Get your drivers to kick their bad habits – and save your business 25% on fleet costs

Good driver behaviour can reduce operating costs by more than 12%… but bad driving habits can increase them by more than 13%.

How good or bad would you say your drivers are? It’s worth finding out, because the gap between good and bad can have a massive impact on your bottom line. The difference can mean a variance of 25% on whole life vehicle costs.

Over the years we’ve seen it all and compiled statistics to show just how big the gap can be. The best drivers can reduce total operating costs by more than 12% but the worst can easily drive them up by more than 13%.

So, if you can move more drivers towards the top end, and shift others away from the bottom, you’ll see a big difference in your operating costs. And we can help you do that.

For more tips on how to reduce fuel consumption, see our infographic.

Our Senior Vice President, Product and Marketing, Will Wycks explains:

“There’s a growing awareness among fleets about the level of impact that driver behaviour can have on overall operating costs and these figures underline their concern.

“In terms of average vehicle life cycle costs, the difference between the best and worst drivers will run into thousands of pounds per vehicle, and even on a medium sized fleet, could total a six figure variance.”

The key areas where driver behaviour impacts vehicle operating costs are fuel, maintenance, accidents and vehicle condition.

Will adds:

“Generally, fleet managers recognise that less responsible drivers will have higher fuel consumption and cause more wear and tear to their vehicle resulting in higher operating costs.”

“However, there’s also a strong correlation between poor driver behaviour and increased accident rates, as well as a general level of carelessness about the vehicle that can directly impact residual values.

“It’s about bringing in tighter controls and more personal responsibility. Do that well, get drivers invested in looking after their vehicle and caring about driving better, and you’ll see reduced costs.”

It’s all about minimising risk. And that means avoiding costly fines, reducing accidents and associated legal fees and ensuring the safety of employees and other motorists.

This all starts with training. All employees who drive a business vehicle should be fully trained to operate the class of vehicle they are allocated. Do you have a driver policy in place? It should be signed by drivers – stating they agree to the organisation’s safety procedures and standards you expect from them. They must also be in good health and hold a valid driving licence.

That’s where fleet driver management software can help. With the right management tools, you can monitor whether drivers’ licences are valid, that they are driving suitable vehicles for their experience, function and training, and you can also profile risk based on their accident history and behaviour.

The bad ones will show up in the data, and you will be able to do something about it, through training, and enforcement if need be.

Do that and you will be managing your drivers, their risk, and your business better. Your costs will fall. Your productivity will rise. And your business’ reputation will remain intact.