A NEW service to help fleet operators improve safety and reduce road casualties has been launched by Arch Fleet.

It brings together support from legal, safety and regulatory experts with the use of new technology to enable operators to take a pro-active approach to identifying and minimising risk.

It has been developed by Charlotte Le Maire, who is recognised as a leader in the field of fleet risk and was previously Head of Criminal Motor Defence with DAC Beachcroft. Le Maire has joined new entrant digital law firm arch.law to develop the Arch Fleet service, based on her own knowledge of the sector and with input from accident investigators, safety bodies and other experts.

Via a subscription, companies receive a wide range of services from roadside assistance and defence in the event of an incident, to support with employment law and contracts, drafting policies and procedures, on-site compliance checks, driver and fleet safety analysis and risk reports.

A key feature is that each incident or near miss is investigated to determine the root cause and develop measures to reduce future exposure. Depending on the level of service, the team can also provide training. The service includes a software platform and driver app.

Arch Fleet, which has already been adopted by hauliers such as Freightlink Europe Limited and on a project basis by the Fire Service, aims to help operators improve safety performance and compliance and ultimately save money by reducing collisions, claims and insurance premiums. Perhaps more importantly, it also reduces the risk profile of a company, ensuring compliance and educating drivers and management in relation to road risks and safer driving habits.

Le Maire, who has spent most of her career defending serious and fatal driving cases, said the time is right for fleet managers to take a more pro-active approach whilst enabling boards to fulfil their corporate governance obligations.

“In the wake of the pandemic, companies are rethinking their operations. At the same time skills shortages have placed greater emphasis on driver welfare, and road safety is moving higher up the public agenda.

“Now is the time to take a different approach. Having defended many cases and seen the devastation that collisions cause, both for families and for drivers, it’s clear to me we need to focus more on prevention. arch.law provides a more end to end approach. We hope it will not only help to reduce casualty figures but also create positive benefits for companies by helping to build a better driving culture, enhancing their reputation and reducing costs.”

arch.law was founded by Andrew Leaitherland, the former CEO of global legal business DWF.  He said: “At arch.law we combine leading edge technology with high quality lawyers to deliver legal solutions differently for our clients. We recognise that law is not simply a service – our clients need a solution that enables them to rectify their problem or maximise their opportunity.”