Fleet Safety: Both A Challenge And An Opportunity

Fleet Safety: Both A Challenge And An Opportunity

Managing risk is just par for the course for any company as it manages its business. But for fleet managers, managing risk is taken to whole new level as they monitor their vehicles and the employees who drive them. Every day, fleet managers must be hyper-vigilant about reducing safety risks. The good news? Addressing the challenge of security also gives fleet managers the opportunity to reduce their fleet management costs.According to a new study on highway deaths, the number of drivers involved in fatal accidents from distracted driving rose 42 percent from 2005 to 2008, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that more than 5,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver. Driver distraction is increasing because drivers are multitasking while driving.The annual accident rate for commercial fleets is around 20 percent. Fleet operators always accepted this statistic as a natural byproduct of this industry. However, Eric Strom, maintenance & safety product manager for GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services used a manufacturing analogy saying any fleet-related accident should be viewed as a "defect."What industry would view a 20-percent or more defect rate as acceptable? Fleets do. What's even more concerning is that these "defects" - fleet accidents - are often preventable since they are almost always the result of driver negligence and inattention. There are many fleet monitoring solutions out there that combat distracted or inattentive driving by helping to modify driver behavior. These products are generally GPS-based vehicle tracking and monitoring systems that allow managers to set speed limits and map out safety zones beyond which drivers should not venture. These technologies can help decrease dangerous incidents, limit company liability and even lower insurance costs - all of which should be music to a fleet manager's ears.If 40 percent of your accidents are preventable, this represents a huge opportunity to reduce fleet costs. Industry studies show that accidents represent 14 percent of a fleet's total expenses, although it is considered higher since these studies do not take into account soft costs such as downtime, lost employee productivity, etc. Hypothetically, if fleets could eliminate all preventable accidents, the expense rate would drop to about 8 percent of current costs. It is impossible to reduce all preventable accidents, but simply cutting in half the number of preventable accidents would yield substantial cost savings. In today's fleet management world, there are few areas where such dramatic cost reductions can be achieved.So what should a fleet manager look for in a monitoring solution? Here are a few tips:1. Look for a way to locate and track your vehicles at any time via the InternetEach driver in the field represents your company and is driving one of your most expensive assets. Therefore your tracking system must be able to tell you where driver time and vehicle fuel are being spent. Are your drivers meeting customer service time frames? Are any drivers misusing your vehicles?Whenever your driver leaves or enters a pre-determined area, alerts should be sent to you by e-mail or text message. This solution can efficiently prevent unnecessary accidents and ensure the safety of your drivers.2. Make sure your solution allows you to easily view and manage the maintenance of your vehicles: Besides driving behavior, vehicle maintenance also plays an essential role in maintaining safety. Therefore look for fleet monitoring solutions that:* offer reports about the maintenance status of your vehicles

* manage alerts for upcoming services based on date and mileage parameters

* track and organize previous vehicle repairs

* store vehicle data for quick retrieval

* schedule future vehicle servicesAlthough fleet monitoring can increase safety and reduce fixed fleet costs, the more important reason to make fleet safety a top priority is because peoples' lives are in the balance. As good corporate citizens, it is our obligation as fleet managers to ensure the safety of not only our employees, but also the public with whom they interact.

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