Issues caused by ageing fleets, poorly maintained roads and technician shortages are driving VOR (vehicle off-road time) across UK businesses, research reveals.

VOR is a significant threat to business productivity, with businesses losing more than £1,100 daily every time a van is unavailable, according to the latest Yellow Paper from AA Business Services.

The report highlights how older vehicles, poor road infrastructure and skills shortages are combining to increase pressure on fleet managers, supported by research that businesses lose an average of £1,172 each day a van is off the road. 

Reportedly, businesses experienced an average of six-and-a-half days of VOR disruption in the past year. Almost half of fleets face financial penalties when vehicles are unavailable for a week or more.

The AA warns that downtime isn’t just a maintenance issue – it’s a bottom-line challenge that affects profitability, staff wellbeing and customer goodwill significantly.

Edmund King OBE, AA President, said: "Vehicle downtime has always been a challenge for businesses, but the scale and complexity of today's operating environment means it’s fast becoming a critical business resilience issue.”

“Each day a vehicle is off the road impacts productivity, customer commitments, and ultimately businesses’ profitability. But positively, businesses now have far more insight and data available  to help them tackle it. Understanding VOR, and why it occurs, is the key to prevention.”

The report also flags the important role predictive maintenance and connected vehicle technology now play in VOR prevention and management.

“Fleet resilience is a key competitive advantage in the current environment,” said James Starling, Director, AA Business Services. “That’s why the most proactive and robust fleets are tackling issues before they occur. The fleets that thrive over the next ten years will be those with a VOR plan to improve operational resilience across the board.”