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Business travel?

Travelling on Business

Is there ever a time when employees travel on business for you, maybe it’s just picking up groups or providing transport to and from sites or chosen activity venues. If they are using their own vehicle to do this are you aware of your responsibilities?  We are often asked questions from our members about this so we hope the following piece will be helpful to clear up any concerns you may have had.

If your employees are travelling more than to and from a single place of work then they will most certainly need to insure their vehicle for business purposes as well as social, domestic and pleasure purposes. Most insurers will charge a small fee to include this but it is usually only a nominal fee and as an employer this might be something that you would consider reimbursing as you would for any business miles travelled.

As of April 2015, around 45p a mile is fairly standard, and it’s worth noting that they should also be able to claim for any toll roads or other expenses they incur whilst travelling on business.

In addition to the insurance arrangements, you should also be checking the following:-

  • Does the individual have a valid driving license?
  • Any vehicle being used must have a valid MOT certificate and be taxed
  • The vehicle should be properly maintained regularly and safe to use. Vehicle safety checks to include ensuring that :-
    • Tyres have enough tread and are at the correct pressure
    • Oil, coolant and windscreen wash levels are correct.
    • Brakes are working.
    • Lights and indicators are clean and working.
    • Windscreen and windows are not damaged.
    • No signs of vehicle damage.
    • Washers and wipers are working.
    • Mirrors are correctly positioned.
  • You should also ensure that the vehicle isn’t used to carry unsuitable or heavy loads

For more information on the risks and employer responsibilities the HSE have issued a fact sheet which can be found here http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf