Small fleet operators fail to recognise the importance of duty of care and offering driver training..
According to the Company Car Trends report by GE Capital Fleet Services, just over three in five (63%) small fleet operators see the significance of duty of care, compared to three-quarters (76%) of larger fleets.
The report also found just over half of smaller fleet managers (56%) are actively taking action to ensure they have a risk management programme, in comparison to 70% of larger fleets that already have a solution.
In addition, only a third (33%) of managers of fleets of under 100 vehicles consider driver training to be important, compared to half (50%) of managers of fleets with more than 100 vehicles.
Only 27% of small fleets have a solution in place to train their drivers and 25% have no plans to ensure drivers are sufficiently trained in the future.
In comparison, larger fleets place more importance on training, as 57% already have a driver training scheme in operation, and only 13% have neither a solution or plans in place.
Gary Killeen, UK fleet commercial leader at GE Capital Fleet Services, said: “It is somewhat alarming to see the failure by many small fleet operators to recognise the value of duty of care and driver training.
“While times are tight for many companies, safety, training and ultimate duty of care should be of the highest priority. What is more, at a time when financial considerations are to the fore, an effective duty of care programme can be as much about delivering cost savings as it is about health and safety.”
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