Faulty vehicles are the bane of every fleet operator. They can cost your business a lot of time and money while you wait for them to fixed. Infact, the cost of having a vehicle off the road can be as much as £1,000 per day. Even worse, they can cause accidents involving your drivers. According to the latest government figures, vehicle defects contributed to 1,687 accidents and 2,586 casualties on Britain’s roads in 2016.
For business-critical fleets, it’s even more important to keep your vehicles in good, roadworthy condition. Unexpected downtime may leave your employees unable to perform their work, which may lead to reputational damage and lost contracts.
The importance of daily checks
Fortunately, many vehicle faults can be prevented without too much difficulty. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says that almost half of all defects found during MOT tests could have been prevented by simple, regular checks and maintenance.
Key checks to make
As a result, the DVSA, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) all recommend that drivers carry out daily walk-around checks before they take their vehicle out each day.
These checks should cover everything from the brakes (Do they feel loose or unresponsive? Is there tension in the handbrake?) and tyres (Are they at the right pressure? Is the tread on them deep enough?) to the exhaust (Does it produce any unusual noises or abnormal smoke?).
Making time
Of course, that’s more easily said than done. Proper walk-around checks take time, so fleet managers must ensure that drivers’ schedules leave enough room to perform them each day. Your drivers must also be taught how to conduct these checks, how to spot defects and how to report them.
You’ll also need to put in place a robust system to ensure that, when a driver does report a fault, it is repaired as quickly as possible. And good record-keeping is essential, too. For O Licence holders and vehicles over 3.5t the DVSA requires that reports of any defects be kept for a minimum of 15 months, along with details of how they were repaired.
Simple process for reporting
This is where LeasePlan can help. We have created a new app, called My Vehicle Check, that is specially designed to make the whole process of conducting walk-around checks and reporting faults much simpler and smoother.
Your drivers can use it to record any defects that they find, and the app will report them in real time. This makes it quick and easy to see whether a vehicle needs to be repaired. Records of every check and every defect are stored automatically and made available online, providing a clear audit trail that is easy to access.
Get in touch
Endorsed by the FORS, our My Vehicle Check app can help you to keep your vehicles safe and compliant, reduce the burden of administration and minimise downtime. To find out more, please contact us using our online form or by calling 0344 493 5810.
You can download and print a high resolution copy of our Daily Checks Infographic here: Daily Vehicle Checks Infographic
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