Driving Your Business Forward

01/05/2012

By Gary Killeen, Fleet Services Commercial Leader for GE Capital UK

Creating an effective fleet policy is essential for any organisation that runs a company car or van fleet. Whilst it is true that most companies have a fleet policy of some kind in place, it is often the case that these were written many years ago and have been updated only infrequently and in a piecemeal fashion.

However, the often neglected fleet policy has a vital role to play in the modern business. As an employer, almost all of your legal responsibilities surrounding company vehicles are linked to safety, duty of...

...care and insurance. But, beyond these compulsory areas, a fleet policy can go further and support other key business objectives, acting, for example, as a recruitment or retention tool, or enhancing your sustainability credentials.

So how do you make your fleet policy work harder for your business? Below are our five top tips.

Start from scratch: In most cases, the best thing to do when writing a fleet policy is to start from scratch. However, like any large project, there is a risk of ‘drift’ when starting from a blank canvas. You should ensure that you set clear objectives for both the policy and its implementation and work to clear deadlines.

Engage with stakeholders: You should try and involve your key stakeholders from across the business at the very beginning. These will vary widely from company to company, but it is likely that they will include your Finance, Sourcing and Human Resources departments and, of course, the drivers themselves.

Identify what you want to achieve: Your fleet policy needs to ensure that all objectives, eventualities and processes are addressed within the document. This will include information on a range of practical issues, such as vehicle eligibility, allocation, choice and driver responsibilities.... continued on page two >

 

 

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