road for repairs less often, a company may not require as many vehicles.

In short, there is a cascade effect of business benefits from a commitment to fleet safety that far exceeds the management time and any costs involved.

A key problem is that benefits are often hidden when it comes to their impact on the bottom line. For example, the best salesperson in the business could actually be the worst when the cost and disruption of their accidents is taken into account.

Therefore, a starting point has to be establishing a clear picture of all fleet costs in a single place. This may require software or external support; there are various independent services dedicated to this issue, such as Driving for Better Business or RoSPA – see resources below.

With the right support, this critical first step is the foundation of building a safe and effective fleet that is fit for purpose and efficient.

The wealth of help and advice available focuses on three key areas of fleet management: the vehicle; the driver; and the journey.

These points are explained by Rivervale Leasing’s Jaymie Stanbrook in the panel below.