Driver management for fleet efficiency and safety

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Driver management plays a central role in fleet efficiency, safety and productivity. Explore this page for an overview of driver management, from recruitment and training to safety and performance monitoring. Want to dive more deeply into any of the topics covered below? We include links to relevant material so that you can quickly and easily navigate to subjects of interest.

Driver management essentials

Driver recruitment and training

Hiring the right drivers is fundamental to fleet efficiency and safety. The recruitment process should focus on identifying candidates with the necessary skills and experience, not to mention a strong safety record. Once you’ve hired the ideal drivers for your business, you’ll want to empower them to perform their best at the wheel. In other words: training plays an essential role in your driver management.

Comprehensive training helps drivers operate your fleet vehicles safely, stay on top of compliance and adhere to safety protocols. Here are just a few of the specific ways your fleet can benefit from well-planned recruitment and training as part of your overall driver management processes:

Increased safety: Around 90% of accidents are caused by human error. Properly trained drivers are less likely to be involved in road incidents.
Greater efficiency: Skilled drivers can manage their time on the road better, leading to improved fuel efficiency and on-time deliveries. Reducing downtime and repair costs.
Easier compliance: Training ensures drivers understand and comply with industry regulations and company policies, avoiding legal issues and fines.
Improved retention: Investing in driver development fosters loyalty and reduces turnover, saving on recruitment costs.

Go deeper on this topic:: Explore best practices for driver recruitment and training.

Enhancing driver and road safety

In roughly 80% of collisions between cars and trucks, the car driver is at fault. But since trucks are heavier and can cause more damage, truck drivers are more often found at fault. Luckily, fleets can protect their drivers—and their business—with the help of telematics and in-cab technologies. See how digital solutions for fleets support driver and road safety:

Driving metrics: Telematics pulls in vehicle data like speed, braking and acceleration. As a result, fleet managers can assess patterns in driving behaviour and understand where drivers may need coaching or more targeted training.
Driver feedback: In-cab technologies like dashcams provide immediate feedback to drivers about risky behaviours such as harsh braking or rapid acceleration. This feedback helps drivers adjust their performance in the moment.
Compliance support: Staying on top of drivers’ hours rules and vehicle inspections is much simpler with a fleet driver management system. You can track remaining driving times, for instance, ensuring that drivers are well rested and adhering to regulations.
Cost savings: By promoting safer driving habits, telematics and in-cab technologies drastically lower the likelihood of accidents. Fewer accidents mean less downtime and lower repair costs, contributing to overall fleet efficiency.

Go deeper on this topic:: Discover how to boost driver and road safety.

Driver schedules and fatigue management

While it’s easy to monitor speeding, fuel and braking with a telematics system, it’s not so easy to track stress, fatigue and fitness. It’s therefore important to consider driver well-being when you’re planning your job schedules. Fatigue can lead to slower reaction times and impaired judgement, which helps explain why 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles.

These practical driver management strategies can go a long way in creating a safer, more productive working environment:

Use navigation: Professional navigation helps drivers stay on the fastest, safest routes. As a result, they can avoid traffic jams, bad weather and construction zones. That adds up to arriving to customer destinations on time and without stress.
Build in rest breaks: Fleet managers and drivers alike need to take rest seriously. It’s a matter of safety compliance—failure to adhere to drivers’ hours rules can result in fines and other consequences. Driver schedules must include resting times and breaks.
Have a back-up plan: Some jobs won’t go according to the plan, no matter how carefully they were scheduled. Embrace flexibility and have a backup plan in mind, so you and your drivers can tackle the unexpected with ease.

Go deeper on this topic:: Read more on effective scheduling and fatigue management

Driver performance monitoring

To get a clear picture on efficiency, compliance and safety, fleet managers need to be able to analyse how drivers are performing on the road. That isn’t so easy to do from the back office—unless your company uses an advanced fleet management system. Here’s a quick overview of what fleets can accomplish with a comprehensive fleet driver management solution:

Improve driving habits: With access to historical performance data, fleet managers can analyse driving behaviour trends over time. This makes it possible to identify areas where drivers can improve on the job, such as eliminating speeding or avoiding harsh braking.
Reduce insurance costs: Safer driving means fewer road incidents. Some insurance providers base premiums on fleet safety data. When fleets can provide data showing vast improvements in road safety, they may receive discounts on their premiums.
Save on fuel: Efficient driving habits, encouraged through performance benchmarking and scoring, can lead to significant fuel savings. Fleets may choose to recognise and reward drivers who consistently perform well, boosting morale and inspiring others to follow suit.