Fleet Compliance and Risk Management Solutions
Operating a fleet is a necessary and complex process, which is essential for ensuring your business is running as smoothly as possible. To ensure this, it is imperative that your fleet is compliant to regulations, guaranteeing your vehicles are safe and roadworthy.
From regulatory requirements to driver safety, fleet compliance encompasses various aspects crucial for the seamless day-to-day functioning of your fleet. Understanding the importance of compliance and implementing effective systems is key to optimising fleet performance and safeguarding your business interests.
With Northgate's expertise and comprehensive services, businesses can streamline their fleet operations whilst ensuring compliance with legal regulations and industry standards.
What is fleet compliance?
Fleet compliance is the meeting of all the standards and regulations required by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on key areas such as accident risk, safety management, vehicle maintenance, driver training, and driver behaviour – to ensure road safety. Failure to meet fleet compliance standards results in legal consequences, fines, and can damage your business reputation, making it crucial for businesses to manage their fleets in accordance with UK laws and regulations.
The purpose of fleet compliance regulations is to create a framework that promotes road safety, protects the environment, ensures fairness, and minimises the risks associated with fleet operations. Adherence to these regulations benefits both businesses and the public by reducing accidents, improving air quality, and enhancing public well-being.
How to keep your fleet compliant
To keep your fleet compliant, adopt a proactive approach that focuses on staying in line with all relevant regulations and industry standards, including consistent maintenance schedules and regular vehicle inspections to ensure roadworthiness.
- Staying informed about fleet regulations benefits your business by ensuring your fleet operates legally, safely, and efficiently while minimising negative impacts on your brand reputation, the environment, and the community.
- Educate your drivers on compliance requirements, safety protocols, and eco-friendly driving practices and implement fleet management software and telematics systems to track and manage vehicle performance, driver behaviour, and more.
- Conduct regular audits and assessments to identify areas for improvement and promptly address any compliance issues.
- Maintain open lines of communication with regulatory authorities, industry associations, and legal advisors to stay updated on changing regulations and seek guidance when needed.
Key considerations for fleet compliance
Key fleet compliance considerations are:
Risk and safety management
Fleet risk and safety management services play a key role in mitigating accidents and avoiding fines. As well as safeguarding both your drivers and other motorists, risk management solutions need to meet regulatory mandates at the very least.
In the event of a road accident with a company driver, Northgate offers an excellent accident management service to ensure everything from repairs to legal services is taken care of.
It is vital for your drivers to be safe on the roads, therefore enforcing comprehensive safety protocols for drivers is key. Northgate’s detailed Safe Driver offers expert online courses to both fleet managers and drivers to reduce the risks of accidents and fines.
Vehicles and maintenance
Any commercial vehicle must meet regulatory DVSA standards, requiring regular inspections and maintenance. All of Northgate’s vehicles available for long-term hire come with full service and vehicle maintenance included, so you can rest assured Northgate have you covered.
Drivers and operations
Your drivers must be fully trained and certified with a valid driving licence for the vehicle type they are operating. As well as just driving safely on the road, it is key for your drivers to adhere to driving regulations and best practices. Failure to comply could lead to costly fines, legal issues and a negative impact on your company’s reputation.
Technologies and record-keeping
Technology and software is absolutely vital in enhancing risk management, providing a useful database full of critical information concerning driver behaviour, vehicles, maintenance and more. Northgate offers a detailed Telematics package which allows fleet managers to:
- Keep a record of vehicle and driver data
- Track the location and performance of their fleet vehicles
- Monitor cost and risk management
- Create customisable performance dashboards to tailor specifically to your company’s needs
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) launched its ‘earned recognition’ scheme in 2018 for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and public service vehicle (PSV) operators for fleet managers to prove that they are compliant.
To achieve earned recognition status, you must meet a stringent set of audit standards.
In 2023, the DVSA updated its process on vehicle safety recalls to improve vehicle safety. When a vehicle undergoes a MOT, the tester will let you know if it has an outstanding recall which will also appear on your MOT certificate.
Benefits of an earned recognition operator:
Proof as an exemplary operator.- Earned recognition status on the GOV.UK website.
- DVSA earned recognition marque.
- Access to DVSA expert team for any issue
Ensuring your drivers support fleet compliance
Ensuring your fleet's drivers are safe and compliant whilst behind the wheel is crucial for legal and operational reasons. With DVLA figures showing nearly a million drivers failed to renew their licence annually in 2022, the risk of legal repercussions is high.
Regular checks can help identify issues like an expired licence or unaddressed qualifications. Effective fleet compliance comes with understanding your drivers’ strengths and where improvement is needed. For instance, a survey found that 19% of glasses-wearing motorists hadn't had eye tests in three years or more, highlighting the importance of ensuring optimal vision for safe driving.
Whether you are looking to assess your current employers or are incorporating new members into your fleet, an overview of their driving abilities, history and knowledge would be of benefit to you, as it displays how they can develop and become safer drivers. This would, in turn, enhance the performance of your fleet as a whole.
How can Northgate help to keep your fleet compliant?
Safe Driver
With Northgate Safe Driver, you can educate your drivers on adhering to safe driving practices and ensuring compliance. Northgate’s range of training courses cover key topics including driver attitude, hazard perception and driver concentration. Through Northgate’s courses, fleet managers can be rest assured that their drivers understand the importance of safety and adhere to regulations.
Additionally, Northgate offers a Driver Risk Profile, which helps your employees to feel confident in areas where they excel while improving their driving through a number of E-Learning courses, designed to enhance speed recognition, parking and manoeuvring, electric vehicles and more.
Telematics
For additional safety, Northgate Telematics allows you to live track vehicles, providing instant fleet insights to improve driver behaviour, while FleetUser can be added to identify vehicle usage and flag any which are being under-utilised.
Vehicle Inspection App
The Northgate Vehicle Inspection App lets you administer inspection reports that enables your drivers to check vehicles when you want them to, monitoring them in a 100% paperless process.
Northgate’s dedicated team provides the support and guidance required to keep vehicles, drivers, other users and your company’s reputation safe on the road.
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