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If your goal is fewer accidents and a safer fleet, you can learn a lot from modern driver’s education.
Outdated training with lectures and handouts just doesn’t work anymore. Learning to drive is now taught with technology, hands-on experience and regular coaching.
And that’s where fleets can steal some major secrets.
How drivers are taught today is basically a perfect recipe for safer fleets, lower costs and drivers that stick around longer.
Table of Contents
1. Why Training Matters More Than Ever
2. Lessons from Driver’s Education
A. Real World Training
B. Leverage Technology
C. Personalize Training
D. Coaching Not Punishment
3. Applying these Lessons to Fleets
4. Creating a Culture of Training
Why Training Matters More Than Ever
Let’s start with the facts.
NHTSA estimates that around 39,345 people died in traffic crashes last year. While that is lower than previous years, it is still a large number of unnecessary deaths. Now imagine how many of those deaths involved a fleet vehicle.
The issue is driver training is not what it used to be. A few hours of classroom lectures followed by a driving test isn’t enough. Leading driver education programs like The Next Street are taking a technology-based, hands-on approach with regular check-ins to ensure students are learning.
And it’s working. Fleets can take notes here. The same principles that are teaching the next generation how to drive are what fleet managers can use to improve their own safety.
Think about your drivers. A driver who just got into a company after training is essentially a new driver. They are just starting to build good habits on the road.
Same thing goes for your seasoned drivers. If your most experienced driver hasn’t had any safety training in years, their knowledge is out of date. Roads change, technology changes and safety practices change.
If you aren’t retraining your drivers, their skills are getting worse.
Lessons from Driver’s Education
Alright, let’s dive into some of the lessons we can learn from modern driver’s education.
Real World Training
The driver testing process should stay the same. Existing drivers should be tested just as rigorously as new drivers are. But the education leading up to that test is where most programs are going. Student drivers are put in as many real world situations as possible to practice.
Simulation, real world example lessons and coaching should be at the forefront of fleet training as well. Drivers need to know how to react to real world situations, not just know the rules of the road.
Leverage Technology
Student drivers have never had more technology at their fingertips. That tech allows instructors to track their progress and focus on areas that need improvement.
Fleet managers can learn from this.
A recent study by SambaSafety found that 72% of fleets that combined driver training and telematics saw a reduction in crashes and claims. Telematics allow fleets to identify dangerous behaviors like harsh braking, speeding and distracted driving. Which means fleets can intervene way before these habits become costly accidents.
Personalize Training
Driving is a learned skill and not everyone learns the same way. Some students are shaky when it comes to highway driving. Others have a hard time staying focused. Driver education programs focus on the driver and what they need to learn.
Fleet training is no different. Use data from telematics and driving records to help create a personalized training plan that focuses on each driver. There’s no one size fits all plan when it comes to driving.
Coaching Not Punishment
Lastly, driver education doesn’t work if you scare someone into passing a test. Learning to drive is a process and students make a lot of mistakes along the way.
Fleets should take note. Use technology to identify at-risk drivers and help them, don’t punish them. Maybe they are rushing because they feel like they are behind on deliveries. Help the driver find solutions. Better routing? Fuel stops?
Not every mile driven is a player killer. Take notes from modern driver education. They understand that drivers learn in different ways. Plus, everyone makes mistakes when they are learning. Blanketing your drivers with scare tactic safety seminars isn’t going to change behavior long-term.
Applying these Lessons to Fleets
Alright, so how can these lessons apply to a fleet? Glad you asked.
Implementing a training program or changing your current program isn’t as hard as you think.
- Drivers should have regular training sessions. Not just when they are onboarded. Training should include seasonal conditions, reminders about safety protocols and common areas that drivers have issues with.
- Invest in telematics. It allows you to see where drivers are struggling and which drivers need more coaching.
- Create training modules that focus on situations your drivers encounter daily. Loading docks, bad weather on highways and city street driving are all things drivers deal with.
- Reward drivers that follow best safety practices. Incentivize good behavior with bonuses, contests or something as simple as public recognition.
Training doesn’t have to be expensive or take up tons of time. Five minutes here and there can drastically change driver behavior. And that is the key. Sustainable behavior change doesn’t happen overnight. Fleets should be setting drivers up for success with continuous training.
Creating a Culture of Training
You know what makes great fleets great?
They don’t just train their drivers. They create a culture of safety. It comes from the management all the way down to the drivers on the road. Safety starts at the top. If management doesn’t set the expectation of regular training and continuing education, drivers won’t take it seriously.
When your whole company has the same mentality of putting safety first, everyone wins. Less accidents, better retention and happier drivers. Drivers that feel like your company cares about them and is investing in their education will stick around longer.
Fleets should embrace training the way driver education programs have. Training isn’t a one-time thing. It’s continuous.
Final Thoughts
Driver’s education is evolving to be data driven, personalized and continuous.
Take notes, fleet managers.
If you implement even a few of these tactics into your current training program you’ll see huge benefits. Less accidents, happy drivers and lower operating costs.
- Treat driver training like an ongoing curriculum.
- Use your data to give drivers personalized training.
- Create training that focuses on real-world situations your drivers face.
- Make your company a place where safety is a core value.
Fleets that value training as much as driver’s education programs do will come out on top. It’s not a secret either. Simply copy what they do and implement it on your fleet. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
