SME News Southern Enterprise Awards 2023 | 34 PRIM Fleet Standards Ltd is a commercial fleet accreditation and qualification business, aiming to increase the overall standard of road safety across the UK. PRIM stands for proactive, risk, intervention, and management, and these serve as the cornerstones of what the business stands for. By supporting organisations who deploy drivers for at work driving duties, road risk levels can be decreased, and legal compliance increased, ensuring the safety of a company’s drivers and the general public while using UK roads. We catch up with Managing Director David Leleu, who provides more insight into the vital work done by the company to make our road networks safer. PRIM’s Managing Director David Leleu began his career in corporate logistics, after transitioning out of a military role as a soldier in the armed forces, and into the everyday civilian world of employment. It was during this time at one such logistics company that David, in his recruitment and training role, realised there existed a great need for logistics companies to have access to support and training in order to increase the compliance and safety of their drivers who are deployed for work driving duties. Consequently, David assembled a team of the best learning and development professionals, coupled with experts on the subject matter, to form the PRIM accreditation, supporting and rewarding organisations that take the necessary steps to reduce driver risk and increase the overall safety of road networks nationwide. With the ability to work effectively with organisations running a fleet, insurers with clients who need support with compliance obligations, and individuals employed as a driver assessor or coach, help is available for all to make a real impact on road safety. David has implemented a particular focus to make these services readily available to SMEs, who would otherwise struggle to fund and introduce these changes without the guidance and support of the outstanding PRIM consultancy team. In 2022, David and the team began working on an additional new initiative to tackle corporate road safety head-on, developing a training qualification for individuals employed by businesses who train and assess their own LGV drivers. This successful endeavour has resulted in commendation from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency), and the business has since experienced rapid growth. Today, PRIM is comprised of four key areas that organisations can engage with in order to reduce road risk. These services include, the PRIM Fleet Standards fleet safety accreditation scheme, road risk compliance auditing through Fleet Motor Insurance, a DVSA recognised LGV Driver Coach and Assessor qualification, and finally, PRIM’s Platinum Cat-B (car and van) Driver Coach and Assessor qualification. All these solutions are designed to keep road users safe, with fleet operators having the responsibility to ensure the safety of its employees who are deployed for work driving duties. Legislation and compliance in this area can often be cumbersome, but the PRIM approach is constative and supportive in helping to improve road safety, and by working proactively to reduce road risks, its clients can enjoy a host of benefits. First and foremost is the peace of mind that a client’s employees and members of the public are safe, which is something you cannot put a price on. Reduced collisions and the subsequent reduced cost associated with the dealing of road related accidents is too beneficial, as is the potential to decrease the costs associated with motor insurance. These are all in addition to meeting the legal requirements of the organisation, attaining positive brand association, improved employee retention, fewer days lost as a result of injury or vehicle repair, and finally, an improved fuel economy, which also serves to benefit the planet. Despite experiencing considerable growth and accreditation, PRIM’s mission has remained unchanged since day one. As David explains, this is to, “bring the market a commercially beneficial solution for logistics and fleet operations to help them reduce their driver risk.” Frequently, products and consultancy costs can be so expensive that they are out of the reach of smaller businesses, and too complex for fleet operators to understand. With PRIM, the consultancy approach is at the heart of the business’ operations, and clients are carefully guided through of ways to increase road safety compliance, an experience inclusive of full access to a PRIM toolbox, which is made user friendly and designed to offer support throughout the process. While the years have seen the company expand the range and efficiency of its products and offerings, the core values remain the same, and the firm is determined to offer an accessible and simplified approach to all its clients. It is the passing of this IP to clients, a move unprecedented within the sector, that sets PRIM apart from its competitors, with all clients having access to PRIM products and the ability to implement them within their own organisations. Ultimately, this eliminates the need for either internal or external development costs and makes the running of a safe fleet much more financially attainable. In the current marketplace, the economic pressures which are heaped onto businesses have led to an increased demand for commercially advantageous avenues that provide great value and ensure companies are able to stay compliant with regulations. The demonstrable impacts of a national LGV driver shortage have also had an impact, and organisations have been taking advantage of government funding to train new drivers, but this quick turnaround of course has an impact on the risk level of a company’s drivers. To remedy this, PRIM’s DVSA LGV Best Fleet Accreditation Specialists 2023 – South West
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