CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GREY FLEET IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Gregory Anderson and Ron Bowles, Justice Institute of British Columbia

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

Motor vehicle incidents (MVIs) are a leading cause of work-related injury,
death and absence from work In British Columbia (pop. 4.4 million) MVIs
are the leading cause of work-related traumatic fatalities with 22 workers
fatally injured and 1,260 seriously injured and require time away from work
annually. The average cost and days lost per MVI claim were $42,000 and
91 days respectively.
Many who drive for the purposes of work contribute to the ‘Grey Fleet’ –
any personal vehicle that is used by an employee for making a workrelated journey. “Management of grey fleet vehicles presents a multifaceted challenge, as the organization typically has more control over the
choice and working condition of its company vehicles… but many do not
have any measures in place to manage the grey fleet” (Road Safety at Work,

Grey Fleet size by stratified employer size

Purpose of travel

RESULTS

Of 5023 emails delivered successfully 531 responded (10.6% response),
while 104 declined participation. Response rates were 12.6% for Large,
15.8% for Medium and 6.1% for Small companies, and were distributed
proportionately across primary resources, manufacturing, construction,
transportation and warehousing, trade, service and other categories.

Companies reporting daily use were more likely to be small (27.6%) or
medium (17.1%) sized rather than large (4.1%). Delivery and/or pick up
was the primary reason for travel in small and medium sized companies,
while meetings were the primary purpose in large companies. Employees
were more than twice as likely to be traveling within a city or town for under
25 kilometers than any other location and distance.

APPLICATION

Traditional v Grey Fleet license check

METHODS

A “Grey Fleet Employer Survey” was distributed via email to a random
sample of 15% of all employers in BC with 4 or more employees. A total of
17 branched, multi-segment questions were used which included a
combination of closed and open ended questions. The survey was open
for a two week period during which time three notifications were sent.
Data were analyzed by size of employer
Small (4-19 employees)
Medium (20-99 employees
Large (100+ employees)

There is a significant Grey Fleet in British Columbia. Of those responding
64.6% of employers report using a grey fleet, while 48% had traditional
fleets. The Grey Fleet includes 15.5% of employees in BC, or 365,000
drivers (17.8% previously reported). This represents 14% of those with BC
drivers licenses between the ages of 16 and 65 years of age.

Employers were more likely to check for a valid driver’s license than
perform vehicle safety inspections. However, many employers felt that they
did not have a responsibility to check employees’ licenses and vehicles.
There is a lack of awareness concerning duty of care amongst those
employing a grey fleet in British Columbia.

2012: p1).

The purpose of this project was to examine selected characteristics of the
Grey Fleet and related road safety programs that are presently in place in
British Columbia:
1. Define the size of the Grey Fleet in BC,
2. Define how often and for what purpose worker-owned vehicles are
used,
3. Define current road safety management programs/safe work practices
for the Grey Fleet.

DISCUSSION

If there are 365,000 grey fleet drivers in British Columbia, and 25% of them
were in a motor vehicle incident (MVI), it is estimated that 91,000 – 112,000
Grey Fleet MVIs would occur annually. With 19.6% of MVIs reporting
casualties in British Columbia (ICBC, 2013), and a payment made for injury
or fatality in 47% of claims, then 8,390 – 10,320 MVIs should be reported
to WorkSafeBC annually that include time loss claims. With the average
cost and days lost per MVI claim being $42,000 and 91 days, it can be
estimated that the total cost would be between $353 - 434 million, and
account for 1.6 - 2.0 million days off of work.

CONCLUSION

Traditional v Grey Fleet vehicle inspections

Multiple data sets and surveys would suggest that the size of the Grey Fleet
in British Columbia is substantial, and that many incidents are not reported
or claimed as work-related. Further, employers who use Grey Fleets are not
certain of their legal requirements under Worker’s Compensation Act (duty
of care), and in response education and training are required concerning
the employer and employee responsibilities concerning driving safety.

KEY REFERENCES

ICBC (2013. Quick Statistics: September 2013
Road Safety at Work (2012). Grey fleet research project literature review.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Funding for this project was provided by Road Safety at Work, WorkSafeBC.

JUSTICE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA