Are your drivers taking adequate breaks?

This is a question that should concern every fleet manager. For one, the effects of driving while tired can be significant – similar to driving while under the influence of alcohol, according to the Sleep Foundation.

For fleets that are required to use tachographs, however, unrested drivers pose another problem. This time with compliance. By law, commercial drivers in the UK must take a rest break of at least 45 minutes after a maximum of four and a half hours behind the wheel. However, research conducted as part of the Verizon Connect Fleet Manager Survey 2018 reveals this is often not the case.

Of the fleet managers we surveyed, 25% said drivers regularly exceeded the 4.5 hour limit before stopping for a break while 12% said they did not track driver rest periods at all. And this was far from the most shocking discovery. When asked how they ensure that drivers are taking their required breaks, 16% said they left it to the drivers discretion, 15% said drivers self-report their breaks and 3% said they have no way of knowing whether breaks took place at all.

Even putting the potential safety impact of tired drivers within a fleet aside, these findings should cause major concern to any businesses that are required to use a tacho. The consequences of falling foul of tachograph regulations can be severe, with fines reaching into the hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases.

If your fleet’s not compliant, is that a risk you can really afford to run? Take action today.