Five Major Components of a Fleet Driver Safety Program

Despite the prevalence of a safety-first policy in fleet management, many businesses need help implementing an effective driver safety program. Common challenges can include insufficient resources to scale training programs to accommodate growing fleets and a lack of knowledge among decision-makers about the critical measures required to identify and mitigate safety risks specific to their operations.

Major Components of an Effective Fleet Driver Safety Program

So, what are the essential parts of a successful driver safety program? To answer this question, we will review the core features of an effective program and highlight the advanced technologies that enable consistent enforcement of safety standards while providing continuous, real-time feedback and training to drivers to perform at their best.

We've listed the major components you need for a successful driver safety program below for further consideration:

1. Established Policies and Procedures

If your company is currently experiencing higher accident rates, you'll need to identify the weak points in your fleet management operations and address them first. Closely evaluate your most recent safety incidents to understand the underlying factors that contributed to them.

Suppose a lack of established or updated policies and procedures is the root cause. In that case, it is critical to understand that creating and supporting a safety culture will require the participation of all parties involved, from upper management on down, and a well-defined driver safety policy with guidelines that are clearly displayed, well-distributed, and consistently enforced. Start here.

2. The Right Technology

If your most recent safety incidents resulted from risky driving behaviors, it would be critical to rethink how your company will improve its ability to monitor driving behavior in real-time and the technologies that will be used.

While many companies have invested significantly in various technologies, such as telematics and dashcam solutions, their accident rates remain higher than the industry average. In these cases, the right technology can make all the difference.

Companies currently managing multiple safety solutions and experiencing diminished returns can benefit from using a consolidated platform, such as Tourmo AI, which can integrate your existing fleet management solutions, provide visibility to all managers and stakeholders, clearly show system-generated exceptions and priorities, and eliminate the data silos and management barriers commonly associated with inefficient risk management.

3. Gamification

Gamification is more than just a form of entertainment. It is one of the most critical components of a successful safety program, and it can help encourage drivers to participate in and stay engaged in your company's safety culture. When driver churn rates in the fleet management industry remain high, it's essential to know that gamification has been linked to happier, more engaged, and motivated drivers.

Fleet enterprises should foster a culture of healthy competition among drivers and incentivize performance and safety levels. While many technologies are vehicle-focused, Tourmo is driver-focused. Tourmo's Driver Behavior solution includes gamification features that allow drivers to track their progress, participate in helpful training exercises, and receive ongoing feedback that helps them improve their driving skills in real-time.

4. Positive Reinforcement & Rewards

Effective driver safety programs utilize positive feedback and reinforcement to promote participation and foster a positive rapport with drivers. New and experienced drivers often prefer Tourmo's automated feedback system to other approaches involving one-on-one training and negative feedback.

If gaining driver buy-in and participation in your safety program is challenging, take a positive approach that encourages your drivers to excel and recognizes participation rather than perpetuating a negative feedback cycle that can harm company morale.

A well-designed program should educate drivers on safe driving practices and acknowledge and incentivize their consistent use of safe driving habits and commitment to keeping a clean driving record. A robust program should be an uneven mix of coaching (~5-10% of drivers each week) and extrinsic and intrinsic recognition and rewards.

5. Effective Management of Accidents (When They Occur)

If your existing fleet safety program lacks clear guidelines for dealing with safety incidents and accidents, it will be important to define and consistently update these guidelines in your company's driver safety program.

It's important to consider that your drivers may not be prepared or equipped to handle accidents effectively when they occur. In fact, many drivers may be distressed or distracted, which could hinder their ability to react appropriately and collect essential information that your company will need to document.

Tourmo's AI-powered mobility workflows can help mitigate the risks associated with risky driving behaviors, equip drivers to respond effectively to accidents and handle the necessary steps to document them. This capability is advantageous when accidents occur due to factors beyond the driver's control, as it can be critical in defending against false claims. 

Tourmo’s Driver Behavior Solution

Tourmo is helping enterprise organizations implement the most advanced and effective driver safety program on the market today. Our AI-powered mobility workflow solutions give managers and company stakeholders the high-level visibility needed to make data-driven decisions and manage risk (before accidents occur). Further, our patented technology enables users to trust that the system will accurately assess and take automated action to lower risk in real-time, leading to measurable improvements in fleet safety and performance.

Implementing a safety program that provides continual automated feedback and system-driven coaching helps fleet enterprises minimize risk, scale existing coaching programs during periods of growth, and ensure that all drivers are adequately trained and equipped to handle the safety risks they face when out on the road.

Tourmo provides the positive reinforcement and feedback drivers need while encouraging them to participate in gamification and improve their driving skills without needing intervention. When the system detects a pattern of unsafe driving behavior, it will request a supervisor for further assistance.

A few example benefits of using the Tourmo Driving Behavior product include:

• Up to 25% fewer accidents
• Up to 10% reduction in insurance premiums
• Up to 10% reduction in fuel and/or maintenance costs
• Up to 50% increase in driver engagement and satisfaction
• Increase in driver retention

Tourmo AI — Supporting The Best Driver Safety Programs

The gap between recognizing the importance of prioritizing safety and successfully establishing an effective driver safety program can be bridged using innovative technology. Even though there are numerous solutions on the market, only a few effectively address the challenges posed by managing multiple disparate technologies and the data overload caused by leading telematics and dashcam solutions.

If you want to lower your insurance premiums, improve the efficiency of your coaching process, or find a more effective way to manage risk in your fleet, Tourmo can help. Our Driving Behavior solution can assist you in getting the results you need while improving the value of your existing fleet management solutions.