Learning Zone

Fleet Driver Training: Unlock the Key to Safety and Success

By Ellen Sowerby
25 January 2021

Proactive driver training strategies can result in significant benefits, including reducing accidents, injuries and helping to save lives, and lowering fleet-related costs too.

Employees are your most important assets. They represent your company, and in particular, those who drive play a key role in how your company is perceived out of the office. But these  drivers also present the greatest potential for risk…

Unsafe driving makes up the majority of road traffic accidents – which are costly in terms of vehicle and equipment repairs, insurance, fines, property damage and, most importantly, the health and well-being of motorists and pedestrians alike.

For this reason, designing, implementing and managing an effective fleet driver training program is crucial.

To help you understand the steps that need to be taken to compile an effective fleet driver training strategy, we have compiled a short guide.

 

Step 1: Identify Driver Training Needs

First things first, you need to understand the current risks associated with your drivers, vehicles and daily operations, and historical data relating to incidents. Telematics systems and collision reports should form the basis of any risk assessment, and fleet analysis tools will allow you to make the best training choices.

Accident statistics are important in this process, but be sure not to overlook other important sources of data – without them you will not be able to paint a complete picture.

Developing a full profile of driver behaviour and individual skill is a more effective and proactive approach. For example, information on speeding and harsh braking can help to determine what type of decision and performance errors are the leading causes of accidents in your fleet.

Once you have identified existing problems and established performance benchmarks, it will be much easier to zero in on specific issues and the training required to effectively address them.

Fleet or Driver Management Software is a great place to store all your driver information because if you need to generate reports to help identify training needs – the data is accessible from one central location.

Step 2: Choose an Effective Training Approach 

Now that you have a comprehensive analysis of training needs, you can turn your attention to finding the most effective methods to help drivers. There are a variety of training solutions you can employ to achieve the desired results, and each comes with a number of benefits and disadvantages:

Group Sessions and Training Workshops 

This is a cost-effective method that allows you to train a large number of people at one time. They can be used to target and resolve common issues, however, do not allow for individual driver focused learning and can be limited in scope.

Online and E-learning Solutions

Also a relatively inexpensive option, this training method is highly convenient in terms of scheduling sessions that are relevant to each employee’s specific job responsibilities.

Online training, however, can be less engaging than a face-to-face session, which in turn impacts the rate of learning.

On-road Fleet Driver Training 

This method adds significant value when specialised vehicles and equipment are being operated. In such cases, on-road driver training is incredibly effective as the trainer or instructor is able to work directly with each driver – on a one-on-one basis – to practice safe operating procedures.

The disadvantage of this type of training is that it can be time-consuming and expensive.

Driver Coaching 

An incredibly effective training method and highly valuable for post-incident review needs, driver coaching uses telematics and other data to reflect on the cause of an event, which leads to a better understanding of what went wrong, and the skills needed to improve decision making.

The downside of driver coaching – like on-road training – is its higher cost and time requirements.

Regardless of the types of training employed by your company, each one should be routinely reviewed and updated based on an assessment of their effectiveness.

 

Step 3: Put your Plan into Motion

Implementing a training program is possibly the most crucial aspect to consider.

A detailed strategy and plan for rolling out training schedules lets everyone involved know what to expect and when it will happen – and a clear set of deadlines, expectations and a system for managing training completion will eliminate many issues and unanswered questions.

Effective training completion begins with engagement by all parties, including the support of senior management. Drivers also need to know why they are required to undergo training to gain an understanding of how it can benefit your company and them personally. For this reason, a full communication strategy for drivers is essential to the success of your training program.

 

Bringing it All Together

There are clearly significant benefits to driver training. Better trained, more confident drivers help reduce vehicle; repair; legal; insurance; administrative and other costs associated with accidents.

By employing an effective fleet driver training strategy, you will not only improve the performance of your company, but also achieve the ultimate goal of reducing accidents, injuries and saving lives by improving the safety of your drivers and others on the road.

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