Fleets can address increases in SMR costs and vehicle off-road times by taking action on driver bad habits, Venson Automotive Solutions has suggested.

Ongoing driver training and a requirement for drivers to carry out basic maintenance checks will help reduce vehicle damage

According to BVRLA’s half-year Industry Outlook Survey, operators are being hit by an “array of aftermarket aggravation”. Its members say declining parts availability and rising labour costs are leading to SMR prices and off-road times increasing.

But fleet management business Venson advises that adopting driver training can help reduce unnecessary wear and tear on cars and vans caused by driving style or lack of care.

It’s urging fleet managers to take action on driver bad habits which commonly cause unnecessary damage to the transmission, clutch, suspension or other expensive parts without the driver realising it’s happening.

Salient examples include using gears to slow down, especially at higher speed instead of braking, heavy acceleration on a cold engine or in high gears, heavy braking and leaving a foot resting on the clutch.

Overloading the vehicle, hitting potholes or speed bumps at speed or ignoring dashboard warning lights can also lead to costly damage.

But this can be avoided by introducing driver training as part of continual professional development, to not only reduce avoidable damage to vehicles but also to help highlight how it increases driver safety and the efficiency of the fleet.

And Venson has said that fleets should consider daily or weekly vehicle walkaround checks that can be recorded using an app, remining drivers how to maintain their vehicle to ensure it remains fit for purpose for as long as possible.

Simon Staton, director of client management, said: “We are probably all guilty of some laziness or bad habits behind the wheel from time to time. Most of us will be entirely unaware that we are damaging our car when we leave a hand resting on the gear stick after changing gear, or shift into reverse while still moving forward, for example. With budgets already stretched, the last thing fleet managers need is to be paying for avoidable vehicle repairs or end of lease wear-and-tear charges caused by driver induced damage.”

The company says regular reminders through ongoing driver training, and a requirement for employees to carry out basic maintenance checks will help protect vehicles from anything other than the usual unavoidable wear and tear.

Staton continued: “We would encourage fleet managers to ensure that their drivers receive regular refresher training as well as reminders about maintenance requirements and what faults must be reported. To add further budget protection, fleet managers could also consider implementing a fleet policy that recharges damage repair fees back to repeat offenders if issues are not reported when they happen.”