A recent eDriving eBook takes a closer look at grey fleet management, outlining everything you need to know about managing driver safety in grey vehicles, including questions about the driver, the vehicle, and the route taken. Download the eBook below and contact us if you`d like us to put you in touch with a member of the eDriving team. Fleet management, fleet services, fleet solutions, grey fleet, health and safety law, health and safety law, health and safety regulations, health and safety standards, what it is. Grey Fleet Statistics Source: Alphabet Grey Fleet Route Management “With modern digital technology such as the TTC Continuum platform for driver and fleet risk management, it is no longer as challenging as it used to be to provide practical, reliable and fully affordable solutions to ensure drivers and businesses comply with traffic laws and regulations of the health and safety. In addition to conducting a professional vehicle and employee risk assessment, employers must have agreed on and ensure that a comprehensive risk management strategy for workplace conduct is followed. In the unfortunate event of a “at work” motor vehicle accident, employers must be able to demonstrate that they have taken “reasonably practicable” measures to comply with their due diligence obligations to their employees, including grey fleet drivers. It is a legal obligation for an employer to manage its grey fleet with the same care as its own fleet. However, consistency is essential and it is important to collect the correct documentation throughout the integration of the grey fleet. Employees need to know who to report traffic accidents, near misses and proof of insurance, as well as the vehicle`s road safety. This can be the last line of defense to protect an employer from liability in the event of an employee collision or a third-party claim. Overall, there are three main reasons to fight the grey fleet: health and safety, cost savings and the environment. When an employer owns their fleet, they can often mitigate the risks by ensuring that all vehicles are properly maintained, roadworthy, taxed and insured.
However, there is evidence that companies do not manage their grey fleet with the same level of safety or care. Vehicles in the grey fleet tend to be older, of poorer quality and less fuel efficient than the average company car, and the data suggests that driving at work carries a higher risk of collision. When these statistics are examined in conjunction with around 14 million grey fleet vehicles currently on UK roads, an employee`s potential road accident becomes increasingly likely. Gray fleet management is often an overlooked part of driver and fleet management for businesses of all sizes, a fact corroborated by a recent Enterprise Rent-A-Car research project. The research found that 54% of grey fleet drivers do not routinely perform basic vehicle safety inspections, putting them at risk of potentially using a vehicle that is not legally safe to drive. Why should companies deal with the safety risks of grey fleets? TTC Group developed the TTC Continuum platform to simplify and streamline many of a company`s driver and fleet risk management tasks, including grey fleet management. In the UK in particular, the rollback of lockdown measures in the coming months means there could be an increase in the number of people driving to work, which could be a bit out of practice. This has an impact on those who commute to the office or use their own vehicle (grey fleet) for business purposes. The HSE guide covers the use of private vehicles during business trips. Employers may be held liable if employees use an unroadworthy vehicle for business purposes. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that they have verified that employees have a valid driver`s license, that they monitor the vehicle`s maintenance history, and that auto insurance also covers professional use. Many organizations still don`t check the driver`s license or auto insurance of their gray fleet drivers “at work.” Throughout the UK, the law requires every grey fleet vehicle to be roadworthy and legally checked and for an organisation to be able to prove that its grey fleet employee has a valid driving licence, commercial insurance and vehicle roadworthiness inspection.
In Europe, the European Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on the health and safety of workers requires every employer to carry out a risk assessment. Due diligence, occupational safety and road safety are legal requirements in all EU Member States. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) gives advice on grey fleet management and has published a guide: Managing Grey Fleet Safety – a short guide for companies whose employees drive their own car to work. ConclusionFleet policy is ineffective if it is not properly communicated and managed. It should also be checked regularly. By managing the grey fleet, companies can meet their due diligence obligations while achieving significant cost savings and minimizing productivity losses due to the absence of employees due to a death or injury in a workplace traffic accident. In addition, they can improve their social responsibility by reducing their carbon footprint. As the figures above show, the grey fleet can be much larger than expected, especially if eligible employees have taken money instead of a company car.
Historically, this happened at a time when company cars were unfairly taxed as a benefit. Today, attractive BAK tariffs combined with low CO2 emissions, combined with a wide choice, no longer do this. In fact, many responsible organizations are taking steps to encourage fund-takers to return to company cars and are introducing attractive motor compensation exemption programs. Andy Wheeler, Technical Delivery Manager at TTC Group, shared his thoughts and experiences of working with organisations to improve the management of their grey fleet: “Are grey fleets colliding? Most likely! Moving to a grey fleet is currently an attractive solution for many companies, but are companies prepared for risk management? It is very worrying that more than 50% of grey fleet drivers skip routine safety checks, with lack of tyre maintenance being the biggest concern. “Grey fleet” is simply the term used to describe all vehicles that are not part of the company, but are used for business travel. It can be a vehicle purchased under an employee share ownership program, a privately leased vehicle, or an employee-owned vehicle. If they are driven as part of company operations, often for cash or fuel costs, then these vehicles are considered part of the “grey fleet” – and are therefore the responsibility of the employer. It`s important to make sure your company has details for everyone who drives to work, whether they`re company car drivers or members of your grey fleet.
