Three steps to keeping your employees on the road

Employees out on the road become something of an unknown risk factor. From the vehicle they drive to their behaviour behind the wheel, if they are on company time, you have a degree of responsibility for them. If anything was to happen while they are driving on company time, there are implications for the employer, such as taking steps to ensure the employee was safe at the time.

This basic, three step approach should be used and enforced with all company drivers. Whether they are new or an existing employee driving a company car, pool car, day rental, company vehicle or personal vehicle, these steps will keep you, the responsible employer, legal and compliant.

Check

The first thing all employers must do is ‘check’. In terms of driving licences, a basic check should involve a visual licence check of the UK Photocard Driving Licence and online check of the information held by the DVLA. The online Share Driving Licence service replaced the paper counterpart in June 2015 and can be accessed by using the last eight digits of the employee’s licence number. You will also need the one-time unique code generated by the employee via the View Driving Licence portal. This will last for 72 hours and is only valid for a solitary check.

The licence should be current, valid with current address. This will confirm the driver’s eligibility to drive different classes of vehicles and should form part of this check.

Record

The next step is to take a record of this check. With driving licences, a dated copy should be taken and stored securely for future reference.

Without recording this check, you have little or no evidence of the check ever being made, should the need ever arise. Although unlikely, this basic step will be invaluable should the need ever arise.

Frequency

The final step is frequency. It is all well and good checking and storing records of driving licences however it’s a pointless exercise if they are checked once every five years. Carlos Montero, commercial director at FleetEurope recommends checking licences on an annual basis at the very minimum. It’s advisable to increase this frequency for high risk drivers i.e. those on nine points or more.

This simple three step approach of Check – Record – Frequency will ensure employers are remaining compliant with legal and duty of care obligations.

Policies should also be in place to deal with any convictions, endorsements and traffic offences that appear on a licence. Any company insurance policies will also need to be informed and updated of audit results.

The best policies include education and training above a certain level of conviction and points. This not only shows you, the employer, actively engaging with any issues that arise but also provides best practice and can increase your drivers safety, reducing your risk.

Grey fleet

The same approach should be adopted for employee vehicles used on company time for business. Known as ‘grey fleet’, these are driver’s own vehicles and pose even great risk for employers. Regardless of annual mileage, vehicle checks should be included with driver checks.

The driver should be asked to complete a vehicle health check sheet, which may include taking copies of MOT and Insurance certificates to check they are all valid and cover for appropriate use. Other items that should be declared are tyre tread depths and last service dates; these will confirm the basic roadworthiness of the vehicle. Again, these should be recorded and checked frequently. If possible, do it every time the vehicle is used, especially if it is infrequently.

Alternatives

Company pool vehicles can offer a viable, cost effective alternative which is lower risk for the employer. Main company pool vehicles are managed by under a maintenance contract and insured directly by the company. However, if under used or not managed properly, it may not be as cost effective.

Rental vehicles are also a credible alternative to ‘grey fleet’. Vehicles are guaranteed to be roadworthy, most tend to be less than 9 months old with low mileages and are fit for purpose on delivery. Rental can be a very flexible tool offering near instant usage and can save a business money.

For journeys over 120 miles, it can be a cost benefit to rent a hire car as the overall cost, including fuel, will be less than costs associated in offering the driver the government fuel reimbursement rates for the same journey over 120miles (Based on average 40mpg and daily rental rate of £40).

Three simple steps

Check. Record. Frequency. It’s a very simply process which will be extremely valuable should anything happen. It will ensure you as a responsible employer have taken measures to remain compliant, legal and keep your employees safe on the open road.