Driver communication is the number one issue facing commercial vehicle (CV) fleets trying to meet their duty of care obligations.

“Driver communication is the number one problem for commercial vehicles fleets trying to meet their responsibilities under the new Corporate Manslaughter legislation,” explained legal expert on fleet law, David Faithful, who was speaking at a recent CFC Solutions seminar.

“Because truck and van drivers tend to be out on the road all the time, it is difficult to let them know about basic measures that the new law may say you need to put in place, such as certain aspects of your risk management policy.

An example could be if fleet managers need to tell their CV drivers about a new policy they are putting in place to control mobile phone use.

“There is no easy way to get the details to them, to know they have read and understood it, and that they are taking notice of it as part of their day-to-day activity,” said Mr Faithful.

“Driver fatigue is a linked issue, especially for smaller CV fleets where there are no tachographs.

"It is difficult to know how long drivers are actually spending behind the wheel because the driver cannot communicate with you easily – but this is a key area to monitor under health and safety.”

- www.fleetnews.co.uk