A Driving for Work policy is essential for every organisation with employees who either drive for work or drive at work. The law says all companies must have policies and procedures to minimise risk – and that includes the recognised risks around driving.
It may be obvious that a policy is necessary from a fleet management perspective. A fleet manager is likely to have a clearer understanding around the management of their teams’ safety on the road, and of the purpose of the fleet policy within their organisation.
However, without clarity on what is covered by the term ‘driving for work’ it’s likely that some of the essential areas to be covered in a company driving policy may be missed by those responsible for health and safety within their organisation.
It’s even more likely that the legal and compliance requirements for a company driving for work policy will be missed by those who do not have specific responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace – operational teams, administrative teams or HR teams, for example.
Who needs a driving for work policy?
If you have employees, the chances are a proportion will:
- drive a vehicle FOR work as part of their job
- drive while AT work, either regularly or occasionally
- drive on business between locations – at some point during their working day or night
- drive a private vehicle that you don’t own – theirs or someone else’s while on business
If you don’t have a formal driving for work policy, you need one.
In this article we will look at exactly what should be included in a driving for work policy, and answer other relevant questions, such as:
- Who needs a driving for work policy?
- What is the purpose of the fleet policy?
- What specific areas should be included in a driving for work policy?
- How does fleet management tie into your teams safety on the road?
- What is an example of a good practice company driving policy?
- How do you ensure your drivers and other employees buy in to your driving policies?
- How often should you review and update your driving for work policy?
What is an example of driver safety policy
A safe driving policy needs to cover specific areas, as specified by The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Health and safety at work legislation requires all employers to carry out an assessment of the risks posed to employees by their work activities, as well as the risks those activities may pose to others outside the business.
The Health and Safety Executive is clear that a company car or van is an extension of the workplace – it’s the reason nobody is allowed to smoke in a company vehicle, because the same rules that relate to workplace health and safety also apply to driving for work. The risks involved in driving for work must be identified, carefully assessed, and safe working practices then put in place to ensure those risks are minimised as far as possible.
The safest way to ensure you have a legal and compliant driving for work policy (UK) is to check yours against the Driving for Better Business policy template. You can download a safe driving policy PDF file to share with your colleagues who are responsible for the management of safety in your organisation. You can check your existing driving policies against the good practice driving for work policy example.
You can also download a driving for work policy PDF – ‘Understanding your Responsibilities’. This includes the framework for a Driving for Work Policy and what should be included, and explains what an employer must do to ensure compliance with the legislation.
In order to comply with this legislation:
- Your organisation must not do anything that puts drivers at risk.
- Your organisation’s work-related driving activities must not endanger other road users.
- Directors must put appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure this is so.
- All employees must follow those policies and procedures at all times
What is the policy for employee use of company vehicle
The policy for employee use of a company vehicle needs to cover a number of areas – driving for work policy sections should include The Driver, The Journey and The Vehicle, as well as a section on those who drive their own vehciles – known as ‘Grey Fleet’ – and any specific rules that apply to your own organisation or sector.
The Department of Transport reports that more than 29,000 people were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads in 2022, and according to a “Work-Related Road Safety Task Group” a third of all road traffic accidents involve an at-work driver. Vehicle usage represents a significant source of risk for businesses, but one that may be hidden in plain sight for some organisations. The need for a company driver policy and procedures applies as much to private vehicles and grey fleet used by employees for work, as to the more obvious case of company owned vehicles. It’s not necessarily part of the fleet manager’s remit – Health and Safety Managers as well as HR Managers should ensure that their employer has a ‘driving at work’ policy in place, that gap analyses and risk assessments across the driving for work activities are completed, and that there are measures in place to mitigate those risks once they are identified.
What is an example of a company driving policy
An example of a company fleet usage and driver safety policy is one that covers a code of practice that will reduce road risk and improve driver safety. A good company driving policy needs to include specific information in a concise and easy-to-understand format. There are almost 40,000 injuries on Britain’s roads each year that involve someone who was driving for work. If you want to ensure your employees are not part of the problem, it’s vital to set out the importance of driver safety – and the good practice standards you expect when your staff are driving for work. You can do this with a clear driver policy and procedures that everyone in the organisation follows.
Here’s a summary of what needs to be included:
A policy statement which explains to drivers why the policy exists and why it is important they follow it at all times. Good practice is to also include a statement from a senior leader in the organisation to stress the importance of driver safety to the organisation.
A driver management section covering licence checks, medical conditions, driver competence and fitness to drive including impairment, fatigue and wellbeing.
A Vehicles Section including vehicle roadworthiness, safe loading, vehicle security, private use of vehicles and towing, if applicable.
A journey management section including driving standards, use of mobile phones, dealing with fines and penalties, and what to do in the event of a collision or breakdown.
A grey fleet drivers section – for those employees who use their own car for business journeys. It’s an area often missed, but every time an employee uses their own vehicle for any work purpose, you have the same legal responsibilities for managing safety.
What is an example of a company vehicle use policy
A driving for work policy template will help you ensure you have covered all of the above sections as well as company vehicle use. Your policy should include a vehicle management section which covers:
- vehicle roadworthiness,
- safe loading,
- vehicle security,
- private use of vehicles
- towing, if applicable
A company driver policy template is available as part of the Driving for Better Business Driving for Work Policy Builder. This can be downloaded once you have added any sections to the safe driving policy template that migth apply specifically to your business – for example, if your vehicles tow, or if your vehciles transport hazardous materials with specific safe loading requirements.
What are the main points to cover for safe driving
A safe driving policy for employees should cover a number of areas to ensure you are encouraging a safe driving culture within your organisation.
With 40,000 people injured every year in collisions involving someone who was driving for work, there are clear reasons to actively ensure you have a safe driving policy that mitigates that risk.
Driving for work is an identified area of risk when it comes to safety in the workplace.
- It can put your staff at risk.
- It can put other road users at risk.
- It can cost your organisation a lot of money.
- It can put you, your organisation and your reputation at risk and you have a legal duty to manage it properly.
What is the purpose of the fleet policy
By now it’s probably very clear to you that the purpose of the fleet policy in your organisation should be to cover every area of risk to protect your employees who drive at work and those who are commercial drivers and drive for work as part of their every day role.
It’s vital to set out the importance of driver safety – and the good practice standards you expect when your staff are driving for work.
Your organisation needs to do this for three reasons:
- It is the right thing to do – we all want our staff and other road users to get home to their families safe and well at the end of each day.
- It makes good business sense. Poorly managed drivers will cost you more – higher insurance, increased servicing and maintenance costs, more speeding tickets and greater fuel use.
- It is a legal requirement – the law says all companies must have policies and procedures to minimise risk – and that includes the recognised risks around driving. In the event of a serious incident you could be asked to prove that you and your organisation have taken reasonable steps to protect your drivers and other road users.
So when it comes to the question, ‘What is the purpose of your fleet policy and driving for work policies?’ – your driving for work policy is how you demonstrate your commitment to doing this well.
What are workplace driving safety tips
Some organisations are managing road risk and improving the safety of their drivers very well. There are a number of case studies showing the challenges they faced, how they met those challenges, and the benefits they’ve seen as a result – across all areas of their business, including collision reduction, lower fuel costs, lower insurance premiums and reduced maintenance costs.
There are specific driving safety resources to support driver managers in the Driving for Better Business Resource Library. These include:
- Driving for work policy templates and examples of best practice
- DVSA resources for driver managers and fleet managers
- Workplace driving safety information and support
- Driving safety tips via our Van Driver Toolkit modules and videos
What is fleet management safety
Fleet management safety is one part of the overall requirement to manage Health and Safety in your workplace. The Work-related Road Safety Task Group recognised that many different types of vehicles are used for work purposes, such as lorries, vans, taxis, coaches, buses, emergency services and utilities vehicles, company cars, construction and agricultural machinery, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. Of course, many other people work on, or near the road, such as maintenance workers, refuse collectors, postal workers, vehicle breakdown employees and the police.
Their reports made clear how health and safety risk management principles can be brought to bear on at-work road risk, and importantly, the role employers can play in committing to good safety management of the risks, to reduce deaths and injury on our roads.
How does fleet management tie into your teams’ safety on the road
The key conclusion was that the Government and the Health and Safety Commission should take measures to reduce at-work road traffic incidents by applying existing health and safety law to on-the-road work activities. Employers should manage road risk in the same way as they manage other occupational health and safety risks. It’s clear that fleet management and the management of employees who drive for work ties in directly to their safety on the roads.
In conclusion:
If you manage or employ staff who drive for work, you need a safe driving policy for employees which explains to your drivers why the policy exists and why it is important they follow it at all times.
A good driving for work policy example will include the following:
- A Drivers Section covering licence checks, medical conditions, driver competence and fitness to drive including impairment, fatigue and wellbeing.
- A Vehicles Section including vehicle roadworthiness, safe loading, vehicle security, private use of vehicles and towing, if applicable.
- A Journey section including driving standards, use of mobile phones, dealing with fines and penalties, and what to do in the event of a collision or breakdown.
- A grey fleet drivers section – for those employees who use their own car for business journeys. – every time an employee uses their own vehicle for any work purpose, they are covered by your driving for work policy.
The Driving for Better Business Policy Builder gives you access to a Driving for Work Policy Template that ensures you meet legal and compliance standards.