Licence checking: US system gives firms instant licence checking
by Saul Jeavons, director, Transafe Network
A service is being piloted that enables companies to view online information from a driver’s licence record direct with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
As one reader on the Fleet News website said: “The proposed DVLA licence checking system does not go far enough – they should be informing us the very day a driver has had points added to his/her licence or has been banned from driving.
"Unlike private licence checking companies, they have this information to hand.”
In the United States, a number of states operate licence checking systems with automated alerts to companies if their drivers pick up endorsements.
A good explanation of how the US system works can be found at www.nydmv.state.ny.us/LENS/default.html
From the company’s point of view, this is great.
They register, then relax in the knowledge that they will automatically receive notification immediately and at very low cost.
Here, you might be paying around £10 per driver for an annual check, and the latest information about your driver’s licence may be almost 12 months out of date.
Your US counterpart receives the information they need instantly – for less than a pound.
I wanted to find out whether an automatic notification system had been considered for the UK and why the UK system costs so much in relation to the US ones.
The DVLA said it would get information from the Department for Transport (DfT). I chased them a month later and they were still waiting. I chased them again. When I get a response, I’ll let you know. Maybe it makes no sense to them either.
Operating costs: Fleet managers must measure their cost savings
by Stefan Rodgers, director of marketing, FMG Support
Fleet managers must measure their cost savings
The unpredictable nature of the economic climate is taking its toll on many businesses and in an effort to remain buoyant, organisations are looking to streamline operations and cut costs.
In today’s boardrooms, business performance improvement (BPI) is top of the agenda.
However, research suggests that many organisations are ignoring a major area that can impact on BPI – fleet.
More than 90% of senior decision-makers are ignoring the positive impact that effective fleet management can have on BPI.
Fleet is the second largest cost to all businesses after payroll, yet the role of the fleet manager still needs further recognition.
The funding of fleets has traditionally been a decision taken by the financial director.
In practice, this is understandable – fleet touches many other areas of a business, including HR, operations, production, procurement, legal, sales and marketing.
By developing fleet performance improvement initiatives (FPI), businesses can realise significant cost savings.
Using reporting technology solutions, including electronic fuel purchasing cards and analysing your fleet’s rental profile, could make a real difference to the bottom line.
The success of FPI depends on fleet managers to prove the true cost of fleet, changing the mindset that sees it as a cost of conducting business to a strategic capability.
Measurement is the lynchpin to delivering results and will be the ammunition that fleet managers need to prove the correlation between fleet and BPI.
Fleet management: Breakdown cover essential if keeping cars longer
by Steve Whitmarsh, senior partnership manager, RAC Corporate Partnerships
The current economic climate and continuing decline in residual values is driving many fleets to retain their vehicles for longer.
Rather than taking a financial loss on disposal and facing a higher cost of change, many are incentivising staff to drive older vehicles.
However, fleets must remember that if they keep their vehicles for longer, there are additional factors to consider.
The manufacturer, for example, typically provides breakdown cover for a set number of years. After that, fleet managers must remember to seek alternative cover.
In many cases, where vehicles are sourced on a maintained contract hire basis, or are fleet managed, breakdown cover – as a minimum – will be included in the package.
In fleets that are self-managed, in particular smaller fleets, breakdown cover is often overlooked.
There is also a higher propensity for mechanical failures as vehicles age.
This has become particularly prevalent as service intervals continue to extend, with many now routinely exceeding 20,000 miles.
Regular fluid checks can prevent some of the more common causes of breakdown such as the oil running dry and engines overheating.
Inevitably, however, the likelihood of a major component failure grows.
Without appropriate roadside assistance cover – the breaking down and downtime costs can be incalculable to a business.
With a choice of fully insured subscription schemes – where an annual fee covers the vehicle for any number of call-outs, and pay-on-use schemes – where the fleet pays only for the service it uses, it can be quite cheap and simple to get peace of mind.
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