ABM_1 - Flipbook - Page 67
OPINION
FLEET
someone driving for work. A lack of
understanding won’t protect employers
if things go wrong - they’ll still be liable if
there’s an accident.
Businesses must take greater
responsibility for the safety, legality, and
roadworthiness of all vehicles used for
work. If they don’t, they risk serious legal
ramifications.
The essential checklist
If you’re an employer and any of your
employees use their own vehicle for
work purposes, there are a number of
essential steps you need to take:
1. Check documentation
Make sure all employees driving for
work have valid driving licences, MOT
documents, and are appropriately
insured for their driving – and that
these don’t lapse. Driving for Better
Business research has found that one
in three drivers who use their own
car for work aren’t insured to make
business journeys.
2. Check the safety of your drivers
National regulator, The Health and
Safety Executive (HSE), states that
employers must assess the health and
safety capabilities and competence
of employees driving for work. This
would include checks on an employee’s
experience, attitude and maturity, any
driving offences, physical capabilities,
and the level of skill needed to safely
complete their job.
3. Check the safety of the vehicle
HSE also reminds employers that
they have an obligation to make sure
any vehicle used for business is safe
– and remains safe. Insurance firm
Marsh McLennan recommends that
employers collect the details of each
vehicle that’s used for work – including
registration, age, mileage, and
safety rating.
4. Invest in training
Although HSE says employers have a
responsibility to ensure workers are
adequately trained - and this extends
to driving – many are falling short. A
survey of senior grey fleet managers
found that only 51% say their business
invests in training for drivers, meaning
large numbers of businesses are
making themselves more vulnerable
to risk.
Driver First Assist’s recent ‘Driving
Down Inequality’ campaign highlights
the issue that many employees driving
for work are excluded from incident
response and first-aid training,
because they aren’t based in a
fixed location.
Not only does this threaten their
physical safety, it opens employers up
to possible prosecution for failing to
provide adequate training.
5. Create a driving policy
Industry experts also suggest
employers draw up a clear driving
policy for their team. This should
include the requirements that must
be fulfilled in order to drive for work,
what’s expected of employees, and
their driving responsibilities.
Currently, only a third of businesses
ask grey fleet drivers to sign and stick
to a driver policy.
6. Offer guidance on repairs and
maintenance
As with any cars, repairs and
maintenance for your grey fleet will
be necessary from time to time to
ensure road safety. To ensure that
all vehicles under your responsibility
are properly maintained by drivers,
having recommended guidance on
what employees should do for repairs
and maintenance could help you avoid
unnecessary risk.
Establishing partnerships with reliable
garages and garage networks, like
FixMyCar, provides employers with peace
of mind that their grey fleet will always
receive quality care and parts during any
servicing or repairs it may need.
The grey fleet is saving UK businesses.
But employers must properly manage its
risks. If they don’t want its cost-saving
benefits replaced by legal costs and
damages, they need to pay attention
to these risks and take appropriate
steps to mitigate them. The grey fleet
is still a boon for business – but only
if they fully understand and own their
responsibilities.i
Q4 2025 AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
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