You must be prepared to answer questions such as :
� Did the driver have a valid driving licence ?
� Was the driver correctly insured ?
� Was the vehicle roadworthy ?
� Was the driver in a fit state to drive ?
� Did the employer have a driving policy in place ?
� Did the employer make the driver aware of his / her own responsibilities when driving on behalf of the organisation ?
If you ’ re unable to answer these questions satisfactorily , and to prove that you have done your best to assess and minimise any risk associated with your grey fleet drivers , you risk facing legal action .
So , to ensure you deal with these risks appropriately you need to be certain you ’ re treating your grey fleet with the same stringent measures as you have in place for your company fleet .
Starting with the fundamental basics : with penalty points / endorsements as these drivers often carry an increased level of risk .
Insurance - an employee ’ s private motor insurance policy for social , domestic and pleasure use will generally only cover them to travel between their home and one main place of business , so in commandeering them to use their own vehicle on business , you have a duty to ensure they adjust their level of insurance accordingly .
If the employee doesn ’ t have business motor insurance , you could be seen to be permitting them to drive without the correct level of cover in place , thus breaking the law .
Know your drivers
Recent research has shown that there are an estimated 24,000 employees driving illegally for companies in the UK .
This includes drivers who have provisional licences , those with licences that have been revoked or suspended and those who have invalidated their insurance by amassing too many penalty points .
It goes without saying that you wouldn ’ t want anyone listed in the above categories driving for your business . Yet if you aren ’ t checking , how would you know ?
In 2003 , HSE ( The Health and Safety Executive ) published ‘ Driving at Work ’, a comprehensive , common-sense guide to occupational driving , covering all key employer / employee obligations and giving invaluable guidance to companies to help them fulfil their legal duty of care .
The guide specifically asks employers : “ Do you check the validity of the driving licence on recruitment and periodically thereafter ?” – thus making it clear that validating a driver upon joining the company is only the start , and that regular checking is the only way to ensure continued compliance in this area . �
Documented policies - have a written policy in place to govern work related driving , as well as a drivers ’ handbook that clearly details employee responsibilities and why they are important , both for the driver , and for you as their employer .
Is the driver aware of his / her own responsibilities when driving on behalf of the organisation ?
Both documents should be read , understood and accepted in writing by every staff member with driving responsibility .
Licence checking – it ’ s imperative that you check the driving status of your employees , to ensure they hold a valid licence , aren ’ t banned from driving , and are permitted to drive the type of vehicle they ’ re assigned .
Furthermore it ’ s essential to conduct regular rechecks , particularly on those
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