Training fleet drivers may seem more difficult than it is at first. Most people know how to drive, of course, but are they driving safely and efficiently? Training drivers not only takes into consideration what and why they’re driving, but also how they’re driving and whether they are helping your company to save costs. To better train your fleet drivers, it’s time you turned to GPS technology, which offers a range of benefits and improved data considerations.
1. Train Drivers to Use GPS Tracking Software
GPS software can monitor and track a variety of data points for your company. On top of braking and acceleration factors, just knowing that they are being monitored often incentivises drivers to drive more carefully and use fuel more efficiently. Drivers who know that they are being monitored tend to pay more attention to the road while they are driving and might not have made the same careful decisions if there were no GPS tracking within their vehicles.
A GPS tracking software installed in each vehicle will monitor and analyse the ways in which your drivers do their job, and subsequently sends your company data that informs them about any potential hazardous driving that your driver engages in. In addition, the software will also send back data which can be used to encourage and reinforce good driving habits by the drivers.
Teaching your drivers how to use this software and making them aware of the important driving components will improve their vigilance while on the road and help your company to save money with a reduction in road accidents and fuel consumption.
2. Make Informed Decisions Through Reports and Analytics
The GPS tracking software which can be installed in your fleet is great for measuring exactly how your drivers are behaving on the road with their vehicles. The sophisticated software will send you reports on a number of factors during your driver’s journey.
For example, the software will send accurate, real-time readings on how fast your driver is going on any given road, as well as whether they are hard braking or hard accelerating in and out of traffic lights. In addition, you can read and assess the routes that they are taking towards their destination and consider the efficiency of these routes.
Poor driving can cost a company a small fortune due to frequent vehicle repairs and maintenance required, but you can have peace of mind with the use of GPS tracking software. If your vehicles are often in need of repairs, you can easily pinpoint the drivers responsible and augment their driving habits, so that your vehicles can last longer and require fewer repairs during the year. Many types of GPS software can also tailor the information you see, so any information can be added or deleted as you see fit.
3. Create a Leaderboard System for Drivers
Receiving and interpreting the data from your GPS software is interesting in itself, but the fun part for your drivers comes from the competition you can create to encourage them to drive safer and more efficiently. One of the most effective and popular ways of using this software is to create a little competition between drivers to determine who can drive most safely while on the road.
Drivers can have a little fun competing with their colleagues and you can offer great rewards to incentivise them further. By setting up a leaderboard, you’ll not only get to engage your employees but also employ safer and more efficient drivers. This is a creative and effective use of the GPS software which doesn’t feel too authoritative or unreasonable.
4. Incentivise Good Behavior and Discourage Bad Behavior
The primary way many companies use this type of software is by teaching their employees. Creating leaderboards and utilising information to improve your own operations are great, but perhaps one of the best things about this tracking software is the lesson it allows you to impart to your drivers. For example, many drivers develop bad habits over along period of time and are not able to easily spot or augment them. However, this tracking software can help to pinpoint their areas for improvement.
Many drivers will be thankful for the chance to assess and change their bad driving habits, as it is a valuable skill required in their personal lives as well. You can also reprimand drivers who make the same mistakes repeatedly. With GPS tracking, drivers are more aware of their actions and encouraged to develop themselves for the better.
The Bottom Line
Drivers are plentiful but great drivers need to be trained and developed. When your drivers drive safely and efficiently, the likelihood of accidents radically decrease and your fuel efficiency increases, saving you money in the process. Ultimately, GPS tracking software can help you to maintain a careful and conscious team of drivers.
