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NAFA's Guide to Fleet Vehicle Policy Development
This is the current working draft of NAFA's new book on fleet policy development. All changes and additions must be made before March 1, 2007, when this forum will be closed and the draft will be sent to the editorial committee. Please log in to contribute or create a user name for yourself by clicking the link in the upper-right of this page.
Introduction to Fleet Vehicle Policy Development
• This guide will provide a unique insight and assist the user with a multidimensional understanding of vehicle policies, their development and caveats associated with situations that may not have been considered at the time of inception. While some of the questions posed may appear to be extreme in nature, they nonetheless illustrate real situations that have and will continue to occur in real world applications. It is vital that the fleet manager, whether reviewing existing policy or developing new ones, be cognizant of questions and consequences that need to be fully understood prior to implementation.
Overview of Fleet Policies & Procedures
• As policies may be specific to particular vehicles and applications, so too, may they be specific to the company or government agency that is responsible for the vehicle. Many times two different fleet managers will develop the same policy but they are expressed in completely different ways. This may be a result of the style of the writer and as much if not more so the desire to blend the essence of the message to mirror existing company or agency policy in structure and tenor. This guide will not provide instruction on how to write policies and procedures, but rather is will provide suggestions which will enable the fleet manager to construct clear and effective communication. When establishing a new policy or procedure the fleet manger may realize an advantage to concentrate first on the substance, expressing the message clearly, then to craft it into the profile of other communication that is in place with the Company. In this method the fleet manager concentrates on the substance first and then integrates the communication into a style consistent with other company or agency communication. After reviewing this guide, the fleet manager may realize that there may be significant opportunities to protect the safety and well being of the employee, the company and the equipment.
Eligibility for Company Car/Vehicle
Eligibility for Company Car/Vehicle • The eligibility for a Company vehicle may be predicated by a variety of reasons including but not limited to:
Need based. The vehicle is assigned to a driver because it is an integral tool in the performance of their job. This may include a sales representative, a technician who may be on call after hours, a specialized or officer of rank, or other such scenario. This may or may not provide for take home privileges. Non-need based. This is typically reflective of senior management or special performance-based recognition in which the vehicle is not an integral part of that person's job requirements. In this instance the type, cost, level of equipment and term of eligibility may vary widely from company to company. Prior to implementing new policy in this area, The fleet manager will eliminate a significant amount of angst to ensure senior management has reached an absolute consensus regarding the specifics of and potential loss of eligibility.
Use of a Personally Owned Vehicle
Use of a Personally Owned Vehicle • Will the use of a personal vehicle be authorized and compensated for to make occasional business specific errands ? Will a personal vehicle be used each day to go to the post office box before arriving at the corporate office each morning ? While these examples may be at the extreme end of the spectrum, these scenarios clearly exist. If a crash or loss were to occur have expectations been clearly spelled out and understood ? Have the following concerns been addressed :
Does the employee understand that they will need to notify their automobile insurance carrier of the frequency or annual work related mileage which may result in a raise in their insurance premium ? Has your company established minimum insurance levels which may be significantly higher than that of which the employee would typically have in force ? Does the employee understand that regardless of a flat rate or per mile compensation, they will be responsible for all maintenance, repairs and losses due to crashes and other occurrences ? Has your company established minimum standards regarding the exterior and mechanical condition of a personal vehicle used for business purposes ? As one can well imagine, given the nature of the position and many other factors this point is akin to the dress code of a specific company and the clients that they interact with on a routine basis. How will this be enforced ? If the employee's vehicle experiences downtime due to significant repair, does the employee understand that they will need to bear the cost of a rental vehicle regardless of their compensation ?
