Automotive Fleet, December 2020

POLICY COVID 19 REVEALS FLEET POLICY INADEQUACIES AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I DECEMBER 2020 32 policy It is extremely important that the rules governing the withdrawal of a company vehicle privilege be uniformly enforced for all employees You should not set precedent by allowing exceptions If your company becomes embroiled in litigation involving a company vehicle because of a problem driver these exceptions and prior policy precedents can be used against you The most carefully developed policy can be torn to shreds by a precedent setting exception which could be used to accuse you and your company of negligent entrustment and or negligent retention No policy can anticipate all possibilities but consistency in dealing with all the drivers assigned company vehicles at different locations is essential To accomplish this it is crucial for senior management to give the fleet manager the appropriate authority to address noncompliance by drivers and those departments assigned vehicles This will go a long way toward reducing and sometimes eliminating driver compliance issues AF policies It is also important to solicit this involvement to ensure the policy is comprehensive and to ensure important components are not inadvertently omitted Not only do fleet policies bring structure to the way you lead your fleet and how you manage your vehicle assets they also serve as a reference source for drivers and their managers to consult when a question needs a quick answer Fleet policy needs to be flexible so it can be modified to reflect evolving business priorities In a time of crisis such as the current pandemic the best practice is to develop a forward looking action plan You need to know what you are going to do and then act proactively to accomplish those goals THE DANGER OF POLICY EXCEPTIONS When dealing with driver related problems the last thing you want to do is create a new problem in the course of resolving one The surest way to do so is to make an exception to your companys vehicle usage ing proven to be an effective practice in slowing the spread of the COVID 19 virus should fleet policy be updated to provide guidance to field managers on the number of employees allowed per vehicle A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT The fleet management industry is always in a constant state of flux and even more so today as a result of new safety and connectivity technologies regulations and business practices that demand fleet policy adaptations When developing or re evaluating fleet policies there are many issues that must be addressed and these issues will vary by company As such you should solicit the participation of all affected departments such as procurement EHS risk management legal and human resources in addition to vehicle user groups such as sales and operations By involving all of these stakeholders in the decision making process it increases the likelihood of buy in and support of T he best managed fleets tend to be those that adhere to a written fleet policy It is important that fleet policy reflects a companys overall business strategy but just as important it needs to be up to date The unprecedented nature of COVID 19 is forcing fleets to improvise policies and procedures to minimize the risk of contagion to the virus As fleets struggle to cope with the pandemic it is revealing the inadequacies of current fleet policies and the need to update them to reflect the realities of todays business environment A fleet policy should not remain static It must be a living document that is updated as new needs arise A fleet policy must be constantly reviewed to ensure it does not become out of date due to changing business conditions which can leave a company vulnerable to potential risk exposure In order to stay on top of changes in your business environment and advancements in business practices regularly review fleet policy to keep it current Sometimes changes are unanticipated and beyond our control as evidenced by the COVID 19 pandemic which initially require temporary modifications to procedures that later become institutionalized as fleet policy This is nothing new Historically fleets have been proactive in updating fleet policy to reflect changes in their business environments For instance when use of hand held cellphones while driving first emerged as a distracted driving issue fleets incorporated prohibitions in fleet policy When texting while driving emerged its prohibition was also codified in fleet policy Similarly as more states began to legalize the use of medicinal and recreational marijuana many fleets proactively incorporated policies addressing this issue Consider creating a driver or user departments focus group with rotating members and hold periodic meetings to solicit feedback on the fleet program As part of your annual fleet policy review you should survey your drivers to give them an opportunity to express their opinions or dissatisfaction about fleet policies that govern them To gain the participation and support of the drivers you also have to get the support of their management PHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO COM VOLODYMYR HORBOVYY As fleets struggle to cope with the COVID 19 pandemic it revealed the inadequacies of current fleet policies and the need to update them to reflect the realities of todays business environment