In this post we will outline your key responsibilities when it comes to your grey fleet. If you want to discuss grey fleet drivers or any other aspect of fleet management, get in touch with us on commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com or 020 8290 9099.
What is a Grey Fleet?
A grey fleet is a system whereby employees use their own vehicles for business purposes. Read our essential introduction to grey fleets.
Your Duty of Care to Your Grey Fleet Drivers
Even though grey fleet drivers are using their own vehicles, you still have the same duty of care obligations as you would to any other fleet driver.
This means that you must follow certain legislation when managing your grey fleet drivers, including:
- Health and Safety at Work 1974
- Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- Driving at Work: Managing Work-Related Road Safety
If your business has a grey fleet, then it should also have a dedicated person in charge of managing the grey fleet drivers’ health and safety. All grey fleet drivers’ employment contracts should also stipulate that they must follow the same rules as company car drivers.
How to Keep Your Grey Fleet Drivers Safe
- Understand the scale of your grey fleet. Make a list of every employee who uses their vehicle for business purposes, and the vehicle they drive – whether they are a cash allowance driver, or an occasional business travel driver. Read our guide to the different types of grey fleet drivers.
- Set minimum standards for the vehicles employees can use for business purposes. At the very least, you should stipulate that the vehicle should have a 5 Star Euro NCAP Rating for safety. You may also want to place limits on the vehicle’s age, size, and mileage.
- Make sure grey fleet drivers stay on top of servicing and maintenance. Some fleet management apps allow you to add grey drivers to the system, which can make it easier to keep tabs on your grey fleet drivers’ annual tests and renewals.
- Provide training and support. Invest in advanced driver training for your grey fleet drivers, to help ensure that no drivers in your fleet are posing any particular risks to your business. If you cannot afford to train your entire grey fleet, find a way to identify any high risk drivers.
- Find ways to keep tabs on your grey fleet drivers. Offer your grey fleet drivers incentives to install driver monitoring tech in their cars, such as telematic systems. This will help you identify any potential risks among your grey fleet drivers, so you can provide targeted interventions where necessary.
- Encourage your grey fleet drivers to switch to a company car. You will have more control when it comes to company cars, which will make risk management much easier. Offer incentives, such as a salary sacrifice scheme, to try and encourage your grey fleet drivers to use a company car, instead of their own vehicle.
Getting The Right Cover For Your Grey Fleet Drivers
Finally, it’s important to ensure that your fleet insurance covers you for the risks associated with grey fleet drivers.
At Anthony Jones, we can help you conduct a thorough risk assessment to make sure you’re doing all you can to effectively manage your grey fleet. We can then help you get some specialist grey fleet insurance that’s tailored to cover your specific requirements.
If you want to discuss grey fleet drivers or any other aspect of fleet management, get in touch with us on commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com or 020 8290 9099.
