HOW DRIVER BEHAVIOUR CAN IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS HOW S MY DRIVING? Traditionally, businesses that run a fleet of vehicles have had to rely on feedback, whether it s positive or negative, from members of the public motivated to call in to report on their drivers behaviour. Today, however, sophisticated GPS vehicle tracking technology can be used to help fleet managers gather valuable data on driver behaviour for monitoring and analysis. This allows businesses to keep an eye on driving style and, by adopting a positive driving style strategy, can help encourage drivers to be more considerate which could potentially lead to a host of additional business benefits. Interested in finding out how to monitor and better manage driver behaviour and what benefits this can bring to your business? then please read on.
TYPICAL POOR DRIVING HABITS Excessive idling Speeding Fast acceleration Harsh braking Hard cornering THE FACTS... Travelling on a motorway at 80-85mph, rather than 70mph, can increase fuel consumption by 25% or more. Source: Automobile Association Poor driving habits account for increased fuel consumption of typically 15%. Source: Energy Savings Trust, Smarter Driving Campaign According to the Department of Transport, work related crashes can cost a company between 16,000 and 154,000 (rising to in excess of a million if a fatality occurs). Source: Highways economics Note No.1 One hour of idle time is the equivalent to 3.7 litres of fuel and with the national average price of fuel now reaching 1.38 per litre, a company running a fleet of 10 vehicles could be wasting about 935 a month in fuel just due to idling alone! Source: EPA.gov Less aggressive driving will lessen the wear and tear on a company s vehicle. Source: SafetyFirst
THE REASONS There are a number of reasons why a driver may exhibit a poor driving style, such as speeding or aggressive driving. Examples include leaving a vehicle idling during a delivery or working to an unattainable schedule with pressure to catch up on lost time by rushing to the next appointment. Whatever the reason may be, companies may view it as their responsibility to ensure that these additional pressures don t put drivers or their vehicles at risk. How can your business keep track of how well your vehicles are being driven? More to the point, how can you positively encourage drivers to maintain a high calibre of driving style? Through employing a GPS vehicle tracking system that incorporates a driving style tool, you can set up custom alerts which allow you to measure, manage, control and ultimately reduce these poor driving habits. BEST IN CLASS By adopting a positive driving style strategy throughout your fleet operations, you can help encourage your drivers to be more considerate. By using the Fleetmatics safety score tool to compare and contrast your drivers, you can set goals for improvement and companywide standards. With reports available for each driver, team, or division over selected periods of time, you can manage safety and performance over the long-term, which could potentially lead to a host of additional business benefits.
REPORTS AND ALERTS The Fleetmatics GPS tracking system allows fleet managers to set red flag alerts so that they can be informed whenever certain types of incidents occur and work directly with the driver to resolve them. HARSH DRIVING ALERTS IN REPLAY SPEEDING VIOLATIONS AND HARSH DRIVING REPORTS IN DASHBOARD HARSH DRIVING ALERTS IN LIVE MAP
THE BENEFITS By better managing driver behaviour it is possible for a company to: 1. CUT SPEEDING FINES By encouraging drivers to obey the given speed limits, a company can have an impact on the chances of their drivers being served with a speeding fine. 2. ACCIDENTS By alerting drivers to incidences of poor driving style, such as harsh braking, aggressive acceleration and hard cornering, a company can significantly help decrease the chances of their drivers being involved in an accident. 3. DUTY OF CARE With the Fleetmatics GPS tracking system a company has data that may help them demonstrate that they have taken sufficient measures to meet their Duty of Care obligations, thus help reduce the risk of liability. 4. REDUCE OPERATING COSTS The operating costs of a fleet can be reduced by using less fuel; typically fuel is wasted with excessive speeding and quick acceleration, as well as during excessive idling. A company can successfully monitor and help manage any of these driving behaviours by simply setting up custom alerts for each one on the Fleetmatics GPS vehicle tracking system. 5. REDUCE VEHICLE MAINTENANCE COSTS Less aggressive driving will lessen the wear and tear on a company s vehicle. This can result in lower maintenance costs and an extended life of a company s vehicles. 6. HELP LOWER INSURANCE COSTS Many insurance companies offer a discount on liability premiums when their customers proactively use GPS tracking systems to improve driver safety. This is because they want to reward customers who manage driver safety with in-vehicle telematics devices.
Find out how you can better manage your drivers behaviour by implementing the Fleetmatics GPS fleet tracking system. Book a free online demonstration today. www.fleetmatics.co.uk/demo www.fleetmatics.co.uk 0800 975 4566 WWW.FLEETMATICS.CO.UK Copyright Fleetmatics IRL Limited 2014. All rights reserved. Fleetmatics is a registered trademark and the Fleetmatics logo is a trademark of Fleetmatics IRL Limited. Garmin is a trademark or registered trademark of Garmin Ltd.