The Christmas holiday season is a fun time of year for people of all ages, and while businesses typically slow down during the holidays, that isn’t true for all industries. When you run a company that uses a fleet of vehicles to make deliveries, transport goods or transport people, you may have vehicles on the road right through the holidays.
One of the issues that many companies face during the holiday season is an improper use of their company vehicles. As a business owner or manager, it becomes increasingly important to keep track of company vehicles over the holidays. It’s not that you shouldn’t trust your employees, but nipping out of work early to make a pit stop at the local pub, or do some Christmas shopping with a work vehicle isn’t unheard of.
Since you are running a business, it’s crucial to keep your business interests top of mind, and keeping track of your company vehicles just makes sense. Here are a few issues that you may face if your work vehicles are used for something other than work.
Wasting Fuel
Naturally, unnecessary driving means unnecessary fuel usage, which will cost your company more without any added benefit. Even short trips off the beaten path add up, and if you have a larger fleet of vehicles, the costs could be noticeable. Extra driving with company vehicles will also shorten the time between vehicle maintenance visits, adding even more expense.
Wasting Time
Company time is called that for a reason, and when drivers start using your vehicles for things other than work, the wasted time will start eating at your profits. Like any company that uses vehicles on a regular basis, you have schedules to keep and wasting time shouldn’t be part of the process.
Safety Issues
Making unwarranted trips with company vehicles increases the risk of accidents, causing unneeded safety concerns. Trips to the pub can also increase the likelihood of driving while under the influence, which takes the safety element to a completely different level. To keep both your employees and the public safe, monitoring your company vehicles is a wise choice.
Your Reputation
In the end, using work vehicles for things other than work over the holidays can damage your reputation. Every vehicle in your fleet is a representation of your company, and if people see it parked at a pub or even a shopping mall, it creates a negative perception of the business. If the vehicle is involved in an accident and causes an injury, your company’s reputation might not be able to recover. Let’s face it, it’s not the best look for your stickered vehicles to be seen at the TAB at 2pm on a Thursday is it?
In order to keep the holiday season festive and your company in a good position heading into the New Year, take action and keep track of your vehicles. Setting up a world-class GPS system from Fleetdynamics will provide peace of mind and allow you to keep tabs on all your vehicles, as well as provide a range of other exciting business possibilities. Contact us today to get started and above all else, have a Very Merry Christmas!