Driver identification plays a pivotal role in fleet tracking and security as it prevents the unauthorised access and operation of company vehicles. Being able to identify drivers also helps build a record of employees’ driver behaviour. This driving data can help improve on-road driving by informing fleet managers when to implement driver training programmes. Driver identification also helps boost accountability and trust among employees, especially in shared-vehicle environments.
This article will discuss the role of driver identification in fleet vehicle tracking and its importance in fleet management. It will also look at how using a driver identification system in your fleet can increase safety and prevent unauthorised use.
Advantages of Driver Identification
Using a driver identification system in fleet vehicles holds a range of benefits, including:
Enhanced Fleet Security
Being able to accurately identify drivers significantly improves fleet security. It ensures that a fleet manager knows which employee is driving a vehicle at a specific time. This identification ensures that only authorised employees can access and operate a company’s vehicles.
Crystal Ball’s Driver ID solution provides additional vehicle security through an add-on secondary remote immobilisation feature. In addition to being able to prevent a stolen vehicle from starting next time the ignition is turned on, driver ID immobilisation means that a fleet vehicle can only be started if the coded dallas key and card reader are paired. The FleetTracker Immobilisation tool also allows remote vehicle immobilisation via a smartphone or PC. Additionally, the application sends an automated email alert if the vehicle is accessed and operated without permission.
Driver Behaviour Tracking
Driver identification allows for the real-time monitoring of driving behaviour.
Using global positioning system (GPS) technology, fleet tracking systems can collect driver behaviour metrics to calculate driver scores. These metrics include driving events such as acceleration, harsh braking, and cornering habits. Driver scores provide valuable insights into the driving styles of particular employees and help identify areas for driving improvement. This means that fleet managers can implement driver training programmes to promote safer driving habits.
Knowing the individual driving scores of each fleet employee helps businesses identify a company’s best-performing and high-risk drivers. It also helps fleets manage fuel usage, reduce insurance premiums, and improve road safety.
Improved Accountability
Using driver identification in fleet vehicles improves accountability among employees. In a shared-vehicle environment, driver identification can be a valuable tool to encourage workers to be more accountable for their driving behaviour and actions.
Because a fleet manager can attribute specific trip details and incidents to particular drivers, employees are more aware of their on-road behaviour. This creates an environment where drivers are encouraged to drive safer and take ownership of their driving performance. This can help foster a culture of accountability and improve fleet productivity and safety.
Identifying Business vs Private Mileage
Driver identification tools enable businesses to easily identify work-related and private journeys. Because these vehicle trackers keep detailed records of every trip, employees are more aware that they are being monitored. This can help prevent unauthorised use of a company vehicle.
If employees are required to compensate the company for personal trips, they would be more reluctant to use company vehicles for private journeys. Therefore, these vehicle tracker systems can create a culture of honesty and accountability among drivers.
If drivers undertake fewer personal journeys using company vehicles, it can translate into significant fuel and cost savings for the business.
Maintaining Safety Standards
Preventing Unauthorised Vehicle Usage
Driver identification can also significantly boost your fleet’s safety standards. Because it prevents unauthorised personnel and individuals from accessing and operating company vehicles, only those with the necessary authorisation can operate the vehicle.
This ensures that only employees who have the necessary training and experience can drive a business’s vehicles. This prevents collisions and other accidents, helping reduce monthly insurance premiums.
It also reduces the risk of vehicle theft by preventing unauthorised vehicle access and usage. When a fleet manager is notified of an unauthorised use of a vehicle, a stolen vehicle can be easily traced and recovered using built-in GPS tracking.
Crystal Ball’s Driver ID
Crystal Ball Driver ID feature helps identify and collate each fleet driver with the individual trips they undertake. Designed for drivers who use different company vehicles to perform their daily tasks, it also records an employee’s business-related or private journeys.
Using unique dallas keys assigned to each driver, Driver ID allows Crystal Ball’s state-of-the-art FleetTracker vehicle tracking system to record each driver’s journey.
With our ID immobilisation feature, employees need to pair their unique dallas key with the in-vehicle Driver ID card reader when entering the vehicle and starting their trips. Without these devices being paired, the vehicle will not start.
The benefits of using Driver ID include:
- Helps improve driver behaviour: Because each driver’s trip is recorded and monitored, it encourages more responsible and safer driving.
- Eases and reduces administrative workload: Electronic journey records can be scheduled, reducing the need to manually track and monitor vehicle trips.
- Monitors driver performance: Driver ID records trip-specific driving events and vehicle locations for each journey, making it easier to identify high-risk employees.
- Improves fleet productivity: This system provides a detailed record of journey data (time and length of each trip), improving vehicle tracking and fleet management.
- Boosts fleet safety and security: Using a unique dallas key paired with an in-vehicle Driver ID card reader, Crystal Ball’s Driver ID system prevents unauthorised access and use of company vehicles. Fleet managers can also remotely immobilise vehicles driven without authorisation.
Conclusion
In summary, the benefits of implementing driver identification across any business’ fleet are multifaceted. Driver identification provides an essential first line of defence in vehicle security by preventing unauthorised vehicle access and use. It is also used to improve fleet safety by preventing inexperienced and unqualified staff from operating fleet vehicles. This can help prevent accidents, liability claims, and increases in insurance premiums.
It is also a valuable GPS tracking tool to monitor driver behaviour. This data can be used to identify areas for driving improvement. And, by implementing driver training programmes, fleet managers can improve employees’ driving styles and habits.
These vehicle tracking systems play a vital role in identifying work-related and personal journeys. Therefore, businesses can properly allocate resources and improve planning to reduce fuel costs and increase fleet performance.
Contact Crystal Ball to learn how our Driver ID vehicle tracking tool can help you better monitor driver behaviour and track fleet vehicle journeys. Request a demo and see how Driver ID’s unique dallas key and card-reader system can prevent unauthorised vehicle use and theft. These state-of-the-art tracking systems can help save your business thousands of pounds in replacement costs and insurance premiums increases, so get yours today!