When a mobile workforce is a vital part of operations, survival can be challenging as it means making sure the fleet always runs smoothly.
While a fleet is rarely impacted by accidents and features low overall risk, it safeguards the business it serves. But to achieve this, fleet risk management is essential. It’s the only way to be certain you're bringing risk to a minimum, ensuring driver safety, and staying compliant with Health & Safety laws.
In this blog, we’ll look at a few sure-fire ways to lower fleet risk, for the sake of your drivers, your vehicles, and your business as a whole.
Learn all you need to know about Fleet Risk Management here.
Put a driver training programme in place
Training your drivers is one of the key ways to reduce your fleet risk. Good training will improve your drivers’ awareness of road risks, increase safety skills, and instil a personal sense of responsibility.
SurePlan has created an online educational tool called Driving Safer. It shows drivers how their choices and actions behind the wheel — such as the way they handle distractions and bad weather, or whether they use drugs or alcohol — affect their risk of getting into a crash.
By implementing driver training, you'll enable your drivers to actively think about their own safety, as well as that of passengers and other drivers, while on the road. Training can also reduce the wear and tear your drivers will inflict on vehicles, resulting in more vehicle uptime and lower repair and insurance costs.
Register your drivers on Driver Check
Driver Check, a service provided by the NZ Transport Agency, is a web portal through which employers can stay up-to-date on the licence status of their drivers.
Once you’ve obtained consent from your fleet drivers, you can submit driver details to the Transport Agency, and your organisation can register with Driver Check. Then, you can make licence status inquiries at any time, or get automatic updates if there are any changes.
Driver Check is important for lowering fleet risk for two reasons. One, it’s required by law. Allowing legally-disqualified drivers to operate your vehicles can open up huge liabilities and overwhelming costs for your business.
Second, a good status means the driver is properly educated and in good basic health for driving. By only letting such employees drive, you’ll lower the chance of accidents.
Have your drivers sign on to a Safe Driving Pledge
It’s one thing for drivers to know about road risks. But it’s another for them to make a personal pledge to be as safe and responsible as possible.
A Safe Driving Pledge can get drivers to see their own stake in a great fleet operation and your organisation’s public image around road safety. With this kind of accountability, you can bring your staff together under the common goal of excellent, safe driving.
SurePlan provides web-based Driving Pledges that are easily customisable around specific fleet areas of risk that matter to your business, whether it’s taking rest stops when fatigued, ensuring vehicles are maintained on schedule, or avoiding mobile phone usage while driving.
Outsource your accident management and fleet risk management
Decreasing accidents and lowering risks are hard. Your drivers might be at-risk for unseen reasons, and other areas of vulnerability across your fleets — such as in your procedures, driver routes, or your driving policy — may be even harder to grasp.
That’s why outsourcing your accident and fleet risk management to an experienced partner is always smart. A service provider can uncover hidden risks, from under-reported vehicle issues to fuel-wasting driving habits. And, they can help you drastically reduce accidents.
SurePlan’s fleet risk management services are an all-in-one solution for lowering risk in all things concerning your assets and drivers. We provide:
- Real-time, transparent reporting that provides instant visibility into vehicle condition, location and driver behaviour, so you always know your fleet’s overall health.
- Thorough driver training that upskills your staff in critical areas of road safety and personal responsibility behind the wheel.
- Incident tracking and reporting so you know exactly what causes crashes, which drivers are most at risk, and how to avoid accidents going forward.
Carefully managing your fleet risk can decide whether your business succeeds or not. By lowering your fleet risk in the above ways, and by bringing an experienced partner like SurePlan on board, you’re making sure your employees stay safe, and your company is in good standing.
Topics: Fleet Risk Management
