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Fleet Management And Why It Matters
In 2008, the Corporate Manslaughter Act was amended to allow company directors to be prosecuted in the case of fatal road accidents as well as their drivers if the vehicle involved was being used for business purposes. This has given police the powers to seize computers and company records as they now treat every road death as 'unlawful killing'.
Properly implemented fleet management will go towards showing that the due diligence and duty of care has been undertaken by the company. A comprehensive Driving at Work policy must be in place and every employee which drives for the company must sign it. Provided it can be shown that the company directors have taken all necessary steps, prosecution can hopefully be avoided.
A fleet management solution will usually comprise of an onboard computer which gathers data about the vehicle. This device will either store the information to be downloaded when the vehicle returns to base, or will send the data 'live' via wireless transfer. Ranging from simple GPS tracking devices to fully-featured units which will collect data about the vehicles mechanical well-being, fuel consumption and even driver-profiling options, there is an option for every size and requirement of business. Having a more fully-featured fleet management solution in place can sometimes go further towards proving duty of care in the event of an accident, but any of the available ranges can help with proving the company's diligence.
Fleet management is not just something which is used to cover the company directors in the event of an accident. Rather, it is a valuable way of protecting the investments made in both the vehicles and the people employed to drive them. Vehicle tracking can prove a very useful tool if the vehicle is stolen, for example, and the mechanical diagnostics features of some ranges can be an important factor in saving money. It's often far cheaper to repair a failing vehicle part before it fully breaks for example, not to mention the time saved by not having the vehicle breakdown.
There are a wide range of fleet management devices available on the market, and many suppliers are able to provide a solution tailored to the needs of most companies. From helping to show the company has been conscientious in their duty of care in the unfortunate event of an accident, to ensuring the safety and security of their vehicles and employees, these devices are becoming essential additions to any fleet of vehicles.
About the Author Thomas Pretty is a business owner with many years of experience managing fleets of vehicles. Find out more about fleet management at http://www.simplytrak.co.uk/
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