Its study finds that nearly half of UK businesses don't even monitor the weights of their company vehicles, and 53% of van drivers don't know their vehicle's maximum load carrying capacity.
Furthrmore, 73% of van drivers are unsure of the effects of overloading their van on the vehicle's driving performance, while nearly a quarter are unaware of the legal penalties they face.
Last year, the DVSA stopped over 10,800 vans on UK roads and found 89% to be driving overloaded.
VW Commercial Vehicles is now working with DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) to highlight the potential dangers to fleet managers of driving overloaded vehicles.
Trevor Hodgson-Philips, head of service and parts at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, makes the point that van operators can face thousands in costs as a result of overloading vans.
Results, he says, include: higher maintenance bills; compromised driving performance leading to increased stopping distances, difficulties in steering and potentially tipping over; and hence also causing accidents.
Another impact concerns issue of insurance if and when accidents occur. VW's research reveals that three quarters of fleet managers do not realise their insurance could be invalidated if a company vehicle is involved in a crash and found to be over the legal weight limit.
"It's important that businesses choose the right van for the job to avoid unnecessary overloading," insists Hodgson-Philips.
"Typical cargo volume and knowledge of gross vehicle weight should be taken into consideration before setting off to ensure the safety of the driver and other road users," he adds.
Gordon MacDonald, vehicle product manager at the DVSA, agrees: "The research highlights that a large proportion of van drivers could be breaking the law and posing serious safety risks to themselves and other road users," he says.
"Overloading is a real issue on our roads and it is the responsibility of both the driver and the business to load vehicles correctly and keep their van within its legal weight limit"
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has now released an online guide, which includes information on vehicle payloads and locations of public weighbridges.
To see the guide, click on the link below.