Vimcar, the fleet management software for small and medium-sized companies, has released new research into vehicle theft and misuse in the electrical services sector. The survey of more than 1,000 UK firms identified a clear need in the sector to have greater control over its fleet, with vehicle misuse costing the industry thousands each year.
At a time when businesses across the sector are seeking to control costs in order to bounce back from lockdown, it’s reassuring to see that 75% of the employers we spoke to in the electrical services sector have measures in place to restrict vehicle use. This safety-first approach could be due to the fact that one in three businesses admitted to having had a vehicle stolen in the past, with 32% of electrical services businesses now restricting company vehicle use to business purposes only.
Despite this air of caution, it’s surprising to learn that more than half (51%) of the respondents did not have a system in place to track whether their vehicles were being used properly – although 62% said that they would like one.
Ronald Clancy, UK Country Manager, Vimcar comments, “SMEs in the UK are currently facing numerous economic and market challenges, and vehicle misuse threatens to add to these. This issue is costing the electrical services industry thousands in terms of extra fuel, HMRC fines, and unnecessary maintenance expenses. In addition to this, across all UK industries vehicle theft costs businesses more than £16,000 per year. For the two out of three participants who would consider buying or have bought a telematics system, a GPS fleet management system that includes features such as live tracking, geofencing and data exportation would be the best way to curve vehicle theft and misuse.”
– Vimcar surveyed more than 1,000 electrical services businesses in July 2020.