This guide is for companies buying transport. Car owners: we run our own fleet and are not adding cars from owners at the moment (why).
Quick answer
Duty of care in employee transport means the company takes reasonable steps to keep staff safe on the rides it arranges: drivers with valid commercial licences, vehicles with valid permits, insurance, fitness and PUC, safety equipment, tracked trips, safe night-drop rules, a written incident procedure and records that show the checks were done.
Chapter 01
What does duty of care mean for employee transport?
Taking reasonable, foreseeable-risk steps on the rides the company arranges: who drives, what they drive, where and when, and what happens if something goes wrong.
Once a company arranges transport, employees reasonably assume someone has checked the driver and the vehicle. Duty of care is meeting that assumption with real, recorded checks. It covers five areas: the driver, the vehicle, the route and timing, incidents, and records.
Outsourcing moves the daily work to the vendor but not the company's interest in the outcome. A sound arrangement has the vendor doing the checks and the company able to see them.
Chapter 02
What should be checked in each area?
Licences and conduct for drivers, papers and equipment for vehicles, timings and drop rules for routes, a written procedure for incidents, and records for all of it.
| Area | What to check | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Commercial licence, conduct, rest | Licence checked before driving for us; briefed on customer service and safe driving; rest between duties; serious complaint = off the route |
| Vehicle | RC, insurance, permit, fitness, PUC; safety equipment | Kept valid and shown on request; fire extinguisher, working seat belts, spare tyre and tools in every car; all cars air-conditioned |
| Before each shift | Vehicle condition | Pre-trip check of tyres, fuel and lights |
| Route and timing | Realistic plans, night drops | GPS on every vehicle; drivers may not change an assigned trip without office approval |
| Incident | Procedure and communication | Passengers' safety first, replacement car sent, company told right away |
| Records | Proof of checks | Service and inspection records per car; written log of breakdowns and replacements |
Chapter 03
What extra care does night travel need?
A written drop order and rules for the last drop, live tracking, a coordinator who can be reached, and female drivers when the company asks.
- Drop order: agreed in the policy, including rules for the last passenger on a route.
- Live tracking: GPS on every vehicle, with a portal login for your security or HR team.
- Reachability: one number, 24/7, and a coordinator for large accounts.
- Female drivers are available on request.
- No unapproved changes: drivers may not change an assigned trip without office approval; GPS shows any change.
See night-shift transport risk management and women employee transport.
Chapter 04
What should happen after an accident or breakdown?
Passengers first, a replacement vehicle sent, the company told right away, then a written record and a review.
- Passengers' safety first. The driver makes the scene safe and calls for help where needed.
- Replacement vehicle. Sent to complete the trip.
- Company informed. Your coordinator is called right away.
- Written record. Logged with time, place and action taken.
- Review. Repeat problems lead to changes in route, vehicle or driver.
See our accident and incident procedure.
Chapter 05
How should a company review duty of care in its transport?
Ask for the documents, inspect a sample of vehicles, ride a route, read the incident log and agree how often you will repeat it.
- Ask for the papers. RC, insurance, permit, fitness and PUC for the vehicles on your routes, and the drivers' licence checks.
- Inspect vehicles. Companies may inspect the fleet before signing and audit the vendor later.
- Ride a route. At the hardest time of day, usually the late or night drop.
- Read the log. Breakdowns, replacements, complaints and actions.
- Agree a schedule. Who reviews what, and how often, written into the contract.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Will you show us every vehicle's papers, and tell us before one is due for renewal?
- How do you check a driver before they drive for us?
- What is your written incident procedure?
- Can our employees report a safety concern confidentially?
- Will you share your written safety policy?
Key terms
Duty-of-care terms
- Duty of care
- The responsibility to take reasonable steps to keep people safe from harm you can foresee.
- Commercial licence
- The driving licence needed to drive a commercial (yellow-plate) vehicle for hire.
- Fitness certificate
- The certificate that a commercial vehicle is roadworthy.
- PUC
- Pollution Under Control certificate for a vehicle.
- Escalation
- Who is called, in what order, when something goes wrong on a trip.
- Incident log
- A written record of breakdowns, accidents, complaints and what was done.
In Gujarat
Where we run company transport in Gujarat
Shiv Shakti Tours & Travels runs employee and executive transport from a head office in Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad and a branch at Hansalpur Circle, Becharaji, next to the SMG (Maruti Suzuki) plant, with some cars and drivers based near Sanand and in Vadodara.
- Becharaji and the SMG plant areaPlant gates and vendor units; our branch is at Hansalpur Circle
- Sanand GIDCIndustrial estates in Sanand; cars and drivers based nearby
- Vithalapur and MandalUnits in the Vithalapur industrial area
- ChangodarShift transport for units along the Changodar belt
- AhmedabadOffices, airport accounts and staff pickups
- Gandhinagar and GIFT CityOffice shifts and government movements
- VadodaraSome cars and drivers based in Vadodara
- Mehsana and KadiStaff pickup towns for North Gujarat plants
- Viramgam and BavlaStaff pickup towns between Ahmedabad and the plants
Short answers
Short answers from this guide
- What is duty of care in employee transport?Reasonable, recorded checks on the rides a company arranges.
- Does outsourcing transport transfer duty of care?The vendor does the daily checks; the company still checks the vendor.
- Which vehicle documents should a company check?RC, insurance, commercial permit, fitness and PUC.
- What safety equipment should a company car carry?Fire extinguisher, working seat belts, spare tyre with jack and tools.
- What happens after an accident on a company trip?Safety first, a replacement vehicle, the company told at once.
- All 100 corporate transport answersOne page per question, in the Knowledge Hub
Questions
Duty-of-care questions from HR and EHS teams
Does outsourcing transfer duty of care to the vendor?
The vendor runs the daily checks under the contract, but the company should still check the vendor. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
How do you check drivers?
We check each driver's commercial driving licence before they drive for us and brief them on customer service and safe driving.
Are your vehicles commercially permitted and insured?
Yes. All cars are commercially permitted and insured, and the papers are shown to companies on request.
What safety equipment is in each car?
A fire extinguisher, working seat belts and a spare tyre with jack and tools.
Can our employees report a safety concern privately?
Yes, confidentially and directly to our owner.
Will you share a written safety policy?
Yes. A written safety policy and written data-handling procedures can be shared with companies.
What happens to a driver after a serious complaint?
The driver is taken off that company's route.
Can we audit you?
Yes. Vendor audits are allowed, and companies may inspect the fleet before signing.
Next step
Ask for a proposal
Tell us the company, the location and what you need to move. We reply with our vendor documents and a proposal; nothing is sent until you press a button.
Transport enquiry from a company.
Car owners: we run our own fleet and are not adding cars from owners at the moment.Keep reading
Related guides and vendor files
- Night-shift transport: managing the risksDrops, drivers, tracking and escalation after dark
- Due diligence on a transport vendorThe documents and checks before you sign
- A scorecard for your transport vendorEight measures to review every month
- Vehicle compliance documentsWhat we keep valid
- Transport vendor files20 files: requirements, contract steps, reporting
- All corporate transport guides20 decision guides for HR, admin and purchase
Sources
Where the facts come from
- Owner-confirmed company facts (9 October 2026 questionnaires): licence checks, valid RC, insurance, permit, fitness and PUC shown on request, backup car typically within about an hour for a plant shift, GPS portal login, daily trip report, SLA and NDA on request, vendor audits, invoices split by cost centre, utilisation reports on request.
- Owner-confirmed 9 October 2026 (third questionnaire): safety equipment in every car, pre-trip checks, rest between duties, incident log, written safety policy, confidential reports to the owner.
Cite this guide: Vaibhaviba Bhavsinh Solanki, "Duty of Care in Employee Transport: A Guide", Shiv Shakti Tours & Travels, updated 31 October 2026, https://www.shivshaktitoursandtravels.in/corporate-transport-guides/duty-of-care-in-employee-transport.html