DAVIS helps Wales and West Housing with grey fleet management

Wales and West Housing Group (WWHG) said it has been able to 'tackle' its grey fleet management by using Licence Check’s Driver and Vehicle Information Solution (DAVIS) platform.

The group has used to platform to check business insurance and vehicle condition and provide licence checking for all its drivers.

WWHG, including Cambria Maintenance Services and Castell Ventures, has over 800 employees, 500 of whom are drivers, with around 300 using their own cars on company business.

Some 150 drivers who work for Cambria Maintenance Services are designated company drivers and provided with company vans for their work.

Some 12 months ago, the group began a health and safety review of its driving operations as it needed assurance about how many of its employees who used their own vehicles for work had the relevant business insurance, it said.

Becki Spiller, HR officer at Wales and West Housing Group, said: “We carried out a review which showed that we did not have consistent processes across the businesses about duty of care, grey fleet and licence checking.

“We needed to confirm that vehicles were legally compliant to meet duty of care obligations, that our grey fleet drivers had the relevant level of business insurance, that their vehicles were fit for purpose and that all driving licences were being checked on a regular basis for all our drivers.”

After a thorough search of relevant suppliers, Licence Check was appointed to carry out licence checking, grey fleet and risk management services, all provided through its cloud based, DAVIS risk management platform.

Within the platform, a grey fleet module checks that a vehicle is taxed, verifies its engine size and CO2 emissions and confirms its MOT status against Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records.

The grey fleet module also allows grey fleet drivers to enter their insurance details to ensure they are covered for business purposes, along with all service history.

A further facility supports the necessary roadworthiness checks grey fleet drivers need to complete to verify their vehicles are in a safe condition and fit for purpose, Licence Cehck said.

Following several months of operation, all driving licences at WWHG are checked on an annual basis across the board and all grey fleet drivers’ insurance cover and vehicle condition are checked and confirmed regularly, Licence Check said.

Spiller said: “The full roll-out across the business was initially slowed by the onset of Covid restrictions.

“With restrictions now easing, many of our employees are travelling for work more frequently again, and this gives us assurance that our staff have valid licences, insurances and roadworthiness checks although their vehicles may have been little used or off the road for some time.”