August 2, 2023
Abby Nuttall
Top Picks
If you’ve got a company fleet, then part of managing it is making sure that the cars are properly equipped. This doesn’t just mean making sure they have the right features or telematics devices installed but can also mean making sure you give your drivers a few essential items to keep in their cars.
Items to Put in All Your Fleet Vehicles
There are a number of different items that you might need your drivers to carry depending on the business, their role, and the vehicle but there are some essentials that we think are universal. This is our team’s essential picks that we think should be in all vehicles.
1. First Aid Kit
The first essential to make sure all of your fleet has is a first aid kit.
Something to be mindful of with a first aid kit is that some items will have expiry dates and any supplies that are used will need to be replenished. If you decide to supply first aid kits to drivers then you will need to monitor them to ensure that they remain useful.
2. Winter / Summer Care Kit
The next thing we recommend is giving your drivers a winter and summer care kit. These will generally be the same, but there are a few seasonal items that should be changed out seasonally.
You can either provide your drivers with all of the items that they can keep in the car or switch out as needed or your fleet team can rotate them seasonally.
This is in addition to the standard safety equipment that should be provided.
What you can include in a winter care kit:
- A torch
- A small shovel
- A blanket
What you can include in a summer care kit:
- Sunglasses
- Suncream
- A lightweight jacket (for summer showers)
- Bottled water
3. Key Vehicle Details Documents
We recommend supplying your drivers with a document that has all of the key information for their vehicle on. This will help them if they are ever stopped by the police, involved in an accident or they need to provide the details for any other reason.
This should include:
- The vehicle registration
- The full company name (as per the vehicle registration documents)
- The insurance provider and their contact number
- The insurance policy number
- The fleet management contact details
- Any breakdown provider and their contact details
4. High-Vis Jacket
Although it’s not a legal requirement in the UK yet, we think that all vehicles should have a high-vis in them so that if there is an accident and the driver needs to leave the vehicle they are more visible to other road users.
We would generally advise that cars should have a high-vis in them for each of the occupants, but you should make sure there is at least one for the driver.
5. Warning Triangle
Another safety item that you should equip your fleet with is a warning triangle. If the vehicle breaks down or is involved in an accident and not able to be moved, then this triangle can be placed ahead of it to warn other road users of the hazard.
Generally, we advise giving drivers two warning triangles. This allows them to place one on either side of the vehicle if they are on a smaller road or at two distances on the same side on larger vehicles to give road users more of a warning.
Enjoyed this article? Read more of our latest blogs below:
- Turning Your Fleet Green
- Should I Take a Salary Sacrifice Car?
- Maintenance for Your Company Car
- Three Biggest Fleet Expenses
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