Features
3 Feb 21

New guide to help management of grey fleet drivers

A free new guide is available to help fleet operators manage the risk of drivers using their own cars for business journeys. The size of this ‘grey fleet’ is set to rise due to Covid-19 as employees attempt to socially distance during the pandemic by avoiding public transport for commuting as well as for trips to see clients.

Moreover, working from home and having fewer face-to-face meetings with customers means a growing number of employees will fail to drive the distances required to qualify for a company car; some drivers may also decide they no longer need a company car with its associated tax bill.

Treat grey fleet drivers like company car drivers

This situation needs careful management, according to fleet driver safety specialist, edriving, which warns that employers have the same duty of care to all employees when they drive for business, whether they are in a private or company car.

“You must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees while at work, and ensure that others are not put at risk by your work-related driving activities,” said edriving in its new guide, Grey Fleet Management: The Myths, The Liabilities, The Solutions.

Appoint a grey fleet manager

The guide recommends that companies should appoint a designated manager to take responsibility for managing grey fleet safety. It also suggests that line managers should be trained to understand fully their corporate responsibility to ensure grey fleet safety.

Practical measures include both regular and random driving licence checks as well as a visual inspection of insurance documents to verify policy cover for business journeys. If problems continually arise, the grey fleet policy may need rewriting to ensure drivers fully understand it.

One way to ensure compliance with documentation checks is to withhold reimbursement for business journeys until drivers have provided copies of the driving and vehicle documents.

Set a grey fleet car policy

edriving said the same policies and procedures that apply to company car drivers should also feature in the employment contracts of grey fleet drivers. The fleet safety expert adds that companies should consider imposing a maximum age and minimum NCAP safety standard for any grey fleet vehicle. Typically, grey fleet cars are older than company cars – edriving’s experience indicates that the average age is about eight years, compared to less than four for a company car.

In an ideal scenario, employees would never use their own cars for business trips, relying instead on a pool car, a colleague’s company car, a hire car or public transport. Using a private car should be a last resort.

Six tips to manage a grey fleet driver

  • Every driver must fully understand it is their responsibility to ensure they have adequate business use insurance in place.
  • Drivers must agree to have their driving licences checked regularlyto ensure they are valid and to identify speeding endorsements.
  • Drivers must confirm in writing that they are medically fit to drive. Moreover, they have to notify an organisation of any medical or other conditions that may impact their ability to drive.
  • Employers must make sure that all staff who drive for business are suitably trained and qualified to drive on behalf of the company.
  • Drivers must sign to confirm that they have read, understood and accepted their responsibilities, and acknowledge that they are aware of the consequences of failing to comply.
  • If drivers have no alternative to using their private car for a business journey, they should obtain prior written authorisation from their boss.

Download edriving’s Grey Fleet Management: The Myths, The Liabilities, The Solutions here.

Authored by: Jonathan Manning