Automotive Business Magazine – Q2 2026 – Digital edition - Magazine - Page 62
OPI N I O N
FLEET
Overwork and
T
hese days, fleet managers
are operating under relentless
commercial pressure, with
tight margins, demanding
clients, and 'instant' delivery
transforming their roles into
24/7 positions.
Amid this pressure, one
serious risk often falls by the
wayside: driver fatigue.
Fatigue in professional drivers is a
lot more serious than simply feeling
tired while at work. It is a scientifically
recognised impairment which negatively
impacts reaction times, concentration,
and hazard perception.
Legally, tiredness on the road can
be just as serious as being impaired
by alcohol or other drugs, and thus
it becomes a major liability risk for
fleet managers.
Looking at the data
Data from the Department for Transport
(DfT) reveals that each year there are
hundreds of collisions involving tired or
overworked drivers, with fatigue shown
to be a contributing factor in around 20%
of crashes on the UK’s major roads.
The real figure is likely to be even
higher as it can be difficult to prove
fatigue – unlike with drugs and alcohol,
there is no roadside test for tiredness.
Instead, investigators will examine
shift patterns, breaks, schedules, and
look for evidence of overwork. Depending
on what they find, the blame can end up
falling squarely onto the fleet manager.
Thankfully, the legal obligations of fleet
managers are very clear. Employers have
a duty of care under health and safety
laws to protect both their employees and
the public from 'foreseeable harm'.
For this reason, if a driver causes
a major crash due to fatigue, the
ramifications can extend far beyond
insurance claims.
Companies will likely face civil liability,
scrutiny from the regulator, or even
corporate manslaughter proceedings.
The issue is not confined to one area
of the driving world. Fatigue affects van
62
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
Q2 2026
drivers, service engineers, sales teams,
and gray fleet drivers using their own
vehicles for work.
The gig economy has also blurred the
traditional boundaries. When drivers feel
time pressured, overworked or expected
to meet unrealistic workloads, they will
skip breaks and work extended hours,
increasing risk.
Battling fatigue
It is also important to remember that
fatigue is a cumulative problem, and isn’t
simply the result of a few long shifts.
Repeated early starts along with late
finishes build up unacceptable levels of
