Cogent Breeding operates a 40-strong fleet of light goods vehicles all equipped with trackers to provide real-time journey information and forward-facing CCTV cameras; as well as 50 company cars with almost 80 employees driving their own cars on work-related journeys invariably in rural areas.
The company, part of Wheatsheaf Investments Ltd, has joined the campaign, which aids the Department for Transport’s ambition to support and promote good practice in safer fleet management and occupational road safety, because of the best practice measures it has taken as a small and medium enterprise (SME) with employees clocking up thousands of miles on rural roads.
Its business champion status comes in the wake of the Department launching a safety THINK! campaign that highlights rural roads as the deadliest in the country: three people die every day on country roads and a third of fatalities occur on bends.
Of the company’s 180 UK staff more than 70% drive due to the nature of their daily work duties and, furthermore, they are classed as lone workers. Most journeys undertaken are on rural minor roads often leading to remote farms with some employees clocking up around 40,000 miles annually.
Cogent Breeding’s fleet data collection procedures – all incidents including near-misses must be reported – identified that collisions were mostly low speed reversing; manoeuvring or inappropriate speed. If any employee commits two or more, reportable accidents, an internal investigation is launched potentially resulting in implementation of an action plan.
All employees driving a vehicle on business are now required to complete a 20-minute online risk assessment, which includes driving licence validation with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Results are analysed and acted upon by fleet manager Anne Moore and distribution manager Graham Ruddick.
CCTV has also been installed in light goods vehicles to improve driver behaviour, reduce poor decision-making and capture footage showing evidence of collisions, insurance fraud, bogus injury claims, incidents of road rage and physical attack.
Cogent Breeding also operates a reverse parking policy at all sites to make it easier, safer and quicker when leaving.
Cogent Breeding’s efforts were recently recognised at the 2016 Fleet World Honours, where the company was awarded the Fleet Safety Award (Small Fleets).