Fleet tracking technology extends beyond operational efficiency to influence the human aspect of the business. Through driver behaviour monitoring and providing accurate data for various aspects of the job, Crystal Ball’s vehicle tracking systems can empower drivers and give fleet managers the information they need to better support driver health and wellbeing.
Find out how driver tracking tools can encourage safe driving practices, alleviate stress, offer constructive feedback for enhancement, and nurture a positive rapport between drivers and management, thereby boosting team morale and increasing productivity.
The Importance of Driver Health and Wellbeing
According to the Mental Health Foundation, 14.7% of workers in the UK are dealing with a mental health problem at any given time, costing businesses an estimated £35 billion every year. The cost of mental health for businesses is not limited to the UK. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 12 billion working days are lost around the world every year due to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Unsurprisingly, this can put a significant dent in businesses’ productivity levels.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that 27% of the transport sector’s work-related ill-health cases in 2019 were connected to anxiety, depression, or stress. Even more sobering are figures from the Office for National Statistics, which found that the suicide rates of van drivers and truck drivers are 25% and 20% higher than the national average, respectively.
There is no denying that driving can affect drivers’ mental and physical health. Drivers regularly face demanding delivery times, a lack of security, long hours on the road, limited access to healthy food, showers, and toilets, and impatience and hostility from the general public.
Poor mental and physical health can impact driver behaviour and driving safety significantly. It can cause heightened fatigue, road rage, and concentration lapses, as well as increase the likelihood of drivers being less cautious and taking risks. Researchers have also found a link between driver stress and unsafe driving behaviours such as aggression and poor road position. In some instances, aggression can lead to rapid acceleration and excessive speed. All these behaviours can increase the risk of drivers being involved in an accident.
Crystal Ball’s fleet tracking technology with driver behaviour monitoring capabilities can help address these issues effectively. Fleet managers can use the data they provide to optimise routes, reduce journey times, ease workloads, and ensure vehicles are safe and properly maintained. Driver tracking also allows fleet managers and the tracking systems to provide driver performance feedback, alert drivers to bad driving behaviours, and encourage them to adopt good behaviours.
Empower Drivers with Driver Tracking
As mentioned briefly, driver tracking technology can go a long way to empowering the drivers in your fleet. Take a closer look at some of the ways your business can use this technology to support your drivers’ health and well-being.
Optimise Drivers’ Routes
Whether drivers are faced with long journeys, roads passing through congested areas, or journeys taking them through areas with a shortage of secure rest areas, they’re likely to experience increased stress levels that can lead to unsafe driving practices. Thanks to precise data from GPS driver tracking tools and on-demand reports featuring driver ID and analytics such as vehicle routes, movements, and historical journeys generated from the fleet tracker dashboard, fleet managers can regularly review and optimise drivers’ routes.
In addition to eliminating route uncertainty, effective route planning can shorten the amount of time drivers spend on the road, bypass typically congested areas, ensure drivers can find secure places to rest, and improve their chances of meeting deadlines. This coupled with predictive analytics ultimately means that your drivers experience less stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Along with empowering drivers, optimising routes also helps your business reduce fuel costs and boost efficiency.
Encourage Good Driving Behaviours
As mentioned above, there’s a link between driver stress and bad driving behaviours such as rapid acceleration, speeding, harsh braking, sharp turning, and tailgating. All these driver behaviours can increase the risk of drivers being involved in a collision or accident. These behaviours can also lead to increased fuel consumption and unnecessary wear and tear on the vehicles in your fleet. Crystal Ball’s 4G dash cams use AI and alerts for effective driver behaviour monitoring and encouraging drivers to adopt good driving practices.
The inward facing dash cam can detect the following behaviours:
– Distracted driving (looking to the right or left for too long)
– Eyes closing (driver falling asleep)
– Lowered head (driver sleeping)
– Mobile phone usage
– Nobody at the wheel while the vehicle is in motion
– Smoking while driving
– Yawning
Whenever the driver behaviour monitoring dash cam detects any of these behaviours, such as distracted driving, the system’s alarm in the cab alerts the driver. The dash cam also alerts the fleet manager to the infraction. By alerting drivers to improve their behaviour, these dash cams help provide live coaching or training to drivers on the job. By encouraging drivers to adopt good driving practices, these driver tracking cameras help reduce the amount of money and time that fleet managers spend on improving their drivers’ safety.
Foster Positive Rapport and Incentivise Good Driving
Use Crystal Ball’s driver behaviour monitoring solutions to foster positive rapport between drivers and fleet managers and to enable you to incentivise good driving. Replay drivers’ journeys, following colour-coded snail trails to spot speed events, gain a nuanced view of driver behaviour, and analyse driver safety and efficiency. Doing this enables you to provide drivers with positive feedback and reinforcement and to address potential issues constructively, empowering your drivers and enabling them to improve their skills and techniques.
You can incentivise good driving with the help of our driver tracking solution’s driver behaviour system. The system uses five KPIs to calculate drivers’ scores, namely acceleration, braking, cornering, idling, and speeding, and it creates league tables and reports. These scores, league tables, and reports make it easy to reward good driver behaviour as a way to stimulate friendly competition and encourage other drivers in your fleet to adopt safer driving practices.
Driver incentive programs offer several benefits beyond promoting good driving behaviours and potentially improving road safety and reducing accidents. They also play a role in boosting staff morale, retaining drivers, and reducing your business’ insurance premiums. Consider giving top-scoring drivers incentives such as cash and company merchandise. You can also consider using peer recognition practices to promote positive changes in driver behaviour.
Additional Ways to Promote Driver Health and Wellbeing
There are a number of additional ways to empower drivers and support their health and wellbeing:
Effective Maintenance for Reduced Driver Stress
Use the key tracking data on the software dashboard of Crystal Ball’s fleet tracking system with driver behaviour monitoring for the effective maintenance of your fleet. Access on-demand reports detailing engine hour and mileage tracking, as well as historical journeys, driver behaviour, and other analytics to identify potential issues that might require minor repairs.
Use this information to plan for proactive maintenance. In addition to making your drivers feel safer and less stressed, effective maintenance management can also greatly reduce the chances of vehicle downtime and expensive repairs in the future.
Promote Openness about Mental Health
Have regular team meetings and open conversations with drivers on the topic of mental health in a way that helps to destigmatise it. Let your drivers know you are available for them to approach you about potential concerns that they’re worried will negatively impact their driving abilities.
Encourage two-way communication to show that you are listening to them and to let them know that you are willing to create change to support them when and where necessary.
Technology to Empower Drivers
Whether your business is big or small or has a fleet of cars, vans, HGVs, or lorries, driver tracking technology is a powerful tool that can help you support and empower those behind the wheel.
Contact us to learn more about Crystal Ball’s dash cams and apps and how you can empower your drivers using state-of-the-art technology.