BusinessCar’s investigation into the way the Government’s departments manage their grey fleets and the level of private car usage threw up a worrying lack of consistency.
Using the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we asked every department about their grey fleet usage, which is increasingly pertinent given the growing noise about the potential for corporate manslaughter prosecutions in relation to automotive incidents.
That several departments couldn’t even tell us how many staff claim for using their own vehicle on work business, or total mileage wasn’t available, shows just how little attention this issue gets in the workplace.
It’s surprising that there’s no consistent Government policy governing grey fleet use, given that experts continually pinpoint it as a potential area of weakness in risk management policies.
And that the Health and Safety Executive is the largest user of grey fleet, and more than half of staff claim miles to some degree, sends out completely the wrong message.
The Government’s flagship departments need a Whitehall-wide policy to make sure that they are controlling the risk and cost associated with grey fleet.
Most firms or public sector departments have a need for a certain level of grey fleet usage, because there are times when it’s the most logistical or financially sensible option.
But these results would seem to indicate that in some cases there is little interest in controlling or managing what method of travel staff choose.
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