More than 16% of companies with grey fleet drivers carry out no risk checks at all, according to new data compiled by fleet management specialist CLM.

The comprehensive grey fleet study surveyed fleets of all sizes.

The new ‘grey fleet’ study by CLM, part of the Maxxia Group, also investigated how aware businesses of differing sizes were of ‘grey fleet‘ issues and how they approached them.

The research looked at organisations running company car fleets of three sizes:  100-plus vehicles – 53% of those surveyed; 30-99 vehicles – 19%; and less than 30 vehicles – 28%.

The businesses surveyed fell into four categories: those that had a full-time dedicated fleet manager; those that used an employee who had the fleet as part of their business responsibilities; those that employed a professional fleet management supplier; and those that employed a leasing company.

Respondents were asked: “Does your organisation allow employees to drive their own vehicles for business related journeys?”

74% of those surveyed said this was allowed. The greatest percentage of positive replies was in fleets of less than 30 vehicles, where 93% of businesses allowed employees to use their own vehicles.

This compared with 66% in the 100-plus vehicle category, and 50% in the 30-99 vehicle fleet category.

When respondents were asked: “Do you carry out checks to help mitigate risks associated with grey fleet?”, some 62% said they carried out regular checks designed to mitigate the risks of using grey fleet vehicles.

However, as previously stated, 16% of employers who allow their employees to drive their own vehicle for business carried out no checks at all to mitigate the risk associated with grey fleet.

When it came to the types of checks that were carried out: 50% of businesses asked to see driving licences on a regular basis, 44% of businesses checked that employees had appropriate insurance,  36% checked that employees’ vehicles had a valid MOT and were in a roadworthy condition, 30% had used some form of risk assessment and driver training, and 11% used an external organisation to provide a grey fleet management service.

The study also looked at the alternatives that companies offered to employees instead of using their own vehicles on company business.

Overall, the most popular were: Short term hire car (53%), pool car (45%), access to another employee’s car (34%) and incentives to cycle, walk or use public transport (27%).

The most popular alternative was a short term hire vehicle. 43% of businesses with a dedicated fleet manager offered a rental car; as did 57% of those with a part-time fleet manager; 58% of those with an external fleet management provider; and 63% of those that employed a leasing company.

The next popular alternative was the pool car. CLM found that 48% of businesses with a dedicated fleet manager offered a pool car; as did 29% of those with a part-time fleet manager; 75% of companies with an external fleet management provider; and 38% of those that employed a leasing company.

Some 26% of businesses with a dedicated fleet manager offered the alternative of using another employee’s car; as did 43% with a part-time fleet manager; 42% with a professional fleet management company; and 25% that employed a leasing company.

And some 26% of businesses with a dedicated fleet manager offered incentives to use alternatives to the car such as cycling, walking or public transport; as did 19% with a part-time fleet manager; 33% with a professional fleet management company; and 38% that employed a leasing company.

However, 11% of respondents in the smallest fleet category offered no alternative to grey fleet drivers at all, which raised the question of how effectively the grey fleet was being managed, especially if there was no viable alternative offered.