The driver's role in fleet management: 6 insights

Once again joined by Júlio César of Contele Rastreadores, we had a very interesting and enlightening conversation about the role of drivers in fleet management.

The points addressed covered several different topics, including the difficulties of controlling drivers and trips, the importance of educating drivers about their role in fleet management and what type of tool can help managers with this task.

As expected, there were several great insights during the conversation. Explore some of the main ones:

Drivers need to stop being underestimated

Many managers, including according to Júlio César's account of his customers, do not believe in technology because they underestimate their drivers' ability to learn to use it.

However, systems are designed to be completely intuitive and easy to use. Managers who still do not use a form of control involving drivers may be missing a great deal of useful information for their fleet.

In any case, specific training (in Portuguese) can be provided so drivers start using new technology. Beyond initial implementation, periodic refresher training helps maintain a focus on safe driving principles and prevents routine from becoming complacency.

Managers should provide the conditions drivers need to deliver results

On the other hand, there are also managers who believe a new tool will transform fleet management and implement it overnight. This can only confuse and further disrupt all internal processes.

Fleet managers also need to know that, however experienced a driver may be, upon hiring, the driver should undergo training and understand how things work. When new vehicles join the fleet, it also makes sense to conduct training specific to those vehicles, rather than assuming prior experience solves everything.

Furthermore, this driver and the others should constantly participate in educational programs to understand their true role in the fleet's and the manager's own responsibilities.

Creating a fleet policy can greatly help standardize these behaviors and help drivers understand their role. Written policies and procedures need to be distributed, maintained, reviewed and updated, and work better when managers and employees contribute.

Managers also need to understand drivers' importance to teach it to their employees

During the conversation, Jean gave the example of a company where he worked a few years ago, where drivers did not fill out the paper checklist. They simply drew a large line through the blank columns and handed it to the manager, complaining about their vehicles.

This happened because they did not see or understand that the checklist would become a work order and that their issue and the vehicle's issue would be resolved.

That is why drivers need to be shown the entire checklist cycle, for example, so they understand that, by carrying out that inspection and completing the checklist correctly, their vehicle will be repaired faster.

While helping managers by filling in data and collecting this information, drivers help themselves have a more efficient vehicle that travels without issues. Again, managers need to recognize how important drivers are and show this to drivers themselves.

This includes delivering the much-desired and sought-after cost reduction. By showing drivers that engine idling generates costs and can harm the vehicle, drivers understand they cannot leave the engine running while the vehicle is stationary, and so on.

Júlio César's words reinforce this whole point:

“Until managers change their mindset and understand that drivers need to be there thinking like them and participating in management, it will not work.”

Drivers need the freedom to respond to what they have been taught

In route planning, for example, drivers are the ones who experience the road. Managers can subscribe to the most advanced tool on the market to create new routes, but drivers still need a role in reviewing them, analyzing conditions on their last trip and indicating whether this really is the best route.

Another issue, vehicle inspection, starts with the driver, but once the checklist is finished and the work order is opened, it is no longer the driver's responsibility.

Although the driver's truck will be affected, the maintenance team and the fleet manager take responsibility next. That is, in terms of keeping up with tasks and demanding action on issues that are not being resolved.

For all these reasons together, managers need both to provide the necessary training and to listen to what drivers have to say. Safety consultation is a two-way process: it allows workers to raise concerns and influence decisions about how to manage health and safety.

We need to distinguish truly useful tools from less relevant tools

Some managers try to resolve all their issues by acquiring more and more tools. But the truth is that you can have a thousand and one tools and still have management issues because your drivers (and other employees too) also need to participate and collaborate.

It is better to have a tool that collects the main information than an extremely detailed system that may end up hindering collection and reading of the most important data.

In other words, we first need to know the fleet's needs and what really requires more precise control, and only then identify the most suitable tools.

Julio gives the example of monitoring harsh braking. Why have this control? It is much more useful to control and calculate average consumption of fuel per kilometer, for example. This is a goal that should be set monthly and worked on with each driver.

The vehicle tracking system

Drivers need to understand that a vehicle tracking system is a tool that brings safety, helps with efficient route planning, reduces time wasted in traffic and so on.

While managers keep track of various data in the system, drivers need to consider that, by behaving as well as possible in traffic and fulfilling their responsibilities, they may be rewarded and receive bonuses for it.

Contele Rastreadores specializes in the subject, and its CEO is our guest Júlio César. In the video embedded at the end of the text, you can see him talking more about the subject and Contele's system.

The full conversation remains available for anyone who wants to explore the examples discussed and better understand Júlio César's view on driver participation, management and vehicle tracking.

(video in Portuguese)