Through the holiday season, is your fleet in great working order, ready to face the new year? If not, now’s the time to take corrective action.

The festive season is the worst time to be burdened with sudden cost blowouts, admin hassles and third party disputes arising from middle-of-the-night accidents, vehicle downtime, and Health & Safety liabilities.

Whether you’re a dedicated fleet manager or you oversee HR or finances, it’s key to have a handle on smooth, stress-free fleet operations during the festive months. Here at SurePlan, we have some ideas to strengthen your fleet, paving the way for happier holidays.

Want to learn how much you can save on fleet risk management by outsourcing? Click here. 

1. Be proactive and plan ahead

In the weeks leading up to the holidays, preparedness is key. By being ready, you lower chances of things going wrong at the peak of the busy holiday season.

One way to be proactive is to determine all the best routes for your fleet drivers. Slowed-down driving can raise costs due to idling and wasted fuel, and hampers productivity.

Be sure to document which routes tend to be subject to heavy traffic, roadwork, or otherwise difficult conditions, and provide drivers with other options. A ‘knowledge base’ will help drivers reach their destinations as quickly, safely, and stress-free as possible.

Another factor in holiday season preparedness is ensuring drivers have updated licences and a good personal history. The weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s Day come with riskier roads, so all your drivers should be fully competent, capable motorists.

Register your drivers and periodically verify their licence status via Driver Check (or if relevant, the Transport Organisation Register Online, or TORO). This helps assure H&S compliance, and guarantees that only legally-certified drivers without recent demerits handle your vehicles.

Also, keep detailed data on driver performance. This should include things like incident history, behaviours such as speeding or idling, and fuel usage. By doing so, you’ll know which drivers are reliable and which need more training, lowering overall risk and costs.

2. Ensure you’re performing regular maintenance checks

During the festive season, all your vehicles should be in top shape. To be ready, you should have a procedure for regular maintenance checks throughout the year.

Some items that should be part of preventive maintenance procedures include: 

• A thorough engine check
• Tyre condition
• Oil change
• Safety features (seatbelts, airbags, etc.)
• Incident history
• Total cost of ownership (TCO)

Maintenance checks are important for several reasons. First, it’s a matter of safety - having your drivers operate safer vehicles is key to protecting employees and complying with H&S rules. Vehicles in great shape also feature better fuel economy and suffer fewer breakdowns. 

And, a proactively-maintained fleet means smoother logistics, higher productivity, and better customer service...especially during busy end-of-year times.

3. Watch out for increased ‘drinking and driving’ risk among your drivers

Many people consume more alcoholic beverages during the festive season. This is crucial to be aware of as it relates to your fleet.

How much is too much? According to the Ministry of Transport, the blood alcohol limit is 50 mg per 100 mg of blood. But just one or two drinks at a holiday party can make your employees unsafe drivers, even if they remain under legal limits. 

Drinking affects reaction time, fine motor skills, and judgement. And during the festive season, more accidents happen.

To avoid dangerous and deadly incidents, it’s imperative that you educate your drivers on the risks of impaired driving. It should be adequately addressed in your company’s safe driving policy. Especially towards the end of the year, a zero-tolerance position on alcohol consumption and fleet vehicle use is the safest bet.

4. Work with SurePlan to shore up overall fleet risk management

During the holidays, it’s more important than ever to be assured your fleet is being managed well, and no stone is unturned when it comes to hidden risks. A smart, simple way to cover it all is to proactively outsource your fleet risk management.

SurePlan are the fleet experts you can depend on. When you partner with us, we will implement a complete fleet management system that lowers risk, ensures drivers are safe, and your admin procedures run smoothly through the holiday time. You can expect:

• Transparent tracking and reporting technology that gives you all details on driver behaviour, vehicle condition, and circumstances of incidents.
• Updated fleet procedures for compliance with Health and Safety law, securing your company and all assets for the long term.
• Across-the-board risk reduction, identifying hidden vulnerabilities among your current procedures and helping you address them step-by-step.
• Driver training that increases driver road skills and reduces accident risk.

With all these components in place, your business can thrive during the holidays and approach the new year with confidence. 

Learn all you need to know about Fleet Risk Management here.

SurePlan is a trusted holiday partner in shoring up the health and reliability of your fleet. Our comprehensive fleet management helps businesses save money, keep drivers safe, and ensure their fleets run well, any time of year. But, if you’re unaware whether your business is in full compliance with H&S laws as the holidays approach...don’t wait another day to make sure.