By Simon Hill, director at Total Motion

With an estimated 14 million grey fleet vehicles on the roads, one might expect there to be a high level of safety and maintenance of such vehicles, but our recent findings suggest differently.

After conducting an extensive survey in 2007 based on our Vehicle Monitoring Service and uncovering that – on the whole – company car and grey fleet drivers were starting to take more notice about their responsibilities with regards to vehicle maintenance, an updated survey in 2021 now suggests that is not the case.

In fact, more company cars and grey fleet vehicles are not meeting their minimum safety requirements.

SO WHAT’S CHANGED?

The survey looked at key maintenance aspects of a vehicle, including tyres, lights, brakes, MOT and service, maintenance and repair history.

It is a legal requirement to ensure all cars and vans are roadworthy, but the survey shows that many drivers are failing their obligations when using a company car or grey fleet vehicle.

Of the 203,137 new checks completed on company cars/vans and grey fleet vehicles, a staggering 35,420 (17%) were found to have tyres that were either illegal, damaged or were outside the manufacturer’s guidelines.

In addition, the survey found that 13,659 (7%) had an incomplete service, maintenance and repair history.

Additional figures also indicate that around 1% of vehicles had a fault with one or more of the lights or bulbs and brakes which did not meet the manufacturer’s guidelines or recognised standards.

Interestingly, there is a stark difference between the failure rate of company cars and grey fleet, with company cars being better maintained overall, making them an all-round safer option.

This data suggests that company car and grey fleet drivers may not be aware of the full extent of their responsibilities to maintain the vehicle they drive.

Having been involved in the fleet management industry for more than 20 years, I believe more needs to be done to educate and alert all drivers when issuing a company car or grey fleet vehicle.

Since 2007’s report, it is clear there is now a difference in driver attitudes – and understanding the cause of this is key.

Is it that they are time-short? Is there an assumption that newer vehicles won’t need the same level of maintenance and upkeep as older vehicles?

While the latter is true in many cases, there are certain obligations that a company car or grey fleet driver must adhere to in order to protect themselves – and others - on the roads.

The latest survey results highlight the importance of regular vehicle monitoring and vehicle checks. Is it the company’s responsibility to ensure that drivers check their cars on a regular basis?

Absolutely. The employer has the same responsibilities for making sure the vehicle is safe and roadworthy, regardless of ownership.

Ultimately, this comprehensive survey shows that grey fleet needs to be taken seriously by employers as it is a risk to them if not.

Not only that, drivers need to be doing vehicle checks at least weekly to ensure their vehicle is safe.