Driving safety at the Health & Safety Event

For a long time, driver risk management was seen as the responsibility of fleet managers. If you were the person managing company cars or vans and therefore responsible for handing over the keys to the employee, it would most likely be up to you to issue policies on the use of company vehicles. Check whether the driver had a driver’s license. and dealing with the outcomes of any subsequent incidents.

The world of business driving has changed. The continued shift towards leasing-based fleet management has seen companies move away from managing company-owned vehicles by a fleet or transportation manager, with vehicle replacement cycles and repairs now being outsourced to leasing and accident management providers. In some cases there is no longer a specific role for the internal fleet manager; the associated responsibilities have been added to the long list of tasks handled by a facilities manager.

Why you can manage your fleet now

The overall landscape has been influenced by many additional factors, including the prevalence of car allowances, along with remote or hybrid working, which have driven the continued growth of the country’s ‘grey fleet’. For some companies, this has expanded the scope of fleet risk management to include collecting information about employees’ own vehicles and their insurance, and reassessing each employee’s need for business travel. For others, such as those in the ride-sharing and last-mile delivery industries, the reliance on “gig” workers who are not considered employees has resulted in the disconnect between driver and vehicle management of the entire operating model.

For many health and safety managers, the result is an expansion of their area of ​​responsibility, amid a sea of ​​unknowns. The great thing is that those with health and safety knowledge are best placed to understand and implement the policies and procedures that impact worker safety, and to address the human factors. This shift in responsibility will naturally involve a reframing of fleet management as an area driven by the need to ensure employee welfare, as opposed to supplying equipment and controlling costs. Ultimately, companies will benefit financially from robust, human-centered risk management for drivers, by reducing the number of collisions and associated costs of repairs and downtime, and by avoiding negative reputational impacts.

Empowering solutions

At IAM RoadSmart, our focus must reflect these changes in the landscape for businesses. As a road safety charity, our primary aim is to ensure the safety of all road users. Developing our solutions to support and empower health and safety professionals is an increasingly important and meaningful journey. We have already started in 2024 RoadSmartour updated online risk management portal, app-based e-learning for drivers.

Later this year we’ll also be launching a learning workshop for managers who are keen to learn more about what they need to do to achieve compliance and improve driver safety, tackling the challenges you ask us about at trade shows!

More information at iamroadsmart.com/business