Building a Culture of Fleet Safety – Pitfalls & Technology

Now that you have insight on how to begin building your culture of fleet safety and establishing your roadmap for success, here are the common pitfalls to avoid along with advice on how you can leverage the latest technology to continue to improve driver performance.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Traditionally, many fleet operators have relied on a reactive approach to driver safety; an accident or driving infraction occurs and then corrective training is prescribed. Today, truly effective safety programs are built on a foundation of monitoring driving behavior in real-time using telematics and proactively addressing high-risk behavior to prevent collisions before they occur.

Additionally, while a comprehensive safety program built on a strong foundation of monitoring behavior and proactive training will help to mitigate risk, fleet operators also need to be mindful of the employees they put behind the wheel of company vehicles.

Emphasizing safety and mitigating risk should begin during the hiring process. Having a rigorous pre-hire screening process is critical to hiring the right candidates. Running a motor vehicle report on the candidate during the pre-hire process can bring to light any potential red flags such as a suspended license or previous DUI/DWI incident that is on their record which could be a potential liability for your organization.

Finally, it is critical that you don’t let success or improvement lead to complacency. Ensuring driver safety requires a consistent, long-term commitment to recommended best practices. If you become complacent and waiver on your commitment to safety, you’re inviting risk to creep back into your fleet operations.

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Optics

A comprehensive telematics program combined with a multi-faceted driver training strategy is still the best option to improve driver safety. The good news is that we continue to see a growing number of fleet operators embrace telematics and the technology is evolving rapidly, allowing fleet operators to monitor driver behavior in new, innovative ways.

Telematics technology essentially puts you inside the vehicle with your drivers, allowing you to monitor performance and quickly identify high-risk behaviors. When this telematics data is integrated into an advanced analytics platform, you can easily benchmark driving performance across your entire organization to pinpoint high-risk drivers and highlight opportunities to prescribe corrective training.

Additionally, OEM-embedded telematics devices are becoming increasingly common, making it even easier for fleet operators to get started with telematics solutions. With this powerful technology now factory-installed in many popular fleet models, two of the biggest roadblocks companies typically face when exploring a telematics strategy have been eliminated – installation costs and logistics along with the associated vehicle downtime.

Video-enabled telematics devices are also now more widely available. In addition to providing all the benefits of a typical telematics unit, the video-enabled devices allow fleet operators to monitor in-cab driver behavior and easily identify incidents of distracted driving and other high-risk behavior. These units also typically feature both road-facing and cabin-facing cameras, providing valuable video evidence should an accident or other incident occur. Some units also provide speakers and/or displays to deliver real-time audio/visual coaching to further improve safety.

Advanced analytics have also significantly improved driver safety programs in recent years. This technology continues to fuel tools such as driver scorecards which deliver a comprehensive, real-time view of driver performance. For example, Holman’s proprietary driver scorecard seamlessly integrates data from key areas such as accident reports, motor vehicle records, telematics devices, and risk assessment results to provide a holistic view of driver performance.

Ready to Build a Culture of Safety?

Implementing a driver safety program can be a challenge for even the most veteran fleet professional. Most fleet managers simply lack the time and resources necessary to effectively monitor performance and proactively train their drivers. But remember, you don’t have to navigate this road alone and there are a variety of partners who can simplify your safety solution.

Most organizations are best served partnering with a fleet management provider such as Holman who can help develop and efficiently administer a comprehensive safety program that drives meaningful improvement.

Learn more about Holman’s extensive driver safety solutions and be sure to subscribe to Holman’s Morning Brake newsletter to have the latest industry news and insights delivered right to your inbox.