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UK firms neglecting grey fleet drivers

By / 11 years ago / Latest News / No Comments

The Fleet21 Business Driver Report2, which looks at the current trends and attitudes of business drivers in more than 500 UK businesses, found that a third (31%) of employers do not check whether grey fleet drivers have the correct business car insurance, while nearly half (43%) said that they do not check whether grey fleet vehicles have valid MOTs. 

Fleet21 has found that just 37% of grey fleet cars are checked by businesses for their roadworthiness, compared to 75% of company car vehicles. 

In addition, only a quarter (24%) of grey fleet drivers are individually risk assessed compared to 35% of company car drivers.

Overall, the report found fleet driver safety initiatives to be inadequate, with driver education given only to 20% of grey fleet drivers and 28% of company car drivers. In addition, only 20% of company car drivers have their mental state and attitude assessed, and this drops to a worrying 16% for grey fleet drivers. The one exception to the trend is that the majority of businesses surveyed check the driving licences of both company car (75%) and grey fleet drivers (73%). 

Simon Turner, managing director, Fleet21, said: ‘Grey fleet compliance is a key issue for businesses in 2013. Employers need to realise that however far, or infrequently, their grey fleet drivers travel, they still pose a significant risk to their business. In our experience, grey fleets are often the forgotten drivers with businesses unsure of how to assess their risk and what action to take. As a result, adequate processes are not being put in place which is a worrying state of affairs.’

Turner added: ‘While there is no “one size fits all” solution for managing driver safety compliance, initiatives needn’t be costly or time consuming. It is vital that employers act responsibly and take the time to understand legislation, making all reasonable effort to minimise risk for both company car and grey fleet drivers.’

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.