Developed as a result of this month’s implementation of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, Fleet Technique believes that thousands of companies that allow employees to drive their own cars on business are walking a health and safety tightrope.

But the new service from the fleet management specialists will overcome that problem and further enable Fleet Technique to support fleet decision-makers as they continue to seek to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their transport operations.

Fleet Technique, the car, commercial vehicle and HGV fleet management subsidiary of Northgate, the UK’s largest rental company with more than 65,000 vehicles on its fleet, provides a wide range of services to control excessive revenue and capital costs through the provision of a professional service.

From fleet consultancy to vehicle acquisition and fleet administration to driver support, including accident management, Fleet Technique provides a comprehensive range of support services without any form of contractual agreement.

Managing director Aaron Brown said: “We regard our client relationship as a long-term partnership and consider ourselves to be a supplementary extension of their own fleet department. We believe that it’s through this approach rather than the route of complete outsourcing, that the most effective cost control mechanisms can be deployed without removing the very necessary in-house controls.”

Now, Fleet Technique has extended its breadth of support services with the offer to inspect privately-owned vehicles driven on company business nationwide at a customer’s location of choice.

With the Government, police and Health and Safety Executive increasingly focused on taking measures to reduce the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers, it is crucial that companies have a complete audit trail of all vehicles driven on business.

And, following this month’s implementation of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, the laissez-faire attitude of many companies towards ensuring that privately-owned vehicles driven on business are serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and correctly insured must end, according to Mr Brown.

Industry reports suggest that the hundreds of thousands of privately-owned cars driven on business are not subjected to the same rigorous maintenance checks and procedures that businesses apply to company cars and vans.

There’s increasing concern over manufacturer recommended service intervals not being met, MoTs not being carried out on schedule, accidents involving ‘grey’ fleet vehicles not being reported and basic maintenance checks not being carried out. In addition, there are also fears that some privately-owned vehicles may not be insured for business use. Fleet Technique is aiming to make the ‘grey’ vehicles black and white for fleet managers.

Fleet Technique’s team of vehicle inspectors will:

• Conduct a visual check of all vehicles recommending any repairs or maintenance required.
• Check to ensure vehicles are serviced and MoT’d.
• Provide a written report on their findings.
  

Mr Brown said: “Our vehicle inspection service is about providing peace of mind to employers, who have a legal responsibility for all vehicles driven on company business irrespective of whether they are company or privately-owned.

“Risk assessments and vehicle and driver audit trails are an essential part of company compliance with legislation and the launch of the new service is further evidence of how Fleet Technique is supporting fleet decision-makers.

“In the event of a privately-owned vehicle being involved in a crash while being driven on company business, accident investigators will want to see data, including vehicle maintenance and servicing records.

“Our inspection reports provide proof of a competent and responsible corporate attitude towards vehicle maintenance and ensure ‘black and white’ operational clarity for our customers surrounding ‘grey’ fleet vehicles. Areas of concern are highlighted which can be immediately tackled by the business.”