Can Telematics improve your drivers’ driving?
By Mark Schneider

When I was young many, many years ago, a friend of mine (we’ll call him “Neil” to protect the guilty) had a job which occasionally involved picking up brand-new vehicles from the Fremantle wharf and driving them back to the car dealership where he worked as a mechanic. In scenes reminiscent of that great movie The Italian Job, “Neil” and his workmates would climb aboard and cane the living daylights out of these brand-new cars, smoking up their tyres all the way back to the dealership. “Neil” went on to bigger and better things in life, but I pity the poor bugger who bought one of those cars after its harsh introduction to Australian roads.

It’s well known of course that company cars can do miraculous things that your own vehicle just can’t manage – like going straight from reverse into first at about 6000 RPM without stopping, really fast cornering, mounting curbs at will and speeding constantly. Now if you own or manage a vehicle fleet it’s quite possible the thought of your employees treating company vehicles like that is keeping you awake at night. That sort of behaviour is costing you money in wear and tear on your vehicles and excessive fuel use, as well as damaging your brand while endangering your drivers’ lives and the lives of others. Well here’s some news to gladden your heart and make you sleep easier: you don’t have to put up with it because technology, in the form of telematics, has come to your rescue.

Your remote eyes and ears

Telematics, like Fleetdynamics‘ technology, is the perfect way to monitor and improve your drivers’ behaviour. Think of it as your eyes and ears in the passenger seat watching over your drivers’ behaviour when you can’t be there. With the Fleetdynamics’ portal right there in front of you on your desk you can instantly replace those worrying doubts about how your drivers are going about things with absolute certainty.

What exception reports will tell you if your vehicles are over-revving or speeding, if they’re somewhere they shouldn’t be, or even if they’re standing still for more than 10 minutes. You’ll also find they’re perfect for monitoring unauthorised after-hours use of company vehicles.

Reward good behaviour

If your drivers are doing none of that and always doing the right thing, well that’s great! Why not recognise and reward that good driving behaviour? It’s an excellent way to encourage a positive workplace culture where safe driving is valued. But if they’re not behaving as they should then it’s time to call them into the office, have a little chat and politely tell them to change their ways, because it’s dangerous and it’s costing you money.

Comprehensive safety

In fact when you think about it, Fleetdynamics technology should be at the heart of any company’s vehicle and safety policies. When you combine all that vital data with Key Performance Indicators for all your staff members out on the road, it’s an excellent way to reduce accidents. And should the worst occur and an accident does happen, then Fleetdynamics Advanced Vehicle Management technology can instantly tell you their precise location so you can send emergency help.

Fleetdynamics really is the key to monitoring and improving driver behaviour in any business with drivers out on the road. If you’d like to learn more about the many ways Fleetdynamics tracking technology can benefit your business contact Fleetdynamics on 1300 087 225.


Launch of our new Fleetdynamics Tracking Portal
By Lania Mason