Wanted: Fleet manager. To succeed, you must be a person with microscopic attention to detail, well-honed diplomatic skills and a thorough knowledge of the law. You will also be responsible for the safety of every employee in your company who drives for work, whether in their own car or a company vehicle.
Put like that, the life of a fleet manager seems impossibly demanding. Bear in mind that the majority of people performing this role in a small-to-medium-size business do so alongside a raft of other duties, and it begins to look even more daunting.
That is exactly why Volvo has launched the Co-Pilot scheme. This helps employers adhere to their legal obligation to provide staff with a safe environment to work in, even when they are on the road. It also mitigates the risk of employees being involved in a car accident.
Even better, says Volvo’s head of business sales Selwyn Cooper, the programme is free to SMEs that add a first Volvo car to their fleet, or return to the company after an absence of 12 or more months. He says: “Co-Pilot saves our customers time and money, as well as making the job of a fleet manager considerably more straightforward.”
To give an example of the support offered, Co-Pilot offers an online risk profile of each company driver included in the programme, up to a maximum of 20. This identifies areas where their habits behind the wheel most need addressing for the sake of safety.
Another part of Co-Pilot is the provision of a company driver policy handbook, which is something required by law. The document spells out the expectations on employees when they drive for work, covering topics such as drink-driving, speed limits, mobile phone use and stopping distances.
