According to recent research, fines incurred by fleet drivers over the past year reached over £15 million for parking and driving offences. Although within fleets these tend to be picked up by the drivers, not all drivers are compliant, and some will not do the checks at all.
It’s estimated that 85% of roadworthiness infringements could be avoided if a driver does a walkaround check before starting a journey. Daily walk round checks need to be a part of a vehicle’s routine maintenance checks and need to be documented for compliance purposes. These can be paper-based or digital.
Daily walkaround checks are an important part of a vehicle’s maintenance programme. Any areas of concerns are noted, allowing the workshop to rectify them quickly and avoid unnecessary downtime or even an offence, leading to a fine and possible prosecution. The purpose of the checks is, in effect, a defect reporting mechanism to prevent unsafe vehicles going out on the road.
How do you make sure that drivers carry out daily walkaround checks?
Traditional paper-based forms can be exploited by drivers. There is a temptation to fill out a form quickly without doing the correct checks or later in the day, rather than at the start of a journey. Who will know? This poses a huge risk to fleet managers should a lorry be pulled over for a spot check and a fault is found that can then lead to an offence.
Technology can be a great help in supporting such checks, particularly when using apps via a smartphone or tablet. Walkaround checks can be completed via an app and the results transmitted in real time to a fleet management system, evidencing that they were completed before a vehicle embarks on a journey. These are good but can still be doctored and drivers don’t always follow the instructions and rush to get out on the road. This is more evident when agency drivers are involved as they have less connection to the company.
How can AH Fleet Maintenance Help?
Here at AH Fleet Maintenance we understand that there are many variables when it comes to running a fleet, and making sure drivers are doing there job correctly can be a bit of a headache. We offer a fleet walkaround service to our customers. Allowing one of our highly trained mobile HGV mechanics to carry out full walk-around checks of your entire fleet, at your convenience, helps put your mind at ease that you are still being compliant will DVSA legislation. This also helps you find out if your drivers are doing there checks correctly. Walk-around check driver training is also available so you can be reassured that your drivers are up to the highest standards.