Cybit helps UK fleet operators address Corporate Manslaughter Bill concerns with launch of comprehensive new Duty of Care module

  • Cybit is first telematics vendor to offer proactive risk management solution to help fleet operators ensure full Duty of Care and legislative compliance
  • In-depth reporting highlights fleet non-compliance, with focus on excessive journeys, driving licence status, training records and fleet servicing records
  • Launches additional Driver ID module to accurately track who’s driving each fleet vehicle
Cybit, the UK’s leading online telematics service provider, has launched a new Duty of Care module to provide organisations with comprehensive risk management support for their fleet operations, helping them to ensure full legislative compliance with the upcoming Corporate Manslaughter Bill. Cybit’s new Duty of Care module is available as a value-added extension to the company’s proven Internet-based fleet and asset management solution, Fleetstar-Online. In addition, Cybit has also launched a new Driver ID module that allows organisations to accurately identify exactly who is driving a fleet vehicle at any time or place. 

The company’s new Duty of Care module is the industry’s first telematics-enabled offering, and will provide sales, LCV and HGV fleet operators with the ability to conduct and manage their ongoing driver and vehicle risk assessments, and generate detailed management reports so companies can work continuously to reduce their fleet risks. The new solution’s powerful reporting capabilities will enable organisations to manage their requirements under the latest Working Time Directive legislation that came into force on 4th April 2005. Working Time Directive support will also allow companies to monitor individual working patterns and ensure legislative compliance, and will also provide an analysis of working conditions to make certain that health and safety parameters are achieved.

Reports from the Health & Safety Executive indicate that company car drivers and people who drive high annual mileages for work are up to 50 per cent more likely to be involved in an accident than private motorists. Each week, according to RoSPA, 20 people are killed and 250 seriously injured in crashes involving someone who is driving, riding, or otherwise using the road for work purposes. Cybit’s Duty of Care module will help companies to implement and enforce work-related road safety policies, and ensure that they proactively manage the risks associated with all their staff on work journeys – irrespective of whether they are full-time, temporary or are driving their own vehicles on company business.

“With the forthcoming Corporate Manslaughter Bill set to arrive during the next 18 months, we’re expecting Duty of Care to quickly become a main board issue – particularly as it’s the directors on those boards who will soon be liable for prosecution should their business not take reasonable care for the safety of their employees,” commented Cybit’s CEO Richard Horsman. “By offering a telematics-enabled Duty of Care module we can provide organisations with the core driver and vehicle data they need to manage their risk effectively, and we can also support companies with a specialist consultancy service to help them develop and implement their own Duty of Care policies and procedures.

“It’s clear that there’s an increased Government focus on road usage, road safety and the implications of unacceptable driving practices. Telematics makes an ideal platform for organisations looking for a technology-based solution that can help with Duty of Care compliance. As the acknowledged leader in the field of telematics-enabled fleet and asset management solutions, Cybit is ideally placed to act as a risk management technology partner, providing businesses with the key information and exception reports they need to ensure Duty of Care compliance for their fleet operations,” he continued.

Cybit’s new Driver ID solution gives Fleetstar-Online users the ability to automatically identify who is driving any fleet vehicle at any time, and also provides complete control over exactly which drivers are permitted to drive which vehicles within a fleet. The Driver ID solution is particularly applicable for fleets with drivers who work multiple or staggered shifts, companies that use agencies to provide driver cover, for substitute drivers, or for those fleets whose drivers simply select a van or car from the yard. A driver’s identification can be confirmed through either a personal PIN code, a smartcard or by using a Dallas key. Cybit’s in-vehicle Driver ID terminal then connects to the vehicle’s existing GPRS-enabled Fleetstar-Online unit. For added security the unit can be set up to immobilise the vehicle if incorrect driver identification is submitted. When combined with Cybit’s new Duty of Care module, it offers a powerful solution to assist with the management of complex fleet operations, both within current and proposed Duty of Care and Working Time Directive legislation.

In-depth reporting to support Duty of Care
Cybit’s Duty of Care module provides organisations with a broad range of reports, including:

  • Excessive journey reports – based on a set of user settings this will show all journeys for selected vehicles over a certain time or distance
  • Current driver licence status – lists the current status of all driver licences – this will become a more pressing concern for organisations, particularly as graduated penalties could mean a driver loses their licence after just two offences
  • Driver licence logs – listing all recorded instances of driver licence checks
  • Expired or Expiring training – lists all driver courses that have expired or are about to expire
  • Driver training logs – providing a view of the training records for all drivers
  • Fleet servicing overview – offering full status of a fleet’s servicing record
  • Vehicle service log – allowing fleet managers to view the service log for any vehicle

Because updating a fleet’s vehicle service records or driver training records can be an extensive task, Cybit has also incorporated a Fleetstar-Online interface to allow third party organisations such as service centres or training centres to login to the system and update vehicle service or training records as part of their service agreement.

About Cybit:
Cybit is a leading Internet-based Telematics Service Provider (TSP) and supplier of fleet and asset management solutions to the business-to-business sector. Cybit’s solutions portfolio includes vehicle tracking and management, lone worker support and car pool management. Hundreds of companies across a wide range of industries already use Cybit’s online solutions to improve the management and control of their fixed and mobile assets. Additional information is available at www.cybit.co.uk

Contact information:
Andy Gray
IBA - PR for Cybit
Tel: 01780 721 433
Email: agray@iba-europe.com

Sophie Geering
Marketing Manager, Cybit
Tel: 01480 389100
Email: sgeering@cybit.co.uk

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