The Journey
by JOHN DAVIDGE
Running a fleet is a journey, how far has it taken you?
It’s a pretty standard approach in any
efficient business to seek to maximise
income, but also to limit expenditure where
possible. Buy or lease the optimum vehicle,
have a systematic approach to look after it carefully and it
will serve you well. It’s well known and documented that not
doing that costs you more in the long term.
I
What about the other part of the equation – those who
drive your vehicles? Selecting the right driver, ensuring that
she/he is correctly licensed (not all are!) and really
understands what you expect him to do is just as important
– if not more so. Vehicles are designed for optimum
environmental impact, more so today than ever before – but
inappropriate driving styles, failure to monitor tyre pressures
regularly for example, can destroy that good work
with rising fuel and maintenance costs resulting from
such actions. This is even more so with hybrid
vehicles which really reward the driver who
understands them – and penalise the fuel figures for
those that don’t.
magic silver bullet that provides full protection. Truth is,
that each aspect is a part of a much larger jigsaw, and
getting all of the jigsaw pieces in place is key. Eleanour
Roosevelt is reputed to have said “Learn from the mistakes
of others – since you can’t live long enough to make all the
mistakes yourself” – very wise.
To revert to the driver aspect, research confirms that 95% of
collisions are wholly or partially the responsibility of the
driver rather than the road or vehicle, and insurers will also
confirm that a small proportion of drivers are responsible for
a disproportionate percentage of collisions (including those
that are seeming non-fault, where closer analysis will show
otherwise.) Thus seeking to identify those ‘high risk’ drivers
before they start their collision patterns, then carefully
“It is said that ‘knowledge is power,
and ignorance results in missed
opportunities’.”
Whilst there are numerous management teams that
‘get it’ and are busy developing systematic
approaches to control their risks, in practise there are still a
lot more companies and individuals who have yet to see the
light – “well he’s got a licence, hasn’t he?” “It’s alright, they
check the tyres when it is serviced” and similar comments
are indicative of the latter groups who don’t yet understand
the bigger picture – hopefully they will reach enlightenment
before a crisis threatens their business.
Some of the elements are simple and seemingly basic - but is
it right to assume that because we know how to check tyre
pressures for example, everyone else knows too, and will
diligently do so, just as expected? And fitting cameras,
telematics systems etc., in the expectation of instant
improvements is to say the least naïve without education
and consequences for drivers; ask any of the more
enlightened employers and they will confirm that there is no
putting in place some remedies to minimise the risks pays
dividends both in terms of vehicle down-time and next
year’s insurance premiums. Smart employers understand
that we learn to pass a test, not to drive!
It is said that ‘knowledge is power, and ignorance results in
missed opportunities’. In the world of driver and vehicle risk
management that is certainly true and those organisations
who embrace this culture will see the dividends for
themselves on the bottom line. They will also willingly admit
to you that they are seldom ‘there’ yet, and that they are on
a journey – which is true since nothing stands still in
business, but how far have you reached on your journey of
enlightenment?
John Davage is the Head of Fleet Technical at
Cardinus Risk Management Limited
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