Q. What is my duty of care to employees driving for work?
Managing the duty of care to employees driving for work is a legal requirement, and this includes employees driving their own vehicles for work. Employers should take reasonably practicable' steps to manage their duty of care, taking into account key risks relating to the driver, the vehicle and the journey.

Q. What is reasonably practicable in terms of duty of care?
There is no firm definition of 'reasonably practicable', but it is down to the individual organisation to assess the risks in each case and to make a judgement on what actions it is reasonable to take to manage the risks in the specific circumstances.

Q. Do I have to carry out documentation checks?
Again, there are no 'hard-and-fast' rules on how to carry out documentation checks and the frequency with which this should be done. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 'Driving and work' paper refers to "periodic" documentation checks and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) identifies a number of documents that could be checked, including MOT certificate, service history, driving licence, business use insurance and registration document.

Q. What tools are available to help me?
There are a number of tools available including:
- Grey Fleet Best Practice paper
- Grey Fleet Business Case (to help organisations raise the issue of grey fleet at a senior level)
- Grey Fleet Case Studies (DWP, Environment Agency, NHS Trusts)
- Decision Tree Tool
- Sample Travel Policy

For specific questions on grey fleet, please email us at fleet@ogc.gsi.gov.uk, putting 'Grey Fleet' in the subject title.

Q. What collaborative frameworks can I use for video-conferencing equipment, public transport, vehicle hire and lease?
The following frameworks are enabled for use by all UK contracting authorities and may offer useful alternatives to grey fleet travel:

Q. What are my duties under the Corporate Manslaughter Act?
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force in April 08, creating a new offence where death is caused by a gross breach of duty of care by senior management. This means that where it can be proved that senior management are responsible for a gross breach of duty of care relating to an employee driving for work and that death has resulted from this breach, penalties can be applied including unlimited fines and publicity orders.

Q. When does it become more cost effective to offer an employee a lease car over grey fleet?
This will depend on the deal your organisation has in place for vehicle leasing and the contribution you pay towards leasing costs. Analysis in a number of public sector organisations has indicated that the typical point at which it becomes more cost effective to take an employee out of grey fleet and provide a lease car is somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 miles a year.

Q. When does it become more cost effective to use a hire car instead of grey fleet?
This will depend on the deal your organisation has in place for vehicle hire and typical patterns of usage in terms of vehicle size, length of hire and delivery and collection. Analysis in a number of public sector organisations has indicated that the typical point at which it becomes more cost effective for an employee to do a one-day journey in a hire car rather than the grey fleet is somewhere between 75 and 120 miles for an Astra-sized vehicle with delivery and collection.

Q. What organisations have already tackled grey fleet and with what success?
A number of private and public sector organisations have tackled grey fleet in recent years:
- In the private sector, Barclays and Serco have taken steps to encourage employees out of grey fleet vehicles, and to robustly manage the risk where employees do use grey fleet.
- In the public sector, examples of organisations that have addressed grey fleet are: Environment Agency; OGC; DWP; Department for Transport (DfT); HMRC; and some NHS Trusts. 
 
Framework Contact
DWP Vehicle Purchase Framework Contact OGC Service Desk:
0845 000 4999
NHS PASA Vehicle Leasing Framework Contact OGC Service Desk:
0845 000 4999
OGC buying solutions Travel Framework: Vehicle Hire Contact OGCbs Service Desk:
0845 410 2222
OGC buying solutions Travel Framework: Rail Contact OGCbs Service Desk:
0845 410 2222
OGC buying solutions Video-Conferencing Software deal Contact OGCbs Service Desk:
0845 410 2222

Source: Office of Goverment Commerce