How to Address & Modify Fleet Driving Behaviors

Fleet drivers are a reflection of your business. When people drive aggressively, ignore company policies, or abuse equipment, you may end up paying the price. There are numerous ways to improve bad fleet driver behavior, but it will require having the right tools.

Taking the time to work with employees will make a significant difference across your operations. Boost morale and safety initiatives using these tips for adjusting driver behavior.

Record Employee Behaviors

You must first identify the problem in order to correct poor employee behavior. Your employees may get distracted behind the wheel more easily without monitoring devices in place. The first step in knowing how to improve bad fleet driver behavior is to acquire fleet telematics equipment. It's impossible to ride with each of your drivers, but telematics devices allow you to monitor their actions.

We offer a collection of fleet technology. Start logging driver performance metrics to see whether or not employees brake too hard, travel faster than they should, or let vehicles idle for long periods. Establishing a dataset for your drivers will allow you to pinpoint areas of improvement. Our products upload reports to a user-friendly platform so that all of your metrics are organized and can be viewed from remote locations.

Develop a Set of Standards & Policies

Your drivers should understand your expectations. One of the ways to modify or prevent bad fleet driver behavior is to be transparent about safety guidelines. Create an organized set of standards for drivers if there is not already a list in place. You'll want your workplace policy to outline your commitment to keeping employees and others on the road safe. There are several factors to consider when drawing up an initial draft, such as:

• The importance of seat belts.
• Your stance on using mobile phones in the cabin.
• Repercussions for speeding while in company vehicles.
• Rules for employee breaks on the road.

Prioritize Driver Training & Ongoing Education

Poor driving behaviors result in collisions, traffic violations, and other incidents. Your business should have onboarding sessions for all new hires and training courses available for current drivers throughout the year. In most cases, you can partner with a third-party training company to oversee workshops covering industry-related topics. 

Ongoing learning initiatives allow your employees to ask questions if something is unclear. Making training a key part of your business culture and organizing classroom sessions can help individuals improve their negative driving behaviors before a problem occurs.

Leverage Telematics Data

Once you have telematics technology up and running, keep a close eye on driver progress. Hopefully, you will see improvement in their behavior over the weeks or months after installing telematics devices.

Coordinating meetings with your employees is one of the best ways to modify bad fleet driver behavior. Identify specific areas of telematics reports to hear what a driver has to say. Holding your drivers accountable for their actions tells individuals that you are paying attention.

Provide Real-Time Feedback

Fleet managers should also inform employees about what they are doing well and identify areas of improvement. See what you can do to send fuel consumption data reports and similar information to drivers once their job is complete.

We offer several devices that your company can keep inside vehicles for safer navigation. Configure device settings to provide drivers with an immediate warning when traveling too fast. Something as simple as a dash camera can be enough to remind drivers that their eyes should be on the road. Make sure your employees have the resources they need to monitor growth and set goals.

Reward Positive Driving Behaviors

Take pride in driver accomplishments. When employees go above and beyond, praise from upper management can encourage them to continue doing their best. Drivers work most of the week independently, so rewards are a simple way to show appreciation.

You can get creative with safe driving prizes. Think about what motivates your staff. You might consider cash payouts, extra days off, or gift cards to keep drivers interested.

Improve Your Hiring Process

Performing a detailed screening of drivers before hiring them is vital. Assess a candidate's driving record and schedule a test drive with them to see what you can learn about their road habits. Use what you know from tracking telematics to influence hiring decisions. Going on test drives with prospective workers makes the process longer, but you will be thankful down the road. 

Filling open positions with the safest drivers in your candidate pool ensures your fleet is in trustworthy hands.

Request Oricing Details for Our Telematics Solutions

We have over eight decades of experience in the transportation industry. With our portable devices and 24/7 customer service, you can determine how to address bad fleet driver behavior constructively. Contact us online to request pricing information for our fleet technology today.