Survey on UK Construction Industry Reveals Lack of Visibility Over Vehicle Usage

Aug 12, 2021 • News • construction • Digital Transformation • fleet management • EMEA

New research released today has revealed that construction managers are in the dark about how and when their company vehicles are being used, leading to vehicle theft and vehicle misuse.

The research, which was undertaken by the fleet management software company for SMEs, Vimcar, found that a staggering 1 in 3 construction managers have had fleet vehicles stolen, whilst 87% restrict employee vehicle usage without a full picture of how the fleet is operating.

61% OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS ARE CONSIDERING IMPLEMENTING FLEET TRACKERS FOR GREATER CONFIDENCE IN HOW AND WHEN VEHICLES ARE BEING USED

At a time where van sales are on the rise and many businesses are increasing their fleet sizes, the data points to a worrying trend that construction managers have insufficient visibility over how and when their vehicles are being used. The research found that almost half (43%) of construction managers could not say how long employees spent with customers, and a further 37% did not know whether their employees turned up to a job on time or even at all.

As the construction sector emerges from a challenging 17 months, construction managers have indicated that they need a clearer understanding of their fleets, with 88% wanting to receive regular notifications of how vehicles are being used by employees. What’s more, nearly two thirds of respondents said they would consider implementing trackers to closely monitor vehicle usage – a move which would reassure construction managers that vehicles are being used efficiently and appropriately.

Ronald Clancy, UK Country Manager, Vimcar said: “Vehicle misuse costs the construction services industry thousands in terms of extra fuel, HMRC fines, and unnecessary maintenance expenses. As van sales continue to rise, fleet managers and business owners must consider the real cost of their growing fleet to their business and uncover ways to maximise efficiency. A GPS fleet management system that includes features such as live tracking, geofencing and data exportation would not only enable trust and transparency between managers and their employees, but also prevent the disasters of vehicle theft.”