The Grey Fleet
The phrase 'Grey Fleet' is now a standard fleet-industry term, but that wasn't the case before our head of B2B overheard it used in a client meeting. From that one throwaway line came a six section, 24 page report that took the industry by storm, highlighting the enormous dangers of opt-out business drivers using their own vehicles on business.
The report, which covered everything from driving license checks to insurance cover and impact on the environment, was launched at a London Stock Exchange press conference attended by key national and trade media. Alongside extensive press coverage, 2,000 copies of the Grey Fleet report were downloaded from the Arval website over the course of the next nine months in return for valuable contact details. Crucially, it was also used by the Arval salesforce as a tool to convert opt-out vehicle companies back into the contract hire fold.
As one anonymous fleet manager who completed the questionnaire reported: "Completing this questionnaire has frightened me to death, realising how much we need to be doing to monitor our staff other than company vehicle drivers – thank you".