Since fleets from different industries have unique needs and challenges, management programs can’t be one size fits all. But one thing that is standard across all fleets is the need to make safety a priority.
A safer fleet means many benefits, not the least of which is ensuring your drivers go home to their families at the end of each shift. Fleet safety programs can also help reduce maintenance costs, minimize losses due to accidents, improve inspections and CSA scores, make compliance more manageable, and even help you with customer service and retention.
Fortunately, today’s technology makes it easier than ever for fleets to create a culture of safety.
Not All Fleet Safety Technology Is the Same
Because most drivers and fleet managers don’t like change, they often don’t want to add new technologies to their fleet. They’re concerned that it will complicate things with frustrating interfaces and lengthy installation processes. Drivers may feel that GPS tracking and in-cab cameras are infringing on their privacy. Many question the need for new fleet safety services when the old way seems to be just fine.
In some cases, these fears are borne out. Some operating systems can’t integrate properly with the rest of your business. Others take hours in the garage to install. Still others are so complex as to be impossible to operate without lengthy training classes. But not all fleet technology has to be this way. The best smart fleet GPS technology is easy to install, simple to operate, and provides many benefits for both drivers and fleet management.
How Azuga Smart Fleet Safety Technology is Different
Simple Installation
Azuga’s GPS driver safety devices offer superb ease of install. We use your commercial fleet vehicles’ existing OBDII ports to connect to the on-board computer system. Installing Azuga Fleet in your vehicles is a simple matter of plugging in the device. There’s no complicated wiring to worry about, and your mechanic doesn’t even need to be involved. The whole process should take less than five minutes per vehicle.
Driver Buy-In
Next, our Safe Driver Rewards program is an excellent way to change how your drivers view tracking and monitoring software. They may see trackers and dashcams as “big brother” technology that looks over their shoulders to find out what they’re doing wrong. But rather than looking for misdeeds and “gotcha” moments, our program is designed to gamify safety and reward safe drivers.
With our safety rewards addon, your drivers will enjoy a friendly competition to see who can be the safest driver on the road. Monitoring devices become allies in improving safety scores to win rewards. Drivers can track their scores and access coaching programs to improve their habits and eventually earn gift cards for their efforts. We’ve found this to be an effective way to increase driver buy-in and job satisfaction as well.
Improved Compliance
Our suite of products can help with several compliance issues. We can keep you ahead of the curve with HoS reporting, DOT inspections, and DVIR requirements. Our interface is simple and straightforward, making it easy for your drivers to access needed applications and take care of business.
Not only can our vehicle diagnostics help you stay ahead of compliance issues, but we can also improve driver training and overall safety. Our system captures data every time a vehicle is in use. You’ll get all sorts of useful and actionable information from our telematics reporting, so you’ll know what’s going on in your fleet at all times. Data on safety, maintenance, fuel consumption, optimized routing, excessive idling, and so much more can be at your fingertips.
Putting Fleet Safety First
If you want to create an effective culture of safety within your fleet, there are several ways to ensure your drivers are putting safety first.
The first step in the process is good driver training. In the past, this often meant sitting new hires in front of a safety training video that they’ll forget before they ever hit the road. Today, we have better ways of training commercial fleet drivers. Our GPS trackers allow you to monitor driver behaviors on the road. You’ll be able to see when risky behaviors occur and how often. We monitor for speeding, hard braking, sharp acceleration, and several other bad habits.
Azuga Coach can then help with personalized training for each driver, based on their unique habits and tendencies. There are also real-time in-cab driver alerts to remind drivers when they’ve strayed away from best practices. This type of on-the-go drivers’ alert training is more effective than the old way of doing things because drivers can correct problems as they pop up.
Next, our DriveSafe addon allows you to block distractions from cell phones while on the road. You’ll be able to keep your drivers from texting, calling, and using various apps while on the highway, but they’ll still be able to get hold of the home office when needed.
Better routing can also help to promote fleet safety. Our program allows you to steer drivers away from areas that might cause problems and get them to their destination in the most efficient way possible. They’ll avoid traffic congestion, road construction, and other hazards. And Azuga can even notify drivers of bad weather before they see it.
In the case of an emergency, your drivers will have access to a panic button that alerts you immediately that there’s a problem. You can send emergency relief to their exact location or just direct another truck in the fleet to help them out. And if your driver should be rendered unconscious through an accident or medical emergency, you’ll know exactly where they are to get help to them quickly.
We all know that a good maintenance program is an essential piece of the puzzle in fleet safety. Azuga can help with alerts for inspections, better maintenance scheduling, and early problem detection with vehicle diagnostic monitoring. This type of predictive maintenance means you’ll be alerted to diagnostic trouble codes, allowing you to correct problems before they grow into something large and expensive.
No matter where you currently stand with your fleet’s safety program, you probably know there are improvements to be made. Why not streamline safety and fleet management with a comprehensive GPS telematics system that will help your drivers stay safe on the road? Contact Azuga for a free demo today.
