A new online audit module is now available in Licence Check’s DAVIS risk management solution to tackle the ‘explosion’ in the number of grey fleet drivers as a result of the pandemic.
The driver risk and licence checking specialist said growing numbers of employees using their own cars on company business would increase the need for companies to carry out more robust checks to maintain compliance.
And earlier this year, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) warned of rising grey fleet use due to the pandemic and said the fleet sector would need to be “very single-minded when it comes to ensuring that risk management is well-controlled”.
But according to Derby-based Licence Check, part of Ebbon Group, many companies acknowledge they don’t have full insight into the numbers of grey fleet drivers they currently have on their fleet.
A detailed audit of the workforce can therefore show the scale of the problem for fleets, and the new online module can be used to confirm who is driving for business, the vehicle they use and whether it’s theirs, how far they are driving for work, the times of day, the types of road typically travelled and accident history.
The responses produce a risk score per driver which is aggregated to give a company-wide risk profile. The data can also be used to seamlessly populate records within DAVIS for those driving for business.
Once a driver is registered, DAVIS can check that drivers have valid driving licences and ensure that drivers have access to company policy documents, and that these have been received and understood.
The module can be used in a standalone exercise or combined with other services within the DAVIS system. This includes the existing grey fleet module, which checks that the vehicle is taxed, and verifies its engine size, CO2 emissions and MOT status against DVLA records.
The grey fleet module also allows drivers to enter their own insurance details, to ensure they are covered for business use, along with all service history and to enable roadworthiness checks.
Much of the process is automated and the emphasis is also on the driver to complete his or her details, as with many of the DAVIS services.
Terry Hiles, general manager at Licence Check, added: “The grey fleet issue should become an area of increasing concern in the ‘new normal’ and robust systems need to be in place to ensure businesses are compliant and fully covered. Doing nothing should not be an option.”
