An average wing mirror for a van costs approximately £200 to replace. Put that in context, and a business operating on a profit margin of roughly 10% would need to earn £2,000 to fund it.
Research by VW Commercial Vehicles reported that 64% of vans have wing mirrors replaced. Across a fleet of 200 vehicles, that’s over £25,000 of wasted sales revenue where the profit is being soaked up paying for avoidable damage.
Scale that to paying for more serious vehicle collisions, plus smaller dents, scuffs, scrapes and tyre damage, as well as the cost of vehicle downtime, the true impact of a lack of fleet safety stops being an operational nuisance and becomes a significant drain on a company’s financial performance.
The UK commercial fleet industry collectively loses £2.4 billion per year to downtime alone, with the average van off the road costing £800 per day in lost business. According to the BVRLA’s Industry Outlook Survey, 92% of fleet operators reported an increase in vehicle downtime, with 94% suffering increased garage labour costs.
As vehicles stay off the road longer, and with both labour and parts becoming more expensive, the true cost of each downtime day is rising. On top of this, not all garages are forthcoming in offering ‘goodwill’ courtesy vehicles, and with vans and specialist vehicles being particularly challenging to offer as courtesy vehicles, additional hire costs are rising too.
Reactive businesses absorb the full impact of this upward spiral, but many are being more proactive in taking action to improve fleet safety and keep their vehicles and drivers mobile.
The Scale of the Problem: Unplanned Downtime and the Hidden Accumulation
A typical light commercial vehicle spends around four days per year in planned maintenance, plus a further five to six days in unplanned downtime, caused by breakdowns, collisions and urgent repairs.
That is nine to ten working days per vehicle, per year, not earning. For a fleet of 50 vehicles, that is roughly 450 to 500 working days lost across your operation in a single calendar year.
With parts delays, rising labour costs and the increasing expense of sourcing suitable replacement vehicles, companies operating fleets of light commercial vehicles face a crisis of escalating costs and operational headaches.
Proactive Fleet Safety
In almost every case, collisions happen as a result of driver error, with mechanical breakdowns and unexpected repairs also often arising as a result of poor driver attitude; whether that’s through aggressive driving, not carrying out necessary safety checks or ignoring dashboard warning lights.
Careless, distracted, or aggressive driving account for the majority of commercial vehicle incidents. Poor observation, a lack of hazard perception, tailgating and other unsafe driving behaviours also contribute to many incidents.
All of these can be reduced through an investment in risk management and driver training. Direct intervention is key, however, it’s also important to look closely at root causes of collisions, as the ultimate reason may be less obvious than it first appears.
Let’s look at an example.
A driver has a rear-end collision, where they go into the back of the vehicle in front of them.
Why did this happen? It might appear to be a simple failure of following too closely and not being able to brake in time.
But a post-incident interview reveals that driver was late for their delivery as their daily schedule was so tight. They were tired from being on the road since 5am that day. They had taken a hands-free phone call from a colleague, and were not concentrating fully. They also had problems at home that were playing on their mind.
In-cab camera footage shows that they were eating a sandwich at the time of the collision, and the post-accident interview reveals they hadn’t had time to stop for lunch.
The telematics data showed repeated harsh braking and accelerating all day, which was either their general driving style, or reflected someone in a constant rush.
Was the incident purely down to following too closely?
The individual error of not stopping in time was a symptom of a range of issues.
It’s for this reason that a holistic approach is required to deliver a truly successful risk management solution that will drive down the numbers of collisions, cost of repair and vehicle downtime.
The data backs this up. When fleets implement data-driven safety measures, the results are substantial. Studies show that a comprehensive safety programme can result in a 22% reduction in claim frequency and a 24% reduction in third-party claims spend. When a data-driven approach is paired with targeted e-learning and driver coaching, 74% of fleets report fewer crashes and claims. Most fleets breakeven on their safety investment within 12 to 18 months.
These are not aspirational numbers. They are the normal return on a proactive programme. Yet many businesses never see them because they remain trapped in reaction mode: incident occurs, damage is assessed, invoice is paid, file is closed, no root cause is ever explored; no preventative action is ever taken
The Emerging Risk: Electric Vehicles and Untrained Drivers
As many van operators add more electric vehicles onto their fleet, another issue emerges. Electric van registrations grew 43.5% in the first five months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.
Electric vans now account for 8.2% of the UK light commercial vehicle market, up from 5% the previous year. This shift is accelerating, and it arrives with a largely invisible training deficit.
Many van drivers are being given an EV for the first time, and some have never even driven an automatic before.
The electric van is fundamentally different to drive: significantly increased vehicle weight affects handling and braking distance; silent operation creates pedestrian hazard risks; regenerative braking requires a completely different approach to speed management.
Almost all new electric vans now come standard with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that many drivers have never encountered and do not understand how to use or troubleshoot.
This is why it is vital to give all drivers that are new to electric vans full training to avoid any incidents and to help them get the most from their new vehicle.
Online courses are available, and vehicle familiarisation is essential. If you simply give a driver the keys to their new EV, when they haven’t driven one before, the chances are they will be working out the controls on the go, with heightened chance of being distracted, looking away and being involved in a collision.
You would never consider giving a warehouse or factory operator access to new machinery without proper training, so why do we do it with vehicles?
Be clear with your policies. Such as, ‘no-one drives an electric van without full training and familiarisation of all controls’. The small investment in time and training will pay dividends in the long run by ensuring the vehicle is driven safely and efficiently.
The Strategic Advantage: Why Proactive Costs Less Than Reactive
The question most commercial vehicle operators will ask is, ‘Will we get a return on investment from a proactive fleet risk management strategy’?
Research indicates that businesses that fail to invest in proactive safety spend significantly more on repairs and downtime, with the difference between reactive and proactive fleets reaching 30 to 40% higher costs.
The full economic impact of collisions, resulting in unplanned downtime, repair costs, emergency callouts, temporary vehicle hire, administration time processing claims, excess payments and rising insurance all add up to a sizeable sum – all of which can be prevented.
A commercial vehicle safety strategy ‘at a glance’.
Key benefits of a driver training strategy include:
1. Enhanced Safety and Risk Management
- Reduced Accidents: Trained drivers are more aware of road hazards, fatigue management, and defensive driving techniques, leading to fewer incidents.
- Lower Insurance Premiums: By reducing your collisions through a comprehensive risk management and training programme, you lower your overall risk profile, and this can lead to lower premiums.
- Legal Compliance and Duty of Care: Training ensures compliance with occupational health and safety regulations, reducing company liability in the event of an accident and fulfilling duty of care obligations.
2. Improved Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings
- Fuel Efficiency: Training in “eco-driving”, such as reducing harsh braking, rapid acceleration, and excessive idling, can lead to significant fuel savings, with some fleets reporting savings of thousands of pounds per year.
- Reduced Maintenance Costs: Responsible vehicle handling reduces wear and tear on brakes, tyres, and engines, extending the lifespan of vehicles and reducing repair bills.
- Reduced Vehicle Downtime: Fewer accidents mean vehicles spend less time off the road for repairs, enhancing productivity.
3. Enhanced Driver Performance and Welfare
- Increased Confidence: Drivers who are properly trained feel more confident, leading to improved productivity and job satisfaction.
- Improved Driver Retention: Ongoing training demonstrates a company’s investment in its staff, enhancing morale and reducing staff turnover, which is critical in a tight labour market.
- Better Company Reputation: Professional, safe driving protects the brand’s image and improves relationships with customers and the public.
4. Strategic Advantages
- Adaptation to New Technology: Specific training for electric vehicles (EVs) or new technology helps drivers adapt to different driving characteristics, such as regenerative braking.
- Lowered Environmental Impact: Efficient driving practices directly result in lower vehicle emissions, supporting sustainability goals.
- Optimised Routing: Training improves route planning and awareness, potentially reducing journey times by 10-15%.
By implementing ongoing training rather than one-off sessions, fleets can treat safety as a continuous improvement process.
Introduction to Advanced Remote Connectivity (ARC) from Grosvenor
One of the key challenges commercial vehicle fleet operators face is lack of data and knowledge.
- Are dashboard warning lights or service countdowns being ignored?
- Has the routine service been missed entirely?
- Are there issues with the vehicle that the drivers are not telling you about?
- Are your vans being driven in a way that could be leading to vehicle issues, avoidable expense and time off road?
- Can maintenance work be consolidated into fewer visits to reduce downtime?
Grosvenor’s Advanced Remote Connectivity (ARC) is an innovative, proactive service, maintenance and repairs (SMR) solution that reduces vehicle downtime and fleet costs.
Drawing data directly from each vehicle, this real-time connection feeds directly into Grosvenor’s award-winning OSCAR fleet management system to provide crucial information, including true odometer readings, service and maintenance countdowns, fuel or EV battery levels, and vehicle dashboard warning lights.
Remote activation without the need for a physical device
For most vehicles, the system is simple to activate, connecting vehicles via their onboard diagnostics (OBD) to Grosvenor’s fleet management system. As part of a fully managed, outsourced management service, this gives Grosvenor’s maintenance team complete visibility of each vehicle’s health status, real-time service countdown days, and crucial driving behaviour metrics – all vital components in significantly improving the management of SMR and reducing vehicle downtime.
A new era of proactive SMR and downtime management
The operational advantages delivered by ARC are tangible. It facilitates proactive SMR coordination, moving beyond reactive repairs. For instance, if a tyre needs replacing, ARC gives the fleet management team visibility of the service countdown days directly from the vehicle, allowing them to schedule both tasks for a single garage appointment, saving time and resource. Furthermore, ARC provides precise mileage tracking, crucial for managing lease agreements and helping to avoid financial penalties for excess mileage.
The data gathered through ARC also helps ascertain which drivers are most suitable for an electric van, based on their mileage and daily route analysis.
