Fleets are giving car risk management a “much lower priority” than vans, according to FleetCheck, which is urging fleets to redress their thinking.

Fleets should give equal priority to car and van fleet management, says FleetCheck

Peter Golding, managing director, said that fleets tended to think of vans more as working tools that were often treated roughly by their users, while cars were seen more as personal transport that would be cared for by drivers – but explained this thinking is wrong and said all fleet safety responsibility is the same, regardless of vehicle type.

Golding added that the different funding methods often used for cars and vans was also a factor.

“It remains quite common to come across fleets where vans are outright purchased and cars are leased with maintenance. There is a frequent misconception that, in this situation, the responsibility for maintaining the vehicle is passed over to the leasing company. Of course, this simply isn’t true – it remains with the employer.”