In Ireland, Road Safety Week 2024 runs from 6th to 13th October. It should go without saying that all those involved with vehicles should view every week as Road Safety Week. Safety is one of the most important elements of automotive fleet management, and a good system is crucial to maintaining this. Let’s take a look at some areas all fleet managers should be cognisant of in order to maintain a safe and compliant fleet.

Tyre Condition is Critical to Automotive Fleet Safety 

Tyre safety should never be underestimated, after all, they’re the part of the vehicle that is always in contact with the road. Vehicle tyres take a considerable amount of hardship and wear, so it’s vital that they’re kept in top condition to ensure fleet safety. Tyres must always be at the appropriate depth and pressure, and be suitable for the vehicle on which they are used.  ForWare Tyre Check is a comprehensive tyre management system that allows you to seamlessly add tyre measurements and enables full transparency through its video facility; the workshop can send you a video showing what needs to be done with the tyres (or why they need to be replaced) without the need for long reports and time-consuming phone calls.

Keep on Top of Your Vehicle’s Service Guidelines

Service and VHC intervals are set for good reason, and automotive fleet managers should take every step to ensure that these are strictly adhered to for every vehicle in their fleet. Ultimately, these are there to keep your vehicles in optimum condition for both reliability and safety. Without the right system in place, this could become unwieldy very quickly when managing a large automotive fleet. However, ForWare has built-in service information for each vehicle and sends notifications as and when a service or VHC becomes due, be it based on mileage accumulation or time. It also allows for the instant retrieval of full service and repair history for each vehicle, and the ability to book services and VHCs. 

Safe Driving is as Important as Vehicle Safety

When it comes to fleet safety, drivers have just as much a role to play as the vehicles themselves. Automotive fleet managers should make sure that the vehicle is compatible with the driver’s qualifications (you shouldn’t assign a manual drive car to a driver who is only passed to drive automatics, for example). A safety culture should be fostered, for instance, drivers should be reminded of the importance of being adequately rested before driving a vehicle. The importance of checking your vehicle regularly and reporting any defects should be emphasised. Fleet drivers should also be familiar with the relevant speed limits in the areas through which they are driving, and any potential local hazards that may come their way.

Compliance is Key to Automotive Fleet Safety

It’s a legal requirement for all road vehicles to undergo inspection programmes at given intervals. In Ireland, this will mean the NCT or CVRT depending on the type of vehicles your fleet uses. These tests are there to make sure that all vehicles on our roads are in safe condition. While some fleet automotive fleet managers view this as a stressful shore, it doesn’t need to be. ForWare Compliance takes away the pain of compliance, enabling to book tests and keep track of all compliance documentation from one single touch point. You can also use it to book pre-test work in your chosen garage. It also covers more bespoke areas of fleet compliance, such as tail-lift inspections.

Never Neglect Post-Test Follow Up Work on Your Fleet

Attending tests is critical to ensure that your vehicles are kept in safe working order, and it’s equally important to ensure any follow-up items from your test are seen to as quickly as is practical. Generally, tests such as the NCT will give you a fixed period in which this follow-up work must be undertaken. ForWare can help with this, allowing you to book the vehicle with your workshop. If your regular workshop is too busy to do the repairs during the period allowed, you can use the ForWare Workshop Network to find other garages that can carry out the job.

Keep an Eye on Weather Conditions

Fleet managers should always be mindful of the weather conditions their drivers face. For instance, in the winter, fleet managers should make sure that vehicles have a winter safety kit onboard, containing de-icer, first aid kit, warning triangles, tow ropes, gloves, hi-viz, etc. Wet, windy or stormy conditions should be monitored also. Even a summer heatwave can present a danger if drivers don’t go out adequately prepared. 

Safety is an area where automotive fleet managers simply cannot afford to cut corners, no matter how urgent a job is, or how many vehicles they have to manage. As mentioned, a good automotive fleet management system is vital to achieving this and the ForWare team are highly experienced in helping fleet managers maintain the best possible standards of safety and compliance. For more information, call Alan on 021 484 5554 or email alan@forware.io.