How to Maintain the Road Worthiness of Your Fleet

The role of a fleet manager is to make sure that the whole fleet runs smoothly and efficiently at all times. They are responsible for making sure that all vehicles have the right kind of fleet insurance, that they are adequately maintained and that any damage is repaired as soon as possible.

Most importantly, the fleet manager is also in charge of making sure that all vehicles are road worthy – they must be safe to drive on the road at all times.

So how can fleet vehicles be properly maintained so that they are never deemed unworthy for the road?

Carry Out Vehicle Inspections

To inspect and assess if your vehicles are road worthy, there are a few different types of inspections that you must carry out.

Firstly, it’s important to carry out a daily walk around. This check needs to be carried out by a responsible person – often the driver. The idea is to identify any faults or defects with the vehicle before it even gets on the road.

Besides the daily checks, it’s almost important to carry out first use safety inspections. This is especially important for those who lease or borrow vehicles- they must be carried out as soon as they are brought into the fleet.

The amount of safety inspections you carry out will depend on certain factors, including the age of the vehicle, the load it carries, the distance travelled and the environment that the fleet operates in.

Training is Imperative

Carrying out high quality training with your fleet drivers is essential. Drivers are legally required to assess and report any problems or faults with their vehicles and therefore must be trained to do so. After training, drivers will be required to sign a document which says they have received training and therefore are responsible for carrying out their own checks.

Detailed Reports

It’s important that there is a system in place to report and record faults. It’s essential that they are reported as soon as they are detected and then dealt with in a speedy manner. Any routine maintenance checks and repairs should also be adequately recorded for future reference.

If fleet managers follow the information above regularly, there is no reason why they should face any problems with their fleets. With regular checks and high quality training, their fleet vehicles should be more than fine to complete their jobs.

To be road worthy, it’s also essential to have the correct type of insurance for your fleet. Having the wrong insurance can cost you money and get you in trouble with the law. If you’re unsure on the type you need, our team of insurance experts will be more than happy to help.

Please contact us on 0333 202 3173 and we will be happy to give you a quote that could save you time and money. You can also find us over on Facebook and Twitter too.