Keep mobile workforces on track

Changing driver behaviour is key in any occupational road risk management strategy. Historically, driver training has been used to reduce the number of work-related road crashes. But, as technology advances, Software-as-a-service (SaaS) models are becoming a more viable way for businesses with fleets of all sizes to improve driver safety, and at the same time improve productivity, reduce operating costs and enhance customer service.

Through the SaaS model, the provider collects and analyses data from across a business and delivers insights into where it stands operationally against similar businesses and how it has performed over time. The business can then act upon these insights to reduce idle time, lower fuel costs, limit overtime pay, optimise routing, minimise vehicle wear and tear, eliminate unauthorised usage and increase workforce productivity. The main safety benefit comes from monitoring driving behaviour to encourage a more responsible way of driving. 

Guy Fletcher, European product marketing manager at FleetMatics, a global provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) for mobile workforces, says: "If you're a long-distance haulage company, the opportunity to reduce fuel costs will probably be your main motivation for buying a SaaS solution. However, some larger organisations will have a separate health and safety department that are key stakeholders in the decision to buy one of these systems." 

Eye on the driver

FleetMatics' SaaS solution uses GPS vehicle tracking and features including native apps for iPhone and Android to provide clear visibility into field activity as well as actionable insight into driver behaviour and workforce productivity metrics.

Fletcher says: "We have a feature within the product called 'Driving Style' that scores the driver out of 100 for safety behaviour – the higher the score, the better the driver. The score is calculated by factoring in the number of hard-braking events, hard cornering, harsh acceleration, speeding, the time of day that they drive – because it's more dangerous to drive at night – and where they drive, as a motorway tends to be safer than a local built-up area."

Since air-conditioning company Password Services Air Conditioning implemented FleetMatics' GPS fleet tracking across its 30 vehicles, it has seen the number of harsh driving incidents drop by 20%. The firm has the ‘Harsh Driving’ report set up, which instantly alerts them to whenever a driver is speeding, hard cornering, hard braking etc.

Health, safety and fleet coordinator John Dobbins says: "We publish the results of these driving style reports in an internal news bulletin. The drivers’ names are kept anonymous but it shows that we are taking measures to improve the safety and efficiency of our fleet. That being said, if there are drivers in serious breach or repeat offenders, they will be spoken to directly. Driving alerts are also produced in scheduled reports and sent to drivers. Thanks to this, one of our drivers fell from the second highest offender to the 15th."

The FleetMatics GPS Fleet Monitoring tool also contains the option of a panic button, which Paradigm Housing Association, based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, has fitted in all of its vehicles as part of its lone working initiative. Used in conjunction with GPS tracking, as soon as the button is pressed, the company knows the precise location of the vehicle, which speeds the process of someone contacting them or going to their aid. 

A new product, Fleetmatics REVEAL, builds on these safety features by making 'driver-centric' reporting possible.

Guy Fletcher says: "In our previous version of the product, you were able to report on what the vehicle would do. Sometimes, however, vehicles are driven by different drivers on the same day and it's very hard to remember who was assigned that vehicle at a specific time. Fleetmatics REVEAL now makes it just as easy to track and report on the driver as it is on the vehicle."

One of a fleet’s biggest opportunities to drive savings and productivity comes from coaching its workforce and changing driver behaviour. However, in order to create a safer driving culture among fleet drivers, it is necessary to improve driver skills while also engaging drivers so that they buy into a culture of safety. 

While there is evidence to suggest that SaaS models are improving driver skills, whether the workforce gets fully onboard with the system lies with the business using it. As FleetMatics says: "It is our job to provide the raw data to explain what the problem is – it is then up to each individual business to decide how best to act on that information."