Download our FREE Vehicle Familiarity Safety Check

If you have read our top ten tips to reducing your car hire costs, you may have wondered why we have put in item number 10.

“Make sure your driver signs for the vehicle when you give him the keys, and make sure he or she is aware of their obligations with regards to the car. Make sure they are comfortable with the vehicles controls, and they know how the handbrake works, what type of fuel it takes and most importantly, what telephone numbers to call in case of any problems.”

How is that going to save you money?

Well probably not immediately, unless of course they crash as soon as they leave the car park, or put the wrong fuel in. It’s the possible long term costs, should something go wrong.

How?…

Well just because your driver / employee has a driving licence (you have checked it recently haven’t you?) are you sure they are comfortable with the car? Are they really competent with its controls?

In winter it can be dark by 4 pm, it can be cold, possibly raining or even snowing. Perhaps your employee has been under pressure to get that report finished, or maybe get that deal signed off, and how many of us are invariably running late and need to go somewhere?

The hire car company have dropped the car off, somebody has signed for it, and “Sally or Simon” rush into reception, late, looking for the keys. It is not an uncommon occurrence.

I asked my daughter in law recently, what happened where she worked (she works for a very large multinational), I asked if she was ever given instructions how her hire cars operated. “No” was the answer, I am usually in meetings, they just leave the key, and “Yes” she said, “you are right, the other day I sat in an Insignia for 20 minutes trying to find the handbrake!“

What’s the answer?

If you collect the car from the rental company they should effect a proper handover, but it takes 2 people to collect 1 car and that takes time. Or you could take a taxi…

Then, do rental companies effect proper hand overs? or is it a case of sign here and here and here… What about if they deliver it, should they wait until your driver comes out of the meeting?

Whatever the answer, as a company / organisation, we have responsibility to make sure our employees are aware of their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and when they take delivery of a new car (rental or otherwise) they take time to at least familiarise themselves with the vehicle and its controls.

So how do you make sure they do that?…

A Vehicle Familiarity Safety Check

Our Free Vehicle Familiarity Safety Check Download is the quickest and easiest way to safeguard your drivers and make sure they at least recognise their responsibilities. Download our safety check handover sheet, it’s easy for them to complete and might help you in the long run.

You can download it for free here…

Vehicle Familiarity Safety Check Form – Free Download

But be careful, just because you have decided they are the right solution for a particular problem. If you are not careful, the original savings you hope to have made will very quickly disappear.

When you buy a house the three most important words are Location… Location… Location.

Well when it comes to short term rental solutions the three most important words are

Manage… Manage… Manage.

Here are our top ten tips to controlling cost (in no particular order).