Mycompanyfleet says grey fleet near top of fleet concerns
Company fleet managers still have huge concerns about their grey fleet drivers and the risks they expose their companies to through having inadequate insurance, poorly serviced vehicles and too infrequent licence checks.
Company fleet managers still have huge concerns about their grey fleet drivers and the risks they expose their companies to through having inadequate insurance, poorly serviced vehicles and too infrequent licence checks.
That’s the view from Mycompanyfleet, the automotive arm of leading HR software supplier NorthgateArinso, which says that the management of the grey fleet is still near the top of the list of major concerns for fleet managers, following feedback from the fleet market.
Mycompanyfleet cites the example of one major organisation with several thousand grey fleet drivers which it was managing through a complicated spreadsheet to ensure that they were properly insured, were servicing their vehicles regularly and were completing regular licence checks.
This required a huge amount of internal fleet administration in chasing up drivers to check they had followed company guidelines regarding their vehicles and checking that documentation was up to date.
That organisation has now switched to Mycompanyfleet’s grey fleet software solution, Driver Self-Serve, to manage its entire grey fleet and reduce the amount of administrative burden faced by its internal fleet management staff.
All aspects of managing the grey fleet are now fully automated, reminders are sent out routinely and automatically via email, and managers only have to pay attention to exceptions that are flagged up when drivers fail to meet deadlines to have their vehicles serviced or undergo insurance or licence checks.
This has cut down the need to contact up to a thousand drivers at one time, to a far more manageable 20-30 who are flagged up in exception reports as not having completed the necessary documentation.
“In this case, our grey fleet solution has dramatically reduced the amount of internal fleet management time needed to validate that drivers have completed the documentation, updated their records and have the necessary authorizations,” Mycompanyfleet business executive, Luke Hicks.
“The organisation in question realized just how time-consuming the management of the grey fleet was, without necessarily satisfying itself that it was covering all the risk that it posed.
“Driver Self-Serve solution provides organisations with peace of mind and the means to effectively manage the risks associated with the grey fleet in a completely automated way and ensures all vehicles meet fitness for purpose and duty of care requirements.
“This includes checking and validating whether drivers have appropriate levels of business insurance that allows them to drive on company business, rather than social, domestic and pleasure cover which clearly does not.
“Driver Self-Serve also validates business mileages and the condition and roadworthiness of vehicles being used for business purposes to ensure that the company remains legally complaint and meets its duty of care obligations, not just to its drivers but the public at large,” he said.
The Driver Self-Serve system completely automates a number of grey fleet requirements such as business insurance, mileage and driver licence checks, as well as handling service reminders and other time-sensitive alerts , and advises drivers and fleet managers when a vehicle will need to be booked in for the next service to be carried out.
Grey fleet drivers log on to a dedicated Driver Self-Serve web portal and, in doing so, sign an agreement that they have adequate insurance, an up to date and valid driving licence and that they have had their vehicle serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s approved service schedule, or with the company’s own bespoke servicing schedule.
The drivers’ line manager can then confirm that the driver has adequate cover to use their vehicle on company business and can then authorize payment of any appropriate mileage or motoring -related expenses.
Used in this way, the system provides the fleet manager with all of the information necessary to confirm that the vehicle and the driver meet duty of care requirements, and provides an easily followed audit trail.