On average small fleet managers spend six hours a week on admin, but those in charge of 10-50 vehicles reckon it’s more like nine to ten hours.

Employees using company vehicles cause problems for three quarters of the small fleet managers surveyed. Topping the black list are issues with fuel expenses (33 per cent), insurance (28 per cent) and keeping track of where the vehicle is used (22 per cent).

As for the vehicles themselves, the main issues are legal needs such as MOT tests and road tax (22 per cent), sorting insurance (16 per cent) and wear and tear of the vehicle (16 per cent)

The RAC announced the survey as part of the roll-out of its Business Club – a free, 24-hour fleet management tool.

Created by Fleetondemand, the password-protected online facility is aimed at streamlining small fleet management and making life easier for stressed-out managers of SME small fleets. 

It also includes unified invoicing and a facility to store and update full details of business vehicles and drivers, while a helpline is also available.

According to RAC Business Services Director David Aldridge the business club platform is designed to try and ease the pressure on managers.

 “Our survey shows that fleet buying and day-to-day tasks form just one of many responsibilities this person may look after in an SME,” Aldridge says.

 “Often, the whole life costs of moving staff around in either company vehicles or grey fleet are difficult to manage with no real tools in the market to facilitate and control this. We set out to deliver a solution that is not only a consolidated fleet management tool but also tackles cost reduction through a consolidated e-commerce solution.”