Driving in winter is usually tougher, which means fleets have a host of duty of care-related issues to consider. Here’s how to prepare your drivers…
Ensure your Vehicles are Suitable
It doesn’t matter how capable your drivers are, they’re only as good as the vehicles they’re driving. Conduct thorough checks on all of your fleet vehicles, the essentials are: radiators, wiper blades, lights, exhausts, heaters, tires, brakes and batteries. Getting them serviced in bulk can be pricey, but it’s cheaper than experiencing breakdowns. Immobile vehicles, after all, don’t generate business. You should also weigh up the pros and cons of having the likes of winter tyres installed. These will provide drivers with much more grip and, even in the absence of other mechanical faults, will prevent drivers from getting struck and stranded in particularly poor weather.
Inform and Train your Drivers
It’s useful to know how knowledgeable your drivers actually are when it comes to safe driving in general. Most employers, especially SMEs, tend to check for appropriate qualifications and endorsements and then leave staff to their responsibilities; in which they’ll either function or fail. But the issue is more complex and on-going than this. Drivers need be consistently made aware of risks, obligations and duty of care considerations. You can’t do this effectively without knowing what they know and what they don’t. Simple questionnaires are a good way around this. In terms of winter, ask about how hills, curves and steering etc. should be approached. Make sure that answers are analysed and, if necessary, corrected. All of this means your drivers will have a better idea of how to behave behind the wheel and you’ll be demonstrating clear duty of care to boot.
Define and Impose Meaningful Standards
Drivers should be behaving in a certain way whilst behind the wheel in winter time; they should understand what this consists of and why it’s important. Practically, they should be sticking to main roads (which are better cared for and gritted), avoiding driving through deep water (anything more than 10cm), reducing speed and using head and fog lights as and where appropriate. Also encourage them to listen to weather forecasts and to keep a charged mobile phone with them at all times. They should also know how to react should they find themselves in an accident or breaking down; official guidelines should direct them on how to respond quickly, safely and efficiently.
ULEZ Expansion Costs Non-Compliant Drivers £100 Million – https://autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/ulez-expansion-costs-non-compliant-drivers-100-million/
A Third Of Young Drivers Are Putting Off Car Repairs – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/a-third-of-young-drivers-are-putting-off-car-repairs/