The relationship between Safety Culture, Driver Attitude and Accident Liability

There is much talk in the fleet press and from ‘risk management’ suppliers about how important it is to do licence checks and assess drivers and do some form of driver training.  

As elements of RVM’s Full Circle product, we recognise these techniques can contribute towards identifying and thereby setting a course to reduce risk but, as evidence shows, these initiatives will fail to do anything other than tick some compliance boxes unless a key ingredient is present.

That ingredient is culture change.  

The most difficult hurdle for an arms-length risk supplier is to influence each drivers attitude to driving safety and to make he or she know how the organisation views its importance and to ensure this is visibly demonstrated by the most senior members of the company. 

Tools for achieving this are most often missing from the repertoire of traditional suppliers of ‘road risk management’.

Clearly there must be an economically sensible balance between the cost of risk and the cost of preventing it and therefore any culture change tools must be flexed according to the circumstances that prevail in each fleet.  

For this reason, every Full Circle risk reduction program from RVM Fleet Services will be different for each client.

The level of culture change may even vary sometimes between departments within the same client and therefore the solution may need to be highly tailored in order to ensure money and time is most usefully employed where it is likely to have the most beneficial impact.

The scope and nature of the tools required to achieve a cultural change in attitudes toward driving safety within any organisation that runs a fleet of vehicles (main fleet or ‘grey’ fleet) are therefore critical.  

RVM Fleet Services specialises in assessing where on the risk spectrum a fleet might sit and in introducing appropriate culture change tools that are designed to have the maximum positive effect, whilst being proportionate in terms of cost.

For more information on how we can help improve the safety culture within your organisation, contact us now on 01132248888 or click here to send us an e-mail

How to lower Average Repair Costs

The Mission Statement of RVM Fleet Services says we are in business to reduce both the frequency and cost of accidents. We regard both these features of claims history as equally important (especially when negotiating to buy motor fleet insurance) and we apply different tools for tackling each.

Our work in reducing frequency through our Full Circle risk management program is gathering pace and in the fleet market is now recognised for its uniqueness and effectiveness.  Our work in reducing accident costs is, however, equally unique and equally effective.  

A few home truths

Before we take a closer look at how RVM is tackling the rising cost of accident repairs, it would be useful to set the scene by looking at a few home truths:

• There is a continuing fascination and focus on labour rates when in practise the larger element of an accident repair bill relates to parts
• Many vehicle manufacturers have tightened their wholesale discount structure on parts, which has restricted fleets ability to reduce that element of the repair invoice
• As a result, Fleets are scrutinising their decision-making in terms of what to repair and what to replace and balancing that decision against the need to remain legal and safe 
• The fitting of non-original-equipment can contravene the terms of a leasing agreement, result in lower residual values and compromise safety and performance
• Many claims management companies derive a large proportion of their income from the repairer by agreeing a level of introduction fee with the repairer that increases the invoice value

Additionally, the calculation of a figure for average repair cost can be rendered meaningless unless:

•  It includes all repairs performed for a particular fleet in a particular period
•  It includes all types of damage repair cost such as smart or express repairs
•  It excludes repairs performed outside a body repair environment such as glass only
•  It excludes claims where there was no damage recorded
•   It excludes claims where damage was recorded but not carried out

The benefits of reducing repair costs

If fleets can reduce their average repair costs they are more likely to be able to stabilise or ultimately reduce their motor fleet insurance premium.  Alternatively, in those circumstances, a fleet may feel more confident about increasing the policy excess or selecting to buy only third party cover.

At RVM Fleet Services we have three major fleets that currently enjoy average repair costs of between £600 and £700 per repair, which represents approximately two thirds of the average repair figures being quoted in the marketplace. 

How we reduce the costs

1. Each new claim is assessed and managed by regarding the vehicle as our own and we therefore adopt the most cost-effective repair or replace strategy given the range of options we have available to us and given the constraints placed upon us by the client fleet

2. We repair the vehicle using recycled parts and body panels from other identical vehicles creating parts savings of up to 80% in some cases and  the parts are therefore 100% original equipment. Apart from reducing average repair cost, the other benefits of this approach are as follows:

a.       RVM and its fleet clients can demonstrate the most green approach to repairing accident-damaged vehicles

b.      Vehicle downtime is reduced because parts can be supplied quickly and even on consignment (often in the right colour)

c.       Fewer vehicles are written off because the total loss equation swings in favour of repair

d.      Parts and panels from vehicles that are written off can be re-used (including specialist equipment)

e.      The process of recycling these parts is carried out in a 100% carbon neutral process

Find out more...

If you would like to talk to RVM about how to reduce average repair cost then please get in touch. Call us on 0113 224 8888 or send an email to info@rvmfleetservices.co.uk. For more information about our Full Circle program click here.

Fleet News Readers recommend RVM Fleet Services!

Thanks...we're honoured!

If your company is not chosen by the readers of Fleet News as one of only 4 recommended suppliers in your sector, it is easy to dismiss such an accolade as inconsequential. 

If, however, like RVM Fleet Services, your company has been honoured by being so selected, it represents significant validation of all the hard work we have put in to make sure our services are amongst the best.

This recognition by Fleet News readers is all the more significant because it represents an independent view of our service as assessed by the people that use it, namely our customers. 

 

As a specialist supplier in the field of claims management we are so proud that our focus on personal service and cost saving is clearly paying off and this news has spurred us on to make sure these aspects of our service remain at the centre of what we do.

So, why has RVM received this recognition?

Integral to the business is our ability to flex our programs according to specific areas of emphasis as required by the fleet. Examples of this might be in terms of insurance cover, repair strategy, alternative transport options, reporting, recharging, third party handling and many other aspects of the service.

Additionally, the structure of our operations department allows the personal case managers to see the claim through from start to finish which means that no aspect of the work is carried out by a separate department. 

Similarly our Sales & Account Managers work alongside the operational teams who deliver the service, which allows full and frank communication between functions that traditionally operate separately.

Contrary to recent industry comment, RVM FS does not believe the accident management industry has been focused on a fee-free income-per-claim basis as we have successfully negotiated a modest fee structure with all of our fleet clients consistently over the 15 years we have been trading. 

This business model allows us the flexibility to select suppliers on the basis of fit for purpose as opposed to other commercial criteria.

We'd love to hear from you...

If, like the readers of Fleet News, you would like to see why RVM FS is different, call us on

0113224889, email us at sales@rvmfleetservices.co.uk or have a look at at our website.

The Benefits Of Online Driver Assessments

Online driver assessments help you to identify high risk factors, to find out more about the benefits of our online driver assessments please feel free to visit http://www.rvmfleetservices.co.uk/on-line-assessments/

Great Value Fleet Management Services That Minimise Your Down Time!

The team at RVM Fleet Services offer fleet management solutions, vehicle maintenance, accident management and much more! Visit us online to find out more about our great value fleet management services which are always focused on minimising your down time! http://www.rvmfleetservices.co.uk/