Fleets need to make sure they have plans in place to cover the withdrawal of critical services by suppliers, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
The organisation’s chair, Paul Hollick, said that recent years had seen an increasing number of cases of fleet industry suppliers either withdrawing from market sectors, or going out of business entirely.
He said: “These situations can cause immediate and ongoing disruption to essential fleet services. For example, rental vehicles may be recovered without notice, leaving drivers and goods without transport – or risk management may be affected because of the removal of access to service, maintenance and repair providers.”
Hollick said fleets who found themselves looking for critical services in a limited timeframe often ended up facing longer-term issues.
He said: “This is really where the need for contingency planning is most apparent. If a dozen drivers are calling you simultaneously because garages won’t release vehicles that have been serviced under a maintenance provider that just called in the receivers, it’s very useful to be able to reach for a structured document designed to handle such a situation.
“We’re finding our members are increasingly interested in creating a formal ‘Plan B’ of this type to cover key services, including everything from short-term measures that keep your fleet safe and mobile, through to maintaining relationships with suppliers who could deliver an alternative provision.
“It’s not a huge task when integrated into your day-to-day fleet management but could prove a godsend if an issue arises.”
Hollick added that AFP members were often able to share information about suppliers that could be facing issues, helping each other to avoid problems.
