Recent reports highlighting growing levels of delayed car maintenance could have risk implications for employees and organisations.
The research shows that MOT advisories, which commonly include worn tyres or brake pads, issues with suspension, lights or corrosion, are ignored by as many as 20% of drivers, and goes on to show that one in six drivers who ignore MOT advisories experience a vehicle breakdown or crash as a result.
Given there are 14 million grey fleet vehicles on UK roads, covering 12.5 billion miles each year, it is likely that many private vehicles being driven for business are being driven without some essential repairs. This could result in drivers being more liable to a breakdown or a road incident.
Businesses that rely on grey fleet for some or all of their business travel need to consider how they can ensure employees only drive vehicles that are safe for work-related purposes.
An employer’s duty of care to ‘ensure the health, safety and welfare at work, including while driving for work, of their employees’ extends to the use of a private vehicle for work.
We find many businesses are unsure whether they are permitted to ask an employee about vehicle maintenance and appropriate insurance cover for business journeys. We recommend applying the same level of attention and detail to grey fleet motoring as to the company’s own fleet. Many businesses are also looking for alternative solutions, such as shared mobility like employee car clubs, to provide employees with more travel options.
We are seeing growing concern that grey fleet may put pressure on employees who may be struggling with vehicle costs, especially as mileage reimbursement rates have remained at 45p per mile since 2011. There is also concern about the reputational damage to a business caused by employees motoring for the business in a vehicle that is clearly in need of repair.
The business case is increasingly showing the value of expanding the travel policy to include a wider range of choices that make business travel as convenient for an employee as using their own vehicle for work.
It’s also worth noting that poor maintenance and its associated risks may be an issue for pool cars too. Today’s streamlined businesses may not have the expertise and resource to ensure adequate oversight for vehicle maintenance dispersed across many locations. Defaulting to an annual service or MOT is not sufficiently frequent to cover all the small day to day checks such as tyre treads, windscreen wipers, fuel and lights that need to be undertaken very regularly.
Additionally, organisations may be at risk of prosecution unless grey fleet drivers who work remotely or in a hybrid arrangement have the same access to first aid training and access to support in an emergency. According to the recent Driving Down Inequality campaign by Driver First Assist, remote employees who make grey fleet business trips should have the same support as workers at fixed locations like offices or warehouses to ensure compliance with all health and safety requirements.
There are many benefits to offering employees convenient, easy to use alternatives to grey fleet as part of a managed business travel programme, focused on creating a great travel experience for every journey.
Providing access to well maintained, lower-emission vehicles helps to ensure employee safety, simplifies administration and delivers a better employee experience, all with the potential to reduce emissions and costs along the way. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Andy Bland is head of business rental development UK and Ireland for Enterprise Mobility
