5 Ways to Optimise Driver Safety in Your Fleet
Did you know that your drivers are the primary cause of most accidents, not the vehicles they are driving?
Safety affects the entire business – vehicles, maintenance, operations, and of course, your drivers. However, despite advancements in technology to improve vehicle safety, the number one cause of accidents is the driver.
If you are the owner of a fleet company, you will know that your vehicles are one of the most important assets of your business – only second to their indispensable drivers. Therefore, it will not surprise that vehicle and driver safety needs to be a top priority for your business. Preventable accidents or road incidents will put your drivers, vehicles and company at unnecessary risk that you should avoid at all costs.
It makes sense to prioritise fleet safety for the benefit of your business’s drivers and vehicles – and modern fleet management technologies and tools have evolved to meet current fleet safety demands. This article discusses simple, reliable and affordable steps that your fleet company can take to help improve the safety and success of your drivers, vehicles and business interests.
Here are 6 steps below that you can take to optimise driver and fleet safety:
1. Data-Driven Driver Training and Education
Any time and resources your fleet company invests in employee training and education are always worth it, especially when prioritising fleet safety. Improving driver behaviour is one of the most effective ways to improve their safety and the vehicles they drive.
A robust training programme covering road rules and regulations, good driving habits and vehicle maintenance is critical to effective fleet management and safety.
There are a variety of tools and resources that are designed to improve your driver training. Fleet managers can also use their fleet management system to access user data and actionable insights from GPS-based and video telematics. You can create driver training programmes based on your fleet company’s specific requirements and real-time information.
This allows managers to make informed decisions when strategising how to approach driver training and education.
2. Adoption of your company policies
Company policies relating to the safe operation of vehicles establish a uniform understanding of your expectations.
A good example is a policy that covers mobile phone use (or the use of any mobile electronic device) while operating a company-owned, leased or personal vehicle on company business. Similarly, a policy that requires drivers to be medically fit ensures that they have suitable health and fitness levels before driving a company vehicle.
3. Enforce the rules
A policy can only be effective if backed by the enforcement of fundamental and established consequences for non-compliance. Drivers won’t alter their unsafe driving practices simply because a policy exists. It’s up to your Fleet Managers to enforce policies, regardless of any challenges or resistance in doing so.
There can be costs associated with failing to implement and enforce a company policy in some instances.
4. Preventative Maintenance and Regular Inspections
Some of the most incredible advancements in-vehicle telematics and fleet management software are that you can easily (digitally) schedule preventative maintenance checks and routine vehicle inspections. Unplanned breakdowns and avoidable accidents can result from poor vehicle maintenance or faulty equipment. Fleet companies need to ensure that their vehicles are safe and their drivers are on the road.
Ensure essential maintenance tasks, such as tyre rotation and pressure checks, fluid changes and checking brake, signal and headlights, are performed routinely. By ensuring you inspect your vehicles regularly and maintain a schedule in a manageable rotation, fleet managers can reduce the amount of unplanned downtime in their fleet. Minimising the time your vehicles or drivers spend off the road will help you save money and time while streamlining your business operations.
5. Fleet and Driver Monitoring
Video and GPS-based telematics allow owners and managers to monitor their fleets, access real-time data and analyse driver and vehicle performance. Modern fleet monitoring solutions are an indispensable part of effective fleet safety programmes. You can monitor driver behaviour in real-time and ensure that every driver is keeping themselves, their vehicle and others on the road safe.
Fleet monitoring software integrates with advanced vehicle telematics and technologies that can provide insights into your fleet performance and give actionable ways to improve that performance. Poor route management, speeding, hard braking and tailgating are just some of the poor driving habits that can be tracked and prevented using vehicle telematics that helps improve fleet safety and performance.
Fleet monitoring is a cornerstone of most modern fleet companies. Still, owners and managers need to ensure that all of their business operations are not just cost-effective and consistent but safe. However, a good side effect of improving fleet monitoring, management and safety is that you improve business processes, reduce operating costs and better overall fleet performance.
Why Prioritise Fleet Safety?
An effective fleet safety programme is one of the most important investments you can make in your business. The time and resources invested in fleet management solutions will help improve fleet safety and make your company more competitive. Implementing a fleet safety programme will help keep your drivers safe and happy, vehicles on the road and operations streamlined.
These are just a few ways transportation, manufacturing or logistics companies can improve driver safety and reduce the number of accidents or driver issues. Contact us at today to learn more about how we can help you source the right drivers to help optimise safety in your fleet.
The MASA Drivers division has years of experience in sourcing top drivers for blue-chip companies and internationally – and your company may be next!
