Fleet safety has always been viewed through the lens of control. For years, the default approach to ensuring safety across vehicle fleets has been rooted in tracking behaviours, recording incidents and relying on telematics data to spot patterns. While these tools have become more sophisticated, relying on them alone can offer a false sense of security. Safety cannot be assumed by monitoring alone, it has to be cultivated through a broader understanding of risk, responsibility and the human role in operational systems.
In a time where economic uncertainty, rising costs and regulatory shifts influence how fleets are run, safety becomes more than an internal measure. It becomes a reflection of how well a business manages its people, its responsibilities and its wider impacts. Monitoring has its place, but it is not a complete solution. To genuinely protect employees, preserve assets and meet legal and ethical standards, fleet operators must look at safety as a multi-layered effort.
Why Monitoring Alone is Insufficient
Driver monitoring systems have grown in popularity, yet recent scrutiny highlights their limitations. The use of in-cabin alerts and behavioural tracking software has resulted in complaints about erratic warnings, false positives and distractions to drivers already operating under pressure. Several commercial drivers reported that such systems frequently misjudge head movement or eye position, leading to disruptive alerts that hinder rather than help safety performance, as published by Fleet News.
According to the same report, these erratic alerts have become common enough to be raised as a concern across multiple sectors. With professional drivers covering anywhere between 80,000 and 100,000 miles annually, a system that misfires even once a day becomes a disruptive force rather than a preventive tool. Driver management must involve more than surveillance; it should include clear training, support and a working environment that acknowledges human needs.
Economic Pressure Increases Safety Risk
Safety does not exist in a vacuum. It is affected by broader economic pressures that influence how vehicles are purchased, maintained and managed. As reported by Fleet World, the recent jump in fuel prices, with diesel rising by nearly 2 pence per litre in just one month, has had a direct impact on fleet running costs. In June 2025, diesel averaged 151.5p per litre across the UK, marking the second consecutive monthly increase and driving total fuel bills up for every operator.
This kind of increase can lead businesses to delay non-urgent maintenance or push vehicles further between servicing. Fleets operating a dozen light commercial vehicles could see their monthly fuel expenses climb by over £200 due to this price movement alone, which may encourage short-term cost-saving measures at the expense of long-term safety.
Such pressures have a knock-on effect on preventative maintenance schedules. When costs rise, budgets tighten. Unfortunately, one of the first areas to suffer is the investment in ongoing upkeep and technician labour. Preventative maintenance is not just about preventing breakdowns, it is about identifying wear, checking safety systems and ensuring that all vehicles are roadworthy. Ignoring this area due to budget pressures can significantly increase fleet safety risk.
Fleet Risk Management Must Reflect Operational Realities
Risk is not static. It changes with vehicle usage, weather patterns, supply chain pressures and workforce conditions. Fleet risk management must go beyond generic risk assessments and look closely at the actual conditions in which vehicles operate.
Businesses increasingly rely on salary sacrifice schemes to offer vehicles to employees. This approach is now one of the most significant sources of new car acquisition in some sectors. According to Fleet News, the number of employees acquiring a new car through salary sacrifice increased by 68% year-on-year, with more than 15,000 contracts being processed monthly.
These schemes often introduce first-time company car users to fleet systems, requiring additional onboarding and safety protocols. Salary sacrifice schemes allow employees to access new vehicles, often electric, at reduced tax rates. While this supports fleet decarbonisation, it also introduces vehicles to users who may be unfamiliar with managing battery range, charging routines, or driving dynamics. Risk assessments that fail to account for these changes may overlook crucial safety training or support measures.
Changing Vehicle Composition Demands More Than Telematics
The vehicle types within fleets are changing, and with them, the risks. Electric vans and trucks, in particular, present a new challenge for traditional fleet operations.
The UK is likely to miss key electric vehicle adoption targets as the new van market continues to decline. Registrations fell by 16.8% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, as reported by Fleet News. This underperformance suggests many fleets are holding onto older diesel vehicles longer than anticipated, increasing their exposure to mechanical faults and compliance risks.
Commercial fleets face further difficulties adopting electric trucks and vans. Limited availability, range anxiety and infrastructure limitations have kept electric light commercial vehicle registrations at just 8% of the market in June 2025, as noted by Fleet News.
This slow transition presents a dual risk. First, fleets operating older diesel vehicles may be maintaining ageing assets for longer, increasing the need for diligent inspection and servicing. Second, those transitioning to electric models face operational unfamiliarity, with range anxiety, different servicing requirements and infrastructure limitations all contributing to new safety challenges. Telematics cannot always detect these shifts. Proper fleet safety requires that operational protocols be adapted to reflect the vehicle types in use.
Monitoring Is Reactive. Safety Must Be Proactive.
Monitoring systems are designed to detect incidents after they begin to unfold. They may record harsh braking, distracted driving or speeding, but their function is mostly reactive. Proactive safety involves anticipating risk, educating drivers and embedding checks across the entire system.
Driver management programmes that rely only on reporting miss opportunities for improvement. Fleets that succeed in maintaining high standards of safety often do so by creating a culture in which safety is part of daily practice. This includes pre-trip checks, routine safety briefings, up-to-date vehicle knowledge and communication between managers and drivers. Reactive monitoring cannot replace these practices. It must support them, not substitute for them.
Commercial Leasing Trends Affect Fleet Oversight
Leasing has grown significantly in the fleet sector, particularly through business contract hire and salary sacrifice arrangements. As highlighted by Fleet World, according to a report from the BVRLA, salary sacrifice and business leasing now play a central role in a market dealing with economic instability. Business contract hire grew by 4.5% in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024, with electric vehicles making up 51% of those new contracts.
While leasing can make fleets more financially predictable, it also introduces a layer of separation between the fleet operator and the vehicle’s daily condition. In leased fleets, responsibility for maintenance and inspections may fall into grey areas. Preventative maintenance may be handled by third-party providers or depend on schedules set by the lessor. This makes communication, accountability and routine reporting even more important. A lapse in oversight here can result in missed inspections, unresolved faults, or legal liability in the event of an incident.
Fuel and Regulatory Pressure Shape Safety Conditions
Rising fuel costs, tightening emissions rules, and new regulatory scrutiny are changing how fleets operate. As fuel prices jump for the second month running, the operating margins of commercial fleets narrow, increasing the temptation to stretch vehicle use, delay replacements, or postpone servicing. These cost-saving measures can reduce safety margins, especially when vehicles cover high mileage under heavy loads.
Regulatory developments are also influencing vehicle finance and commercial terms. The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent announcement of an investigation into a potential £18 billion compensation scheme relating to historic commission arrangements has rattled the finance sector. With over 10 million agreements under review, the impact on brokered leasing could shift how fleets plan acquisitions, according to Motor Finance Online.
Training and Awareness Matter as Much as Technology
Driver behaviour is a significant factor in road safety, but it cannot be altered solely through monitoring alerts. For fleet safety to genuinely improve, drivers need a clear understanding of how their actions impact vehicle performance and risk. Driver management policies that invest in education, refresher courses and coaching are more likely to foster consistent safe habits.
Monitoring may flag issues, but without feedback loops and training, there is little opportunity for long-term improvement. Managers must be trained too, in identifying stress signals, responding to incident data appropriately and building trust with drivers. Fleet risk management depends as much on relationships and communication as it does on software.
Fleet Safety is a System, Not a Feature
There is a tendency to treat fleet safety as a box to tick, something enabled by adding telematics, running background checks, or installing alert systems. In practice, it is an ongoing process that requires attention across departments. Procurement decisions, recruitment standards, shift patterns and maintenance scheduling all influence the overall safety picture.
Every decision made about a fleet, from how vehicles are purchased, to who drives them, to how they are maintained, either reduces or increases risk. Recognising this helps operators move away from a narrow monitoring mindset and towards a broader understanding of operational safety.
A Holistic Approach Improves Outcomes
Successful fleets do not look at safety as an add-on. They integrate it into everything from onboarding procedures to vehicle acquisition strategies. When preventative maintenance becomes a non-negotiable routine, when drivers are treated as collaborators in safety rather than subjects of surveillance and when leadership understands the knock-on effects of economic or regulatory decisions, the results are more sustainable.
There is no single tool that guarantees fleet safety. It is the result of consistent investment in systems, processes and people. The reliance on data must be balanced with attention to real-world conditions. Monitoring might capture what happened. A well-managed fleet system prevents it from happening in the first place.
Rethinking Safety Strategy for Long-Term Stability
Relying only on monitoring tools provides an incomplete picture of what a safe fleet looks like. While such tools offer useful data, they are reactive by design. True safety requires foresight, planning and a willingness to adjust strategies based on conditions on the ground. This includes budgeting realistically for preventative maintenance, supporting drivers through management and education and keeping risk management practices in line with how the business and vehicle market are changing.
With commercial fleets under pressure from rising fuel costs, regulation and an uncertain leasing landscape, it is more important than ever to treat safety as a full-spectrum responsibility.
Helping You Build a Safer, Stronger Fleet
Whether you manage a small fleet or oversee a large-scale operation, reviewing your current approach to fleet safety is not optional, it is essential. Our team can help you assess gaps, strengthen your fleet risk management strategy and implement practices that prioritise preventative maintenance and effective driver management. Schedule a demo to start building a safer, more reliable fleet, one that goes far beyond just monitoring.