Fleet management is a tough business. If you’re interested in managing your fleet successfully, you can’t just think about completing jobs as quickly as possible. While delivering fast, reliable service is one of your fleet’s top priorities, you can’t forget the importance of basic safety training for your drivers. When it comes to keeping your fleet running reliably, speed might be key. But if your drivers aren’t performing as efficiently as possible, a lack of proper training could be to blame. If you’re trying to shape up your business fleet, there are tons of ways you can do it. You can contact WatchCard to get a better deal on fuel costs, try installing driver monitoring systems to ensure that your vehicles are being taken good care of on the road, and make sure your drivers know that safety comes first at all times. Here are a few tips for making your fleet safer and more efficient in the long run.
1. Encourage Drivers to Pay Attention to Problems
As a fleet manager, you’ll have different criteria for hiring your drivers. You’ll want to look for reliable, fast drivers who can complete jobs on time without any issue. However, the first qualification you’ll want to look for is a history of safe practices on the road. If you’re hiring drivers who don’t pay attention to warning lights, speed through jobs just to get done on time, or don’t pay attention to the signs or sounds of a car that’s dealing with issues, you’re going to be doing a disservice to your fleet and jeopardize your trucker authority. Hiring the right drivers means hiring people who are meticulous about following instructions and sticking to the rules of the road.
2. Teach Defensive Driving
Paying attention to what you’re doing on the road is extremely important. However, there’s way more to worry about on the highway than our own personal performance. Defensive driving practices help us stay aware and alert at all times to prevent potential accidents. Teaching your drivers to be aware of other drivers at all times will help them better protect themselves, their vehicles, and their cargo. Defensive driving is a method that shows drivers they have choices on the road. They don’t need to worry about getting cut off, distracted, or put in an uncomfortable position by unsafe drivers on the road. Using a few basic tools and awareness methods, you can help your drivers take control during jobs. This won’t just help everyone stay safe: It will help you protect your vehicles by avoiding smaller accidents or unsafe practices.
3. Install Tracking Technology
Thanks to today’s technological advances, there’s no reason why drivers have to be on their own during jobs. Using the best tracking and driver monitoring technology, you can keep in touch with your drivers no matter what. You’ll be able to do more than just set your drivers up with flawless GPS. You can install performance-enhancing tools to help your drivers get to their destination quickly and safely, and you can even watch drivers on jobs to make a note of their progress. Using predictive technology won’t just help you stay on top of potential concerns for certain drivers. It will help you see where the focus needs to be in terms of training current and future workers. The more you know about the way your drivers think and operate in difficult situations, the better equipped you’ll be to design a training program that creates safe, efficient drivers by arming them with the best tools for success.
4. Incentivize Safer Driving Tactics
While every driver should put safety first on each job, it’s not always a guarantee that safe practices are going to win out in a stressful situation. To help your drivers stay focused on the goal, try to incentivize safety by setting up a reward system for drivers who are performing with caution and excellence on the road. You can create special bonuses for safe practices as a way of getting workers excited about new safety initiatives. You can even set up incentivized extra-curricular safety training sessions in addition to the required training to help your team get motivated.
5. Encourage Questions and Comments
In any business, it helps to get honest feedback from your workers. Don’t set up an environment where your drivers feel afraid to voice complaints or intimidated by hard-to-understand safety protocol. Make your learning sessions as interactive as possible, and try to create a space where drivers will feel empowered to ask questions, make suggestions, and offer constructive criticism when it comes to safer driving.
