Welcome back to Part II of our two-Part series on taking a close look at the best ways to reevaluate how your fleet operates in the New Year. In our last entry, we had homed in on four areas you should evaluate when conducting a motor carrier “spring cleaning.” They are:
- Vehicle Acquisition
- Maintenance
- Health and Safety
- Compliance
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In Part I we discussed vehicle acquisition and maintenance. Today, we will touch base on the final two factors, which are health and safety and compliance. Time to dive in!
Evaluate Health and Safety
When it comes to fleet operations, the health and safety of your people should always come first. Fleet managers should always be focused on minimizing risk and decreasing accidents. And considering we live in the age of COVID, health and safety takes on an even greater importance.
Still, it does not matter how many policies you have put in place or how good those policies are if you are not following up with your truck drivers and ensuring the policies are followed to the letter. Truck drivers can still become complacent and then end up taking more risks on the road, which will inevitably lead to an increase in accidents. This is the last thing you want.
But why do truck drivers become complacent? It may be because truck drivers have become so used to doing the same thing every day that they go on autopilot. It can also happen towards the end of a year as people get burnt out or around holidays. Whatever the reason for driver complacency, it’s your responsibility as a fleet manager to ensure rules are followed and health and safety is kept to a high standard.
You can do this by updating your fleet health and safety policy on an annual basis. Even if you don’t need to make many changes every time you reevaluate it, simply reading through the policy can serve as a reminder for yourself of things you might not be doing as efficiently as you can or can highlight areas you may have missed.
Rely on Data and Training
If you are using fleet management systems or advanced telematics, you are likely sitting on a huge pile of data. Are you using that data to your advantage? You need to make sure you regularly go through the data from your fleet management software and look at what unsafe driving behaviors are worrisome or have increased.
If your truck drivers are braking more harshly than they did a few months before, or driving a lot faster, it may be time to do some uptraining with your truck drivers on how to reduce aggressive driving, which are both a product of harsh braking and speeding.
And when you set up new training programs, make sure you don’t always rely on the same old methods. This is especially important in helping to keep truck drivers who have been with the fleet for years engaged. It is easy for them to get sidetracked if you are not keeping them properly engaged.
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If you’re using the same training methods the whole time, truck drivers might already know what to expect and not pay as much attention. And be sure that you not only focus on aggressive driving but also on proper seatbelt usage, distracted driving, fatigue, individual physical health, emotional health, etc. Working for the fleet is about more than the tangible issues. Pay attention to how your drivers are feeling.
Incentives are also an important part of coaching and training. If you already have an incentive program in place that rewards drivers for engaging in safe driving behaviors, keep at it, but it is important to consider whether that program is still effective.
To keep things fresh, make sure to change up incentives based on how your drivers have responded in the past and to ensure your drivers remain interested in what they might receive. If you don’t have an incentive program yet, there is no better time than now to set one up. You will find it far less difficult to implement and manage if you are using fleet management software and a driver engagement process. This way you can share the data with your drivers so they can see what their scores are in certain areas and know where they need to improve.
Keep Track of Compliance
With rules and regulations always changing, compliance in the trucking industry is an ever-shifting target. Yet, no matter what changes come at the state or federal level, it is your responsibility as fleet manager to ensure your fleet is complying.
There is a good reason why compliance is one of the biggest fleet management responsibilities. It is often seen as a huge administrative burden because of how complex it is, but with the right planning and compliance software at your disposal it does not have to be hard. Many fleet managers have combined systems and processes to make staying in compliance much easier.
Failing to keep on top of fleet compliance can lead to a decrease in safety, increase in risk and costly consequences like fines and even accidents. When you are evaluating compliance, you need to look at everything from maintenance to licensing, registration, and parts and warranties. Each of these factors carries with them specific compliance requirements.
To ensure you stay in compliance with all of these factors, you may want to invest in technology. Telematics and fleet management systems can send you reminders and notifications when certain compliance documents need to be handed in or updated. Is it time for a truck driver to update their MVIR? Advanced systems can remind them automatically.
Fleet management systems automatically keep track of compliance requirements for your fleet, depending on the region you operate in, what types of vehicles are in your fleet, and the level, type, and experience of the truck drivers you employ.
Technology to Your Advantage
The fact is, if you are not using technology to manage complex parts of your fleet, you are selling yourself short. In addition, the information telematics electronically stores about drivers (such as driving hours) and vehicles (like license expiration dates) makes sure you can easily access what you need to keep compliance up to date. The less paper you use, the less errors you will encounter as you tighten up your compliance game.
Also, make sure you keep your compliance education updated by setting up online news alerts on potential future changes in compliance requirements. There must be a process in place to communicate compliance changes or updates across the fleet, and especially to your frontline truck drivers. That way you won’t get caught unaware if new compliance regs are announced.
Getting your truck drivers involved in the compliance game will also help take the burden off you as a fleet manager. Make sure you regularly educate them on compliance requirements through training sessions. Do they have the responsibility to do a daily inspection of their vehicle (alongside reporting)?
Make sure your truck drivers alert you of any issues that may have fallen through the cracks and put in place a compliance policy that they must sign off on. This way they know it is important and they understand the role they play in keeping the company in business and on the straight and narrow.
Education is very important when it comes to ensuring truck drivers and everyone in the company follows the same road. The truck drivers in your fleet are not the only people who need a refresher course every now and then. Why? Because you probably came into your position with a specific background. Might it be time for your own refresher? You should never be above learning more and staying fresh.
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Perhaps you can learn about something you’re less familiar with but that is still linked to fleet management? For example, learn more about accounting or how to manage the vast amount of data your fleet produces. This will both help you know where you can improve your fleet and potentially advance your career. That’s a win-win for everyone!
In the end, make sure you take an annual look at every aspect of your fleet. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and there may be no better time than now to give your fleet a makeover and do some spring cleaning!