ACFO has issued the following six top tips for handling driver parking fines for SME small fleet managers:

•  Keep track – record all correspondence in case the authority or private operator claims they have not received a response
•  Act quickly – respond with 14 days in order to reduce the penalty, assuming the fine isn’t appealed
•  Recorded delivery – spend a little extra on postage! Prove the letter was sent and received
•  Prioritise – treat fines requesting a response within seven days with absolute urgency
•  Be wise – remember CCTV is increasingly used in society. Don’t assume you’ll get away with it, simply because a parking warden wasn’t around!
•  Pay or appeal – do not assume the driver is at fault! Speak to them, identity the circumstances and then make a decision

Martin Brown, managing director of small fleet leasing company, Fleet Alliance – winner of our Small Fleet Leasing Company of the Year, has the following advice for handling fines:

“The ACFO advice in terms of managing parking fines is spot on. Speed is of the essence – and for clients who lease, a good leasing provider will always act promptly and ensure that only the lower amount is payable.

“Our clients manage fines in many different ways; from some who allow van drivers some slack – given that they may be responding to an urgent request. To others who will simply pass the fines on to the drivers regardless.

“ACFO’s advice is excellent – act promptly and orderly, and educate any repeat offenders.”

With the DVLA providing about 11 million sets of registered keeper details to the private and public sector every year, the problem of driver parking fines isn’t about to disappear any time soon.

But with a little forward planning and by following basic procedures, they needn’t be a headache.

Just encourage your sales team to set off for their meeting ten minutes earlier next time…