Maintaining HGV fleet compliance is one of the most important things you can do as a fleet manager, as it will help you ensure safety and reduce the risk of accidents. Thankfully, there are some effective solutions that you can explore when it comes to running a compliant business. Although at first glance this might look like a straightforward process, there are actually different challenges that you might come across. It’s important to know what actions you should take in these situations to prevent problems from occurring. Today we have put together a handy guide, that you can use to achieve and maintain HGV fleet compliance in 2023.
Establish Safety Standards
Firstly, it’s essential to start by establishing safety standards, which you will need to share with drivers and ensure they understand what is expected of them. It can be beneficial to evaluate your current practices and consider any accidents, which might have occurred over the last few months. Analyse what led to them and think about what you can do moving forward. Implementing new safety procedures will encourage your HGV drivers to stay vigilant and compliant. Also, it’s crucial to take your fleet’s unique needs into consideration. For example, if your drivers also need to operate dangerous equipment, you will also need to factor this in.
Use Tachograph Analysis Software
Tachograph analysis software can provide HGV fleet managers with a number of benefits, such as improved efficiency and productivity. In addition, you can use tachograph analysis to maintain compliance and create a centralised location for all of your important documentation. FleetGO is a leading tachograph analysis software provider in the UK, which allows you to manage and check your digital tachograph files. Thanks to their easy-to-use cloud platform, you will have all the tools you need to ensure that your business complies with local and European regulations. You will also have access to HGV driver infringements, as well as your tachograph archive.
Conduct Regular Inspections
It’s essential to carry out regular HGV inspections so that you can address any problems that might be difficult to detect otherwise. Even if everything seems okay, you should still free up some time in your schedule to conduct these inspections. When unexpected issues arise, it’s also crucial to schedule maintenance straightaway and minimise potential downtime. Additionally, this will help your drivers avoid fines and violations. Keep in mind that sometimes the smallest issues can create a lot of hassle, which could have been prevented, so make sure that problems are resolved quickly.
Keep Up With Your Maintenance Schedule
You should also develop a strict preventative maintenance schedule and ensure you stick to it, as this is one of the most important steps to achieving compliance. This can also be a great strategy to regulate costs, since your HGVs will be safe and road-ready. Also, taking a proactive approach when it comes to maintenance will maximise the lifespan of your vehicles and ensure everything runs smoothly for as long as possible. Remember to gather data on all the maintenance work that you have completed and store it within a single system for easy access.
Pay Attention To Driver Behaviour
Another thing that you will need to keep an eye on is driver behaviour, as this might help you identify unsafe HGV driving practices. Therefore, it’s important to have appropriate procedures in place, which can be used to encourage safe driving. In addition, you should ensure that all drivers are trained and certified. This means that you will need to check if they have valid HGV licences, which are also correct for the vehicle they are going to operate. Your drivers should also be fully trained and familiar with the health and safety regulations that they must follow every day.
Carry Out Risk Assessments
Risk management practices can help you prevent accidents and reduce fines, as well as insurance costs. Every business faces a unique set of risks, so you should consider what that means for your fleet. Take some time to determine what steps you can take to ensure the safety of your drivers and other road users. For example, you may need to provide additional training opportunities, which will allow you to reiterate the importance of health and safety. Also, this will ensure that drivers are aware of the government guidelines, that are relevant to them.
Comply With Fleet Regulations
As a HGV fleet manager, you may often need to upgrade and update vehicles in response to the latest fleet regulations. Therefore, you should develop the ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, as you will likely go through these situations more than once. Make sure you stay informed about any changes which might be introduced in 2023 and act quickly to ensure your business is compliant with the relevant regulations. Moreover, you should check that all of your vehicles are fully taxed and insured.
Stay Organised
Chances are that you will need to deal with a ton of paperwork every day, so it’s advisable to stay organised to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Take advantage of different tools and apps, that can help you monitor driver behaviour and resolve issues quickly. Also, it’s important to ensure that information relating to vehicle inspections is readily available. Check that reports are completed and signed by drivers every day so that any defects or deficiencies can be detected as soon as possible. If you have undertaken any corrective action or repair, you should note down any details for future reference.
Create An Effective Strategy
Lastly, having an effective strategy in place will enable you to tackle all types of challenges when it comes to compliance. Remember that maintaining fleet compliance is a continuous process, so you should never stop evaluating your current processes and systems. Additionally, it’s recommended to share your strategy with your employees in a variety of ways. For example, you may want to update all of your company handbooks to ensure that everyone has access to it. This will encourage drivers to get involved in this process and take accountability for their part in achieving compliance.
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