Ever wondered what a grey fleet is? If you’re an owner driver or manager, there’s a chance you may already know (or even be a part of one!), even if you weren’t aware there was a name for it. The terminology refers to companies with employees who are using vehicles not owned by the business. They can either be purchased via said company as an incentive for staff, rented or privately owned by the workers.
Read on for more information about grey fleets and how owner drivers can manage them.
Who’s at Fault?
When an employee uses a private vehicle, it’s easy to assume that they are taking on the responsibilities of an owner driver – meaning that if something unexpected happens (such as an accident or if the vehicle is found to be unfit or unsafe), it’s commonly thought that the worker will be culpable for any legal obligations or actions. However, this is not the case at all. The law states that it’s actually the company that will have to take responsibility in the event of one of the aforementioned occurrences.
This is why it’s important to make sure you stay on top of things and remain aware of what’s going on with your employees and their vehicles (even if you don’t technically own them) if you’re in a managerial position.
Introducing DAVIS
It can be difficult to make sure your staff are complying with all the aspects of courier industry legislation and other legalities (not to mention your own company policies). Luckily, a business called License Check has come up with what they call ‘Driver and Vehicle Information Solution’ or DAVIS for short. The purpose of this software service was to make managing grey fleets much easier for owner drivers.
So How Does it Work?
DAVIS works by allowing managers to choose exactly which rules they need their employees to follow. Once they’ve done this, the personalised system checks to see if the workers and their vehicles are up to scratch and informs employers of the results. This is an easy and efficient way to stay up to date on how your fleet is doing, as well as nip potential issues (such as impending expirations) in the bud and fix them before they become problems.
Whether you’re an owner driver, fleet manager or other courier businessperson in a managerial position, it’s important to make sure you are well aware of just what exactly is going on with your employees and their vehicles – especially if you have a grey fleet of your own. It’s easy to reap the benefits that come with allowing workers to drive their own vehicles without having to worry excessively about potential consequences with the help of DAVIS. Keeping up with your couriers has never been so easy.
Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day owner driver courier jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.
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