How can fleets prepare for the post-lockdown era now?
While supermarket and home delivery fleets will have their work cut out over the next few weeks, most UK operations have had to be put on hold during the latest lockdown. But with the promise of a return to life as we knew it, possibly by mid-summer once the Covid vaccines have been fully rolled out, the end to this trial is firmly in sight.
Since March last year, the majority of British fleets haven’t been able to operate as normal; far from it in fact. But as “stay local” restrictions loosen and road travel opens up once more, fleets should have the opportunity to get back to some semblance of normality before too long.
So how can you use this current downtime most wisely? And how will you ensure your fleet gets back to normal as quickly as possible when the UK picks up where it left off?
Consider maintenance
How many vehicles in your fleet have been driven less frequently than usual? Will they be ready and safe for more intensive use once more miles are being driven? If your company’s transport needs are likely to be what they were pre-pandemic, it’s crucial that you ensure your vehicles are up to the challenge.
Talk to your employees, offer advice about how they can best maintain their vehicles while not in use, and provide safety checklists for them to complete. And remember, MOT test centres are staying open throughout this lockdown!
Address training
New statistics from the Department for Transport reveal an increase in speeding during the first lockdown last year. During Q2, some 63% of cars broke the speed limit on 30mph roads, up 7% from the previous year. 60mph single carriageways saw the same percentage increase, and motorway speeding increased by 1% as well.
While these numbers might well return to more normal levels once roads become busier once more, it’s never a bad idea to educate drivers in road safety. Could you use the lockdown to provide training to your drivers and reduce risks once more people are back on the road?
Talk about mental wellbeing
You’ll have seen numerous reports about drivers’ mental health during the pandemic. Now would be a great time to check in with your employees and find out if there’s anything you can do to offer them more support.
Think long-term
It seems likely that company cars will continue to be the pillar of transportation for most UK businesses going forward. And Government incentives mean there’s never been a better time to electrify a fleet than now. Is this the moment for your business to make the shift?
If you’d like to strategise further about how best to remobilise your fleet, get in touch with us by dropping a comment below or sending an email to [email protected]. And while you’re here, why not find out more about our Training Monitor product, which will show you which of your employees could use some extra training to reduce their driving risk?
