How vehicle tracking can help you meet the new 2018 driving laws

In 2018, six new driving laws will go into effect across the UK. At least two of them could impact your mobile workforce, especially if you operate a large fleet.  But with vehicle tracking, you can easily get ahead of the potential issues these new laws could create for you, and your drivers.

Diesel tax hike

This year, the government will be increasing diesel taxes for any new car purchased after 1 April 2018 that is below Euro 6 standards.  This section of the new driving laws means that the VED band on the car will go up one bracket from what it was before, affecting cars specifically.

However, even if your business won’t be purchasing a car that falls into this category (but definitely if you are) one of the best ways to mitigate any rise in taxes is to cut costs in other areas.  Vehicle tracking has been proven to bring down fuel costs through driver analysis by as much as 25%.* By providing data on your drivers’ speed, plus how harshly they are braking and accelerating, driver analysis gives you the tools you need to correct risky driver behaviour and reduce your vehicle costs.

At Quartix, we can provide further insights driver performance by giving each of your drivers a score that factors in their relative speed, thanks to our SafeSpeed Database.  Relative speed can be a much better indication of risky driving that leads to preventable accidents, increased fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear.  The Safe Speed Database scores drivers based on the average speed of other road users on the same stretch of road, rather than the posted speed limit, which can often be higher than what is ‘safe.’

New MOT standards

In 2018, the standard MOT inspection will be updated to include checks on reversing lights and brake fluid.  In order to make certain that you don’t miss any of your scheduled maintenance checkups, or even the MOT itself, a quality fleet management system can be configured to send notifications of these deadlines.

Odometer readings, service dates, insurance renewals and custom milestones for your business can all easily be set up with the Quartix vehicle tracking system, ensuring that you won’t miss a maintenance deadline and your vehicles will be ready for the new driving laws and their expanded MOT checks.

Live tracking is only one part of a comprehensive vehicle tracking system.  An equally important aspect is the system’s fleet management software, which is designed to take the hassle out of managing a mobile workforce of any size.

For more information on how Quartix can help your business meet the requirements of these new laws as well as increase fleet cost effectiveness, give us a call at 01686 806663 or email us at [email protected].

*Frost & Sullivan, 2015.