Motor Management Guide
Within this guide:
Driver vetting procedure
Driver management
Claims process/management
Vehicle amendments/MID
Other major considerations
Ascend 360 fleet risk management
AscendRisk
Motor Fleet Management
We are pleased to offer our new guide, designed to help you and your staff manage your business.
All these guides should be read in conjunction with your policy schedule and wording, as each will have specific terms and conditions to ensure cover is maintained.
In this motor fleet management guide we provide advice on:
- Driver Vetting Procedures
- Fleet Management
- Claims Notifications & Process
- Young Drivers
- Vehicle changes/MID
- Other Major Considerations
- Ascend 360 Fleet Management Service
- AscendRisk
- Why you must report claims instantly
You can also report all your claims immediately via our Ascend Claims App.
This document should enable you to simply administer your fleet management. We also have available:
Kind regards,
Matthew Collins
Managing Director
Ascend Broking Group Ltd
Tel: 01245 449060
Email: [email protected]
Driver Vetting
All motor fleet insurance policies have policy conditions regarding who is able to drive. Special attention should be applied to any driver who:
- Has had any serious convictions
- Has been served a driving ban
- Has an accumulation of points (more than 6)
- Has an adverse accident history (5 years)
- Has any medical conditions
- Is outside the driving warranty (age/experience)
If in doubt please contact the team at Ascend Broking: [email protected]
1. Driver Checks
For the DVLA licence check, all drivers should complete the Additional Drivers form, which will include:
National Insurance Number
Copy of driving licence & number
Postcode
Refer to Ascend if you have:
More than 6 points
Any driving licence ban
Any medical conditions
Any adverse claims history
Or, if you are outside your policy driving warranty (normally under 25 years of age or above 65 and less than 2 year experience)
Always check your driving warranty. Advise us if any driver falls outside the warranty, as they may not be covered by your insurance company
Nominate someone within the business to administer the motor fleet check procedures
Young drivers
If cover is for any licenced driver, check terms/additional excesses for young drivers, as some policies only offer Third Party cover
Check use in respect of young drivers – some insurers restrict cover to business use only, excluding social, domestic & pleasure use.
If in doubt, please contact Ascend: [email protected]
Insurance policies will not provide cover for drivers that should have been referred or fall outside the policy warranty.
Do you employ agency drivers or European drivers?
Have you checked these are covered under your policy?
2. Driver Management
We recommend you review all drivers' licence and conviction histories every 6 months:
1 month before renewal
Any new employees
6 months after renewal
Download our suggested drivers' register:
Driver Licence Register – 6-monthly-driver-licence-record-check
Claims Management
What to do in the event of a claim
Download the Ascend claims app
Report claims immediately from the roadside with our Award-winning digital claims app
Report claims as quickly as possible to ensure speedy defence
Notify insurers of any incident as soon as you can - in some cases cover can be declined if they deem long delays have prejudiced their position-defending or settling
Our claims service
Contact the claims team at Ascend:
[email protected]
Tel: 01245 449060
DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE
How to combat rising claims inflation
Other things you must consider
MID or vehicle changes
It is your responsibility to make sure the MID is updated with any vehicle changes. Please advise of us of all vehicle changes as and when they occur, even if your policy’s premium is adjusted on a quarterly or six monthly basis. This is so we can ensure the Motor Insurance Database (MID) is kept up to date, unless you have opted to update the MID yourselves. Should a vehicle not be showing on the MID, it will appear to be uninsured to the Police and they could stop you at the roadside and potentially impound the vehicle, prosecuting the driver for driving a vehicle without insurance
Hazardous Goods
You must advise your insurers if you move hazardous goods. Many insurers will be fine with low levels, which can include palletised movements where hazardous goods are restricted by weight or volume. Any other movements will be regulated and you should make your insurers aware of ADR qualified drivers, classes of goods carried and any specific contracts, for specific products.
Vehicle loading
Incorporate load checks within your drivers' walk around procedure. Load stability and security is important, as improperly loaded vehicles may have cover refused in the case of an accident where the load may have exacerbated the problem.
Leased/hired vehicles
What is your contract exposure for hired or leased vehicles? If the vehicle is written off what will the hire company expect from you? Many motor policies only pay the market value, which can be a point of frustration. Think about additional protection if your lease contract continues to take payments until the lease company receives settlement. Make sure you are not left with a deficit once the claim is settled. Check your contract terms and ask about GAP cover from your broker.
Vehicle maintenance
It might sound obvious, but poorly-maintained vehicles have a higher accident risk. In addition, if the vehicle is deemed as being un-roadworthy, any claim could be avoided by insurers. Regular servicing is important but do not wait for the service period before highlighting issues. Camera apps can provide your drivers with a valuable tool to complete pre-driving checks and take pictures for forwarding to the transport manager, instantly, to make a decision on using the vehicle.
Trailers
Check the cover under your motor insurance. All insurance will cover third party damage caused by a trailer when attached to a towing vehicle. Anything more should be checked as not all policies automatically include any further cover.
Check the following:
Does cover mirror that of the towing vehicle?
Is cover provided for trailers whilst detached from the towing vehicle? If so, is it at own premises or specified third party premises?
What cover is provided by subcontracted hauliers when towing your trailers?
Check your exposure when towing third party trailers. Are they expecting you to cover the trailer for damage when in your care? Is this whilst attached and detached?
If the motor insurer cannot extend to the cover you require, it may be possible to add to the transit liability policy.
You are required to advise us of all vehicle changes including all temporary vehicles – for example courtesy cars – so that the MID can be updated and insurance be placed accordingly
Ascend 360 Fleet Management
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We provide a wide range of solutions that help you improve your fleet management risk day-to-day.
- Fleet Management
- Driving Risk
- Driver Training
- Real-Time Tracking
- Performance League Tables
- Telematics Review
- Unsafe Driving Reports
- And more...
Prevention before cure
Our main focus is on accident prevention; a proactive rather than reactive way of managing your fleet risks
Ascend Risk
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- E‑Learning
- PPE & Asset Manager
- Legal Helpline
- Business Law Library
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Additional services available:
- ShareTrak
- Environmental Management
- Onsite Consultancy
- Additional E‑Learning
- Fleet Management
- Driving Risk
- Leading In-vehicle Telematics/Cameras
- And more...
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