7 ways to check your business fleet
Do you ask 7 ways to check your business fleet,At Car Lease 4 U we understand that the management of your company car fleet may not be your primary role. Whether you have ten or 100 vehicles, your considerations around the fleet are the same and so we have compiled a list of seven clear out actions that you may wish to undertake to check both your fleet arrangements and policy and subsequently offer you the best solution for your business:
1. When did I last check the driving licences?7 ways to check your business fleet
Licence checking should be undertaken once a year as a minimum to ensure your drivers are legally entitled to drive your vehicles.It can be troublesome checking licences but you must check the original licences of anyone driving a vehicle on company business, be it a sales manager in a lease car, a cash taker doing business mileage in their own vehicle or an admin assistant popping to do the banking in the pool car.
Car Lease 4 U provide a service through which licences can be checked with the DVLA meaning no need for files of copies or chasing down those drivers!
2. When did I last dust off the car policy?7 ways to check your business fleet
Regardless of cash taker, owned or a leased vehicle, any driver on company business must be covered in your fleet policy on the do’s and don’ts.
Have you told them how to maintain their vehicles with a checklist? Or that they can’t use their mobile phone whilst driving? Just a couple of inclusions you would expect to see as standard.
Many Fleet Policies exclude cash takers or those driving pool cars but they are as liable on company business as those drivers in a company car.
3. Who is booking hire cars and how much are they costing us?7 ways to check your business fleet
Multi site offices or businesses running field-based staff, often have vehicles being hired all over the country by different people at different prices. Have you looked at how much you are spending on Daily Rental each month or annually? Are you getting the best deal?
4. Can you still get a Mercedes C-Class for £300 a month?7 ways to check your business fleet
Manufacturer prices increase every year and whilst this does not always affect the lease rate, it is good to review your policy to ensure your drivers can still have a desirable choice of vehicle in keeping with their role.
If you limit your vehicle choice by P11d value it would be a good opportunity to review this as it is not indicative of the true cost. A vehicle with a P11d value of £20,000 may have a higher rental than a vehicle of £25,000 because of other factors such as residual value and discount that are components in determining the rental.
Some options also lower the lease rate if they are free so whilst adding to the P11d value, they make the rental cheaper!
5. How Green are we?7 ways to check your business fleet
More and more companies have a green agenda which does not stop at car sharing and recycling. Even the most prestige of manufacturers are moving to cleaner engines with lower CO2 emissions to ensure fuel costs are kept to a minimum and drivers can save money on their P11d tax.
Invariably a more fuel efficient vehicle means less fuel spend for the company. It may be worth considering the vehicles you have on fleet and whether it is time to look at capping CO2 emissions or removing those gas guzzling 4 x 4s!
6. What is our accident rate like?7 ways to check your business fleet
Do you know who your repeat offenders are in terms of accident rates? Those small incidents in the supermarket car park can add up to costly recharges at the end of contract if outside fair wear and tear. Is your broker / provider reporting to you incident types and rates and how you can minimise these?
7. How long does it take to get an Audi A4 these days?7 ways to check your business fleet
Manufacturer lead-times can vary greatly between 10-14 days or 12 months! To ensure your vehicle is delivered when you need it, we would recommend you look at your vehicle replacements around 7 months before expiry to allow for choosing between models and test drives.
The average factory order is 16 weeks so ordering in 7 months gives the driver enough time to change their mind a few times before ordering!