Fleet Risk Management: What to Keep on Top of
Our fleet cover experts discuss what fleet risk management covers and how your business could benefit from it.Get a quote from an insurance professional today
0345 224 5329Operating a fleet can be unpredictable, no matter what size fleet you have. However, with the correct fleet risk management in place, you can be prepared for the worst.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what fleet risk management covers and how your business could benefit from it.
What is fleet risk management?
Fleet risk management is a proactive approach taken by fleet managers to successfully manage and reduce the risks associated with their fleets.
It involves continually developing and updating plans to mitigate risks for their drivers, other fleet employees and their vehicles.
Why do businesses need fleet risk management?
Fleet risk management systems and plans are a great way to alert managers to issues before they become serious problems, meaning the risk of an accident or loss of profit is reduced.
It is also ideal for ensuring your drivers are kept safe and stick to specific rules and regulations, which in turn can keep you and your business out of any potential legal issues.
What does fleet risk management cover?
Fleet risk management generally covers the following:
- Vehicle maintenance
- Drivers
- Asset management
- Vehicle safety and compliance
- Operational efficiency
Effective fleet risk management helps you to reduce your fuel costs, improve driver safety and increase productivity.
What risks can a business fleet face?
Fleet drivers and managers face daily challengers when negotiating their way around the UK roads. As a result of this, accidents can happen and claims on motor insurance policies may need to be made.
Some common risks that business fleets can face include:
- Collisions with third party vehicles
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Narrow road collisions
- Improper vehicle compliance
- Faulty vehicle parts
- Property damage
- Vehicle repairs
- Driver fatigue
- Drivers with convictions
The aspects of fleet risk management you should be monitoring
Driver safety
One of the main aspects of fleet risk management that you should be monitoring is the standard of your employees driving. Unfortunately, distractions are one of the biggest causes of accidents on the roads but thanks to driver telematics, distracted drivers can be alerted when they are driving unsafely.
Fleet managers should help to coach their drivers and encourage them to engage in safer driving practices. This will ultimately lower the risk of accidents caused by your team.
Compliance
Fleet managers are responsible for ensuring all their vehicles are compliant, no matter how big the size of their fleet is. Fleet management systems can help to streamline this process by automatically recording hours of service from drivers, last services and MOTs, upgrades or changes to the vehicles and any other associated information.
Another key factor is to keep on top of your insurance. With a dedicated fleet insurance partner, like the team at FleetCover, we can ensure that you’re always protected by comprehensive insurance through regular cover reviews and prompts when renewal is due.
Fleet maintenance
The maintenance of vehicles is another crucial aspect of risk management that ensures driver safety and fleet efficiency. Technology can help fleet risk managers to maintain their vehicles by monitoring elements like engine data, tyre pressure and brake functionality.
Systems can also alert you to issues before they become serious problems, allowing you to schedule fleet maintenance tasks and keep your costs down while mitigating fleet safety risks.
Asset management
Fleet risk management also involves managing fleet assets, such as vehicles, equipment and facilities. This type of risk management can include developing assets plans, monitoring asset performance and implementing strategies to reduce asset loss or damage.
How do fleet management systems keep risks under control?
For any risks that are identified, you should have a plan in place to rectify them through your fleet risk management plans and systems. With the right systems in place, fleet managers can use the data collected to monitor compliance and keep the possibility of risks under control.
Conducting analysis of vehicles, drivers and operational information is a great way to minimise risks and therefore improve safety as well. This data can include employee licences, medical information, training and competencies.
Fleet management systems can also cover details of vehicles and equipment, internal policies, road regulations and accident histories.