What is a fleet incident log?
A fleet incident log records every accident, damage, theft, breakdown and injury involving your vehicles, and follows each one until it is closed. It answers the questions that come up later: what happened, what it cost after the insurer paid, how long the vehicle was off the road, and what changed so it does not happen again.
This fleet incident log template in Excel keeps those answers in one row per incident, adds a yearly summary by type and month, and includes an accident report form for every vehicle and a roadside breakdown procedure.
How to use the fleet incident log
- Add vehicles and drivers on the Settings sheet.
- Open a row as soon as an incident is reported, before costs are known. Record date, vehicle, driver, location and type.
- Add the police report and claim numbers and the claim status as they arrive.
- Record repair and other costs, such as towing or a rental vehicle, and any amount recovered from the insurer or a third party.
- Enter the back-in-service date, the root cause and one action to prevent a repeat.
- Review the Summary monthly and keep the Accident report form printed in each vehicle.
How are net cost and days off road calculated?
In the example, a collision cost 3,200 in repairs and 450 in other costs, and 2,700 was recovered from the insurer, for a net cost of 950. The vehicle was off the road for 7 days.
How to find the root cause and prevent a repeat
The last two columns matter most. A root cause is the reason behind the event, not just a description of it: "following distance too short" rather than "rear-end collision". The action should be one specific step, such as coaching on following distance, a guide when reversing in yards, or a new check in the service schedule. Reviewing these columns each month shows which causes repeat.
What goes in the in-vehicle accident report form?
The form lists six steps at the scene, from making the area safe to calling the police where required, and fourteen details to record: time, place, vehicles, other driver and insurer, witnesses, injuries, photos and signatures. Drivers should never admit fault at the scene; the form says so.
What to do when a vehicle breaks down on the road
A breakdown is an incident too. The procedure sets out what the driver does (get safe, report, protect the load, hand over to recovery) and what the control room does (decide on repair, tow or replacement, tell the customer, book the workshop and record the cost).
Limits of a spreadsheet incident log
The log depends on prompt and complete reporting. It does not replace police, insurer or legal procedures, and it does not show what happened before the event, such as speed or harsh braking; that needs vehicle data.