Keeping your staff safe out on the roads should be a high priority for all fleet managers. However, few stop to realise how driver training could benefit them in the long run. So, how exactly can targeted training help reduce business expenditure?
Driver training can:
- Reduce the time vehicles are off the road
- Cut fleet expenditure due to unnecessary repairs
- Increase the productivity and attendance of staff
- Keep your employees and other road users safe
Save your company money
Firstly, driver training will save you money when it comes to renewing the fleet insurance. You’ll see premiums drop, usually by enough to cover the cost of the training. Drivers that attend training will pose a lesser risk to themselves and other road users, especially if they’ve taken intensive or defensive driving courses.
Speak to your current insurer or a broker to see how premiums will be impacted by putting your drivers through training. Speak to one of the specialist companies that provide bespoke driver training to see which insurance companies reward your outlay and commitment to keeping your employees safe.
Reduce unplanned vehicle downtime
Accidents happen while out on the roads, that’s a given; but avoidable ones can save your company thousands. For example, if you have just ten cars on your fleet and one is involved in a collision that’s 10% of your fleet unavailable, potentially for weeks.
The same can be said when vehicles are off the road for repairs due to bad driving habits; any unplanned downtime can severely impact business costs resulting in missed appointments, days off, or even the need to bring in hire vehicles to keep your staff on the move.
Driver training can help prepare your employees to spot things they’d typically miss while out on the roads, potentially giving them far more warning of an impending collision. It can also teach them what to do in certain situations, like a spin on ice for example.
Your staff will also learn the best driving methods for fuel consumption and how to be mechanically sympathetic to their car, thus lowering the cost of motoring for the company as a whole and helping them stay safe.
Your staff will also learn the best driving methods for fuel consumption and how to be mechanically sympathetic to their car, thus lowering the cost of motoring for the company as a whole and helping them stay safe.
Decrease employee downtime
Winter weather has become more extreme over the last few years, with the return of regular snow for most parts of the country. Employees with long commutes often don’t want to venture out in fear of having an accident or getting stuck in bad weather. That’s why any driver training you undertake must take into account such conditions, access to skid pans and low friction surfaces aren’t always available, but simulation-based teaching will still improve the abilities of your employees.
This way of teaching also means you can experience various weather conditions in a single day, from snow to heavy rain and even the experience of black ice and fog; things that can never be premeditated in the real world.
It will give your staff added confidence when bad weather rolls in, meaning more office time and fewer days lost to working from home. Additionally, knowing how to counter and stop a slide will mean fewer repair bills and less unplanned maintenance due to minor accidents.
Reduced vehicle maintenance and repair bills
Everyone picks up bad habits over time while driving unless you have a professional to appraise your normal behaviour you’ll never know you’re doing anything wrong.
Harsh acceleration can damage the clutch and gearbox, and violent braking will wear pads and discs far before they should usually need changing, the same goes for tyres.
Every car requires a yearly service, and repairs can be made at the same time meaning a vehicle would be off the road for one day per year, not many. Unnecessary repairs, due to bad driving behaviour will cause further downtime and costs to the company.
Further reading
For more information on how to reduce costs, improve driver safety within your fleet and to find out how utilising connected technology can benefit fleets of all sizes, take a look at the articles below:
