Being a truck driver isn’t without risks. Time and time again it’s ranked as one of Australia’s most dangerous jobs, with the risk of dying at work 13 times higher than other professions.
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These statistics drive home the importance of identifying and reducing risk for your drivers. The good news is, there are technologies like GPS fleet tracking that help to pinpoint and measure driver safety and generate useful data to educate everyone on how to minimise problematic behaviour.
Identifying invisible dangers
Achieving visibility isn’t easy for the average business, and managing safety goes beyond talking to drivers every time a speeding ticket comes in. Many of the biggest dangers go unseen by everyone, even the driver. Whether its unconscious bad habits built up over a career behind the wheel, friction in your daily operations, or limitations in the vehicle itself, risk lurks around every corner. But with the right tools in place, your business can predict and prevent a potential incident.
GPS fleet tracking lets you see how drivers fare on the road, whether they’re travelling down too narrow a road, or speeding to meet unrealistic deadlines. It can even alert you about on-road incidents, for instance, if a driver had to brake harshly to avoid colliding with a light vehicle. It gives an accurate and a clear view into what your drivers deal with every day. Data doesn’t lie. When the evidence presents itself, your business is better equipped to make decisions that make it safer for everyone.
Recreate and educate
Unless you have a fleet of new recruits, it’s not the first rodeo for your drivers. But when it comes to the risks of the road, drivers rarely want to be told they’re the problem. Everyone believes they’re a good driver, but with technology you can make the conversation around performance easier. Data can help to demonstrate any trends that could be putting drivers at risk, while real time alerts for speeding and harsh cornering let a driver know right away that their behaviour needs correcting. From there you can replay these events and work with drivers to address any ongoing issues. This also provides a platform to discuss ways the business can help them, such as scheduling fewer jobs during peak traffic times. You can take a more proactive approach to improve the wellbeing of your fleet and determine whether drivers are becoming safer over time.
Nobody willingly turns a blind eye to safety. But with technology you’re better able to achieve the level of visibility needed to create a culture of safety in the business. With tracking and real-time data, you can reduce risk, improve operations, show your drivers you care about their wellbeing and make the industry safer for everyone.