5 Fleet Management Pointers For Small Businesses

 This article discusses some of the key things to consider for any small business owner who has to do any fleet management.

1. Driver safety comes first.

This is probably a no-brainer but it really is worth saying. Even if the employee owns the vehicle, you must ensure you have policies and procedures in place to maximise employee safety when they are driving for work. In the case of an accident, you may need to prove you’ve done everything in your power to keep your staff safe and for that reason record-keeping is essential.

Some of the things that you should make sure of are that drivers are licensed, vehicles are roadworthy and insured, and that your drivers are driving responsibly. For this last point, you should provide handbooks or policies on driving styles and consider training programs. Not only does it improve driver safety, it reduces your liability in the event of an accident.

2. Make sure vehicles are in good condition.

Whether the vehicles are owned/leased by your business or employee-owned, you are still responsible for ensuring they are roadworthy when they are used for work. No exceptions.

In order to cover yourself, you should ensure you have a list of all vehicles used for business in your organisation. On that list you should have records of MOTs, service dates and maintenance checks. A telematics solution can help with this by prompting renewal dates and checking the mileage of each vehicle.

You should also do the same with insurance renewal dates and documents.

3. Fulfil your Duty of Care!

This is a legal requirement and extremely important. There are bits of legislation that you should familiarise yourself with, especially the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, 2007. This act means that an employer’s duty of care is to make sure vehicles are roadworthy and if you do not do this, any death of an employee or other road user could result in a prosecution for the business owner or manager.

4. Compliance as a cost-saver

Compliance can seem like a pain and a headache, but at the end of the day it keeps the business safe and can even cut costs. Non-compliance can cause unexpected costs such as:

Staff missing work due to incidents

Fines due to failures of compliance or duty of care

Maintenance costs of vehicles

Inefficient fleets and drivers

5. Good management is good for you.

Managing your fleet properly is not just good for the bottom line, it reduces your stress and potential legal worries. It can improve employee welfare and morale, and increase the productivity of your business as a result.

Staff are your most important investment, so their wellbeing and happiness is paramount to a successful business.

 

Technology can help you achieve all of the above, with modern telematics systems offering incredible insights and control over all aspects of fleet management. If you’d like to know more about how technology can help you manage the challenges facing you today, get in touch to find out about our range of state-of-the-art telematics products.