Fleet Accident Management Services

Whether your driver is at fault or not, fleet vehicle accidents can be a complex, time-consuming and stressful ordeal. Luckily, Northgate is here to help with our extensive fleet accident management services supporting you the whole way through, whether your vehicle is hired through Northgate or not.

Our highly skilled and experienced teams are available 24/7, 365 days of the year at our UK-based service centre to provide all the support your drivers need. Our first priority is to ensure their safety; secondly, to get them back on the road again if their vehicle isn’t driveable.

From First Notification of Loss to vehicle repair, Northgate is here to support your fleet operations in incidents and accidents from the beginning to the end of the process.

What is First Notification of Loss?

First Notification of Loss (FNOL for short) is the initial report made to an insurance company or fleet management service following a vehicle incident or accident. This notification triggers the claim process, allowing for efficient time for repairs, legal matters etc.

Through effective FNOL practices, your business can minimise downtime, be more cost-effective and ensure fleet compliance with regulatory requirements.

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How Northgate help with fleet accident management

When accidents occur, we manage all aspects on your behalf, regardless of whether your driver was at fault or not. With our third-party intervention and legal services, we ensure your fleet is supported and everything is covered.

Third-Party
Intervention

When an incident occurs and your driver is at fault, our Third Party Intervention team contacts the Third Party within 1 hour to offer our repair and replacement vehicle services. This is a key factor in minimising your overall incident costs.

We get the third party back on the road in a suitable replacement vehicle whilst our Third Party Claims Management experts operate on your behalf, closely monitoring every process and cost throughout the life of their claim to minimise overall costs.

LEGAL
SERVICES

When your driver is not at fault, our Uninsured Loss Recovery (ULR) experts are relentless in the fair and reasonable pursuit of your losses. This team does not only pursue the straightforward clear-cut cases but will also attempt to recover cases where liability may be in dispute. With all services managed in-house, our ULR and FNOL teams seamlessly share data using integrated systems. This allows negotiation with third party insurers within hours of a claim being reported.

Fleet repair management

Following an incident or accident with your fleet vehicle, minimising repair and replacement vehicle costs is crucial for getting your vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible. Northgate’s BS 10125-certified UK-wide network of automotive repairers offers a range of high-quality repair options to reduce vehicle off road (VOR) time to an absolute minimum.

Our automotive engineers verify that the appropriate repair option is selected, repair costs are accurate and the repair duration is reasonable. We ensure drivers are kept mobile throughout with a suitable replacement vehicle which meets the needs of the business and we offer real-time repair status updates.

What is BS 10125?

BS 10125 is the British Standard for vehicle body repair, which ensures automotive repairs are both high quality and safe. Compliance with BS 10125 guarantees repairs are carried out correctly and safely, restoring the fleet vehicle to its previous pre-accident condition whilst adhering to quality and regulatory requirements.

Northgate’s repair management options

At Northgate, we provide a range of one-day repair options to ensure your fleet vehicles’ VOR is kept to a minimum:

SMART repairs

Standing for ‘Small, Medium Area Repair Technology’, this entails repairing small to medium cosmetic areas of a vehicle to return the vehicle to a new condition, without requiring whole panel replacements. A SMART repair will typically address small scratches, dents or scrapes caused by stone chips.

Midi repairs

These encompass fleet vehicle repairs which are larger and extend beyond the limitations of SMART repairs. These repairs can involve repairing comparatively larger dents, scratches or minor structural damages which SMART repairs are unable to cover. Our midi repair services typically take place within portable express repair pods, allowing for quick and efficient mobile vehicle repairs.

Mobile repairs

This repair service takes place at the location of the vehicle, rather than at a garage or repair shop - in turn, minimising downtime and costs. Mobile repair services can generally cover minor bodywork, dent removal and windscreen repairs.

Bodyshop repairs

We also offer a more traditional repair service in bodyshop repair. These types of repairs are more comprehensive, full-body repairs such as significant damage to the vehicle’s exterior (e.g. large dents, extensive paintwork etc.). Bodyshop repairs are typically more costly, but in the event of a fleet vehicle receiving a lot of damage, they are effective in fully repairing the vehicle to its pre-accident condition.

Benefits of choosing Northgate for fleet accident management

Northgate’s accident management solutions for fleet vehicles offer a range of benefits, ensuring your fleet stays operational with minimal downtime.

24-hour incident handling

Emergency recovery of the driver, passengers and vehicle. (Driver Assistance 24-hours a day, 365 days a year).

Save time and money

Using the latest imaging and estimating software means we don’t have to wait for on-site inspections to approve estimates and repairs, minimising downtime.

High quality repairs

A UK-wide supplier network carries out repairs to ensure they are the highest quality at preferential rates - and they’re guaranteed for three years so you don’t need to worry about further costs or problems.

Taking the hassle out of insurance claims

Insurance claims are handled on your behalf, covering uninsured loss recovery, accident recovery, third party and full claims handling.

Repair status

You can check the status of the repair via the customer portal along with incident documents, repair progress, estimated costs and expected completion dates.

Keeping you on the move

To suit you and depending on circumstances, we can offer a hire vehicle, normally within 24-hours of the incident.

How our fleet accident management works

When an incident occurs, the driver calls the 24/7/365 helpline.

A dedicated Northgate Incident Coordinator will answer the call and take details of the incident.

Depending on the assessment outcome, the driver will either be advised to take the vehicle to the nearest branch, or both the vehicle and driver will be recovered.

A replacement vehicle will then be provided either at the branch or by delivery to a location of the customers’ choosing.

Meanwhile, the damaged vehicle will be repaired through our repair network. Customers will be kept up to date of the repair at every step.

We will also manage the claims process on behalf of the customer by dealing with their insurer directly and any third parties to recover any loss of earnings.

Then when the vehicle is fixed the customer can either collect it or have it delivered.

Once the claim has been settled the customer will then be sent an invoice for any costs due by them, with all other costs being settled with their insurer or third parties directly.