Awareness over organisations’ legal responsibility regarding their “grey fleets”, employees’ private vehicles used for business travel, remains low, according to Logistics UK and it is launching Grey Fleet Checks as part of its compliance platform Vision. The new functionality, incorporated into Vision’s Licence Check module, allows organisations to reduce risk by managing the compliance of their grey fleets just as they ensure compliance of the vehicles they own.
“Many organisations do not appreciate that their legal responsibility for “grey fleets” is exactly the same as for the vehicles they operate directly,” says Logistics UK’s Director of Partnerships and Digital Services Jemma James. “Privately owned vehicles used for work are classed as work equipment and, if not properly managed, can expose organisations to serious legal and financial risks: breaching health and safety legislation can result in unlimited fines for organisations and in serious cases individuals can face up to two years in prison.”
The UK’s grey fleet is estimated at 14 million vehicles and despite the risks to companies, management and awareness remains low: research has shown almost half of employees who use their private car for business-related journeys have not had their driving licence checked by their employer; a third have not been asked to show a valid MOT certificate and over half of the C-suite questioned believed incorrectly that employees using their personal car to drive for work purposes were not the company’s responsibility*.
“Employers must ensure vehicles are roadworthy, properly maintained and safe to use, supported by evidence such as MOT and servicing records,” continues James. “As a minimum, employers need to check driver licences, vehicle insurance, MOTs and road tax and managing this data to ensure it is accurate and complete is critical for proving compliance.
“Vision’s new Grey Fleet Checks service is a smarter way to manage these checks and has a direct link with the DVLA for real-time data validation and insurance documents are checked using AI and human verification to confirm business coverage. All the data is stored within the Vision platform so is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, and as the platform is fully customisable, organisations can collect information that meets their own company policies including: vehicle age, Euro status, fuel type, mileage, driver age limits, and CO2 emissions.”
Logistics UK is offering a 20% “early-adopter” discount on Grey Fleet Checks and for more information on how it can help keep all fleets compliant visit: logistics.org.uk/vision.
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and the more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. Its compliance software, Vision, is built for flexibility, precision, and seamless scalability and helps manage compliance and operations through a single, easy-to-use portal. Alongside grey fleet checks, the platform provides a one stop shop for all aspects of compliance including tachograph analysis, licence checks, vehicle inspections, walkaround checks, PCN analysis, audits and training.
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