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I hesitated before putting pen to paper this week (or fingers to keyboard!) as the subject I want to talk about, the smoking ban, has been widely covered from seemingly every angle over the last few months...
I hesitated before putting pen to paper this week (or fingers to keyboard!) as the subject I want to talk about, the smoking ban, has been widely covered from seemingly every angle over the last few months.
Most companies and employees are increasingly aware of their responsibilities come July 1st, in particular the fact that the smoking will now be forbidden in many company vehicles and that all vehicles covered must be equipped with the required 'No Smoking' stickers.
Coverage has, inevitably, focussed upon implementation and employer concerns about policing their drivers, but I do think there is a positive fleet angle to the ban which has either been missed or ignored.
A recurring headache for fleet managers is the negative effect of smoking on vehicle condition, particularly at disposal. Burns to upholstery, carpets or plastic fascias can be common in vehicles used by smokers and often attract damage charges if leased or reduced resale values if bought outright.
Smoking also creates a further problem with fleet management. Reallocating vehicles to other members of staff is a sensible way of preventing early termination charges (if leased) or depreciation losses (if company owned) in the event of a driver leaving mid term. However, if the previous driver has smoked in the vehicle, many in the non-smoking majority will, rightly, be reluctant to take the vehicle on, reducing the potential for reallocation. And, however much a vehicle is valeted, it is practically impossible to remove the smell of cigarette smoke.
The smoking ban offers the opportunity for fleet managers to rid themselves of the smoky vehicle headache once and for all and make some valuable cost savings along the way. Oh, and isn't there a health benefit involved somewhere!
Until next week.
Mike
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