How to Completely Change Driver Behaviour Using Fleet Management Software

Using fleet management software to monitor your employees can feel a bit intrusive. Your drivers could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve turned into Big Brother. However if an issue arises your software can help you to make things better and to look after your drivers’ welfare.  Here’s how you can take steps to completely change driver behaviour using fleet management software.

Make your driver responsible for their actions

Whilst you can’t use fleet management software to gather personal information about your drivers, you can use it to check on the vehicle.  That includes gathering information about how a vehicle is being driven.  If the data suggests that your driver is braking heavily and accelerating sharply, that could be a performance issue.  Combine that with a dashcam and you’ll be able to assess whether a vehicle is being driven aggressively.

Any information you gather should be combined with a robust disciplinary procedure. After all, you can’t penalise an employee if the standard you expect hasn’t been made clear. That combination should make your drivers more mindful of their performance.

Reducing insurance claims

Ensuring that your drivers are held accountable for their actions needs to be part of a wider safety culture.  Aggressive or unsafe driving leads to more accidents and insurance claims. These have an impact on the public, your customers and the drivers themselves.

Using fleet management software and a dashcam doesn’t just allow you to discipline your drivers where necessary.  It can also help you to protect them.  Dashcam footage can allow you to determine the cause of an accident swiftly and can also be shared with your insurers and the police. You can reassure your drivers that you’re in a position to back them up when they’re not at fault.

Looking after your drivers’ welfare

Monitoring your drivers’ behaviour behind the wheel could seem overly punitive.  However it has benefits beyond any disciplinary procedure. It can also help you to gather information that helps you to look after their welfare.  As a minimum you can ensure that they’re taking proper rest breaks and avoiding fatigue.

A decline in their driving performance could also indicate stress or other mental health issues. Early intervention to discover the cause of a problem could allow you to support them better.  When your drivers know that you have their best interests at heart it can completely change their behaviour on the road.

Staying out of traffic jams

Traffic jams are a source of stress to anyone who gets behind the wheel. When you’re a professional driver spending a lot of time on the road, the impact can be even greater.  Being stuck in a queue leads to frustration, stress and potentially anger.  Road rage is a major cause of traffic accidents as drivers are more likely to take unnecessary risks.

Using fleet management software can help you to minimise those risks. You can monitor vehicles in real time and communicate with drivers to steer them away from problem areas. That helps them to keep to deadlines and gives you a calmer and safer driver.

To find out more about how fleet management software can improve your drivers’ behaviour, get in touch.