If you wish to achieve your fleet safety goals it requires the understanding and commitment of employees and the constant measuring of results. This is all easier said than done. The following guide reveals seven important safety goals and how a fleet of any size or type can achieve them. Traffic accidents caused by your drivers’ actions may seem few and far between. But the negative side effects of poor safety practices can add up quickly. Increased fuel costs and faster vehicle wear and tear are just two of the possible consequences to your operation. The most efficient and competitive fleets are those whose drivers and vehicles operate safely. These seven goals can lead to safer driving, which can mean significant increases in cost savings and productivity.
7 ways to achieve your fleet safety goals:
- Reduce speeding
- Reduce hard braking and acceleration
- Track seat belt compliance
- Reduce excessive driving
- Streamline maintenance processes to keep vehicles in safe operating condition
- Protect drivers in emergency situations
- Coach drivers who fail to comply with fleet policies and reward drivers who exhibit safe driving habits
With each of these fleet safety initiatives, fleets must consider three questions to achieve each goal:
- Do we have a clear safety policy written and signed by drivers?
- How will we measure and enforce the safety policy?
- How will we coach and reward drivers to help achieve goals?
Reduce speeding
Beyond wasting fuel, speeding increases the risk of accidents and can lead to other behaviours that put your drivers and others at risk. With GPS tracking, you can monitor vehicle speed and location to reduce incidents and help keep employees, other drivers and pedestrians safe. GPS tracking can help:
- Compare vehicle speeds to posted speed limits.
- Receive automatic speeding alerts when drivers exceed pre-set thresholds.
- Track speeding incidents by driver and vehicle.
- Use historic speeding reports to coach employees
Reduce hard braking and acceleration
Hard braking and acceleration can often be a sign of speeding, aggressive driving or distracted driving. A telematics system that includes engine and vehicle diagnostics can help reduce these unsafe behaviours because the system is able to:
- Identify when and where hard braking or acceleration events occur.
- Send automatic alerts via text or email
- Provide customizable driver behaviour reports for management follow-up.
Track seat belt compliance
Seat belts save lives and are a big step towards achieving your fleet safety goals. Making seat belts a part of your fleet safety program further encourages their use. A GPS system with vehicle diagnostics can remotely track seat belt use in many types of vehicles, providing up-to-the-minute reporting about which drivers are complying with company policies and regulations.
Reduce excess driving
The more time drivers spend on the road, the greater the risk of accidents or breakdowns. A wireless fleet management system can help reduce unnecessary driving by:
- Routing vehicles more efficiently.
- Reducing unauthorized vehicle use.
- Communicating accurate directions to drivers with Garmin connection capabilities.
- Managing daily start and end locations so drivers can start closer to their jobs each day.
Ensuring that employees drive only when necessary can also help improve customer response times and cut down on costly overtime. Reducing wear and tear on vehicles can make them less likely to suffer unexpected breakdowns.
Streamline maintenance processes
A well-maintained vehicle will improve the likelihood of achieving your fleet safety goals. A telematics system with onboard engine diagnostics provides many tools for helping to streamline maintenance processes and keep vehicles in safe operating condition.
- Set proactive reminders for oil changes, tune-ups and other preventative maintenance activities.
- Monitor automatic engine diagnostic alerts to identify minor problems before they become major ones.
- Track all service records automatically, including maintenance performed, date of completion and service technician information.
By tracking maintenance with telematics, you no longer have to depend upon drivers to comply with maintenance schedules. You can also save time and expenses while helping keep your entire fleet in safe operating condition. For more information about enforcement and standards look at the RSA (Road Safety Authority) in Ireland and Think in the UK.
Protect drivers in emergency situations
Inclement weather, poor road conditions, and the need to travel to remote locations can all impact driver safety. Drivers can run off the road, get stuck in snow or mud, or break down in isolated areas. When these situations occur, GPS tracking can pinpoint the exact location of a vehicle so you can send help quickly. To improve safety in remote locations some GPS vendors offer satellite coverage, which provides comprehensive global vehicle tracking. This optional feature enables you to stay in touch with vehicles in remote locations.
Coach and reward drivers
It’s important to clearly communicate how the GPS tracking system will be used to measure performance and maintain policy compliance. Inform drivers that the GPS system is a training tool to reduce costs, improve driving habits and increase driver safety. While drivers who fail to comply with company policies should always be held accountable, the primary focus should be on rewarding drivers for developing safer, more efficient driving habits. Remember, drivers, are more likely to embrace a telematics system when you emphasize the positive benefits to them—especially safety.
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