According to new research carried out by research firm R2C Online, commercial vehicles suffer, on average, five defects – some of which require the vehicle to be taken off the road – on an annual basis. That’s equivalent to a problem every 10 weeks and illustrates the large number of unscheduled repairs that impact fleet operations.

R2C – a company that offers connected software platforms for maintenance management and vehicle compliance – discovered this fact by analysing all reports for the past year. More precisely, of the 1.3 million registered vehicles, more than 6.2 million defects were raised during inspections by technicians or drivers.

A Possible 75,400 Defects On Any Given Day

Extrapolating these figures over the entire UK commercial fleet, R2C’s researchers concluded that there could be 75,400 defects on the approximately 5.5 million trucks and vans operating in the UK on any given day. They warn that it’s vital that these issues are picked up, both for safety reasons and to mitigate the cost of unscheduled repairs and associated downtime.

Speaking on the matter, R2C’s commercial director, Ash Connell had this to say…

“The issue of unscheduled repair is something which has always affected fleets, but our figures show that on average each vehicle will be hit by some problem every 10 weeks or so.

This means that a thorough inspection process and efficient maintenance and repair systems for managing these problems is hugely important, or fleets will be hit by unplanned costs, delays for workshop time and interruptions to their operations.”

“Availability Of Repairers Crucial to Reduce VoR”

The comprehensive report also stated a robust inspection procedure between operators and drivers is vital, highlighting more than 3.8 m daily reports via R2C’s Driver Pre-Use Check App in 2022 alone, along with 1.3 m further inspections.

Connell continued: “Our data shows that drivers and fleet operators can work hand-in-hand to ensure compliance and roadworthiness for their vehicles.

It’s such an important area of fleet management, and the numbers we have illustrate how essential driver checks are to maintaining a safe fleet. They’re the people that see these vehicles every day, and with the regularity that problems occur they are a vital cog in the machine..”

Connell added that the availability of repairers is also crucial to minimise VoR, stating that R2C has almost 1,700 workshops in its system.

“Our figures show that every single vehicle suffers a defect every 10 weeks or so. On average alone, that means in a 10-vehicle fleet, every week a fleet manager will need workshop space for unplanned work. Capacity should be a paramount concern for fleets when you understand the level of work needed.”

Keeping the UK’s Roads Safe for All Drivers

Safety is of primary importance in the HGV industry, and the figures shown in this report paint a stark picture of the pressures that operators are under. Daily walkaround checks cover most common issues, but the highlighted number of potentially unsafe vehicles driving on the UK’s roads on any given day represents a worrying statistic.

As such HGVC will continue to focus on safety and routine checks as a central part of our industry-leading, scalable HGV licence acquisition programs. Our national network of more than sixty training centres places us ideally to meet any size of need.

To learn more about what we do,  take a moment to browse our website. Alternatively, to speak to us, click ‘contact us’ or call 0333 818 8888 and we’ll be delighted to assist.