Quality driver training courses can improve employee performance as well as keeping them in one piece. Rosemary Ann Ogilvie looks at tailoring skill sets for today's fleet drivers.
The stage-one course run by Driving Solutions' Eastern Creek Driver Training starts with what owner James Stewart describes as a very revealing test. Participants are required to drive down the road at 60km/h and stop when the light comes on – and they have no idea when the switch will be flicked.
The objective is to demonstrate how long it takes to come to a halt, and typically the distance is 25 to 35 metres. "This blows their minds," says Stewart. "They don't realise it takes so long to stop when travelling at 60, which is scary given that some people only leave five metres from the bumper in front! It drives home how little they actually know about stopping their car."
An exercise like this has far greater impact than a course that teaches the skills to handle skids in emergencies, which is what most people associate with advanced driving courses.
"That type of course is not proven to be of any value," agrees Geoff Thomas, managing director of driver-management company, Murcotts Driving Excellence. "It's much better to have drivers thinking about prevention, about how to avoid the risks. At Murcotts, we talk about scanning ahead, and staying back from the car in front, maintaining at least a two-second following gap. Very simple things, but actions that require some skills set.
However, Thomas stresses that sending someone to a driver-training course has limited value unless there's a performance-management process in place to identify whether the person applies the knowledge they acquire.
"If, for example, a driver continues to have nose-to-tail crashes, it's fair to say they haven't put what they learned into practice. But rather than send them on another training course, you simply ask the question ‘Why haven't you done what you learned on the course?' If that becomes a standard conversation in the workplace, then employees are left in no doubt that the employer places a high value on driving safely."
Still, that's not to say one course is enough to last a lifetime. "No one has ever become a tennis pro after a single lesson," says Stewart, who believes fleet drivers need to undertake a refresher course every 18 to 24 months.
"Often, after 12 or 14 months, people start to get out of the habit of leaving that safety gap to the vehicle in front, and get back into the habit of rushing. The refresher reminds them."
A Solid Foundation
The concepts of both prevention and risk management form a solid foundation for all fleet-driver training, whether in-house or outsourced. "The employer has an obligation to ensure the risks associated with a vehicle are minimised," Thomas stresses. He adds that legal experts who speak at National Safety Council seminars continually reiterate that the vehicle is a workplace, and therefore subject to occupational health and safety (OHS) laws in addition to each state's normal road traffic laws.
"There's a general acceptance that everybody is responsible for their own driving," Thomas continues. "This is not the case. When you drive privately, you are totally responsible for your own behaviour and compliance with the law. While this still applies when you drive for work, the strict liability is diluted, for under OHS law you cannot hold a person strictly liable when they don't have full control over their environment."
So clearly fleet managers need to ensure drivers are equipped with the skills to maximise control over their environment: i.e., their vehicle. Which means attending a post-licence driving course that focusing on conservative safety issues, in addition to comprehensive in-house training in safety procedures and vehicle operation.
Personnel Recruitment
So during the recruitment interview, you need to advise candidates that a condition of their employment is attending such a course, at the company's expense.
At the same time, ask for evidence of a current driving licence, plus a driving record to identify whether there are offences or convictions. This information is available from each state road traffic authority. "Showing a licence isn't enough because if it was suspended yesterday, they'll still have the piece of plastic," says Thomas.
James Stewart stresses the importance of sighting fleet drivers' licences at least every 12 months. "We ask to see course participants' licences when they sign in, and are always astounded by the number that have expired, generally because the person has changed address and so has not received the renewal notification." And if a driver is unlicensed, insurance is null and void.
Don't be concerned about breaching privacy laws in requesting this information. Provided you've been upfront with the candidate, says Thomas, it won't be an issue.
The Position Description
Geoff Thomas recommends documenting information about the driving associated with a role in the position description: e.g. the nature of the driving, such as long-distance; country roads; unsealed roads; even travelling through areas heavily populated with livestock or wildlife such as kangaroos.
Where a specific type of vehicle such as a station wagon or four-wheel drive is used, the characteristics of the vehicle need to be described, e.g. heavy; difficult to stop; high centre of gravity; prone to roll-over; a potential serious risk.
Ideally, employers should map regular long-distance routes to provide key information such as danger spots to be aware of, as well as safe, secure places with good food and clean restrooms to stop for a proper rest break.
Companies need to be conscious that the scheduling of a workload can contribute to poor decisions by a driver. Drivers should be instructed not to drive when they are too drowsy or fatigued, to stop and rest – or even stay overnight instead of doing a return journey at night.
The Induction Process
The new recruit must be properly inducted into the company road safety policy, which ideally spells out the organisation's values and requirements for safe driving. The induction process should make it clear how driving a vehicle integrates with other policies including HR, performance, and code of conduct. It's good practice for employees to sign off on the safe driving policy, confirming that they not only understand it but will comply.
As part of the induction procedure, explain to the employee what constitutes driving in a manner that's harassing to colleague-passengers, and have them commit to not driving in this way.
"If someone is uncomfortable with how I'm driving, and asks me to slow down or drive differently, they're really asking me to stop harassing them," explains Thomas. "While it's not specifically described in the various acts that deal with harassment and bullying, when someone's behaviour makes you feel uncomfortable, this is by definition harassment. And if it continues, it becomes bullying. So the way an employee drives could well put the employer at risk of a bullying claim."
New recruits, and drivers changing over to a new vehicle, should be taken through their vehicle's features so they understand them and can use them optimally.
"Cars have developed so much, and often people don't realise how many adjustments there are just on the seats, the seatbelts, and the steering wheel," says Stewart. He adds that drivers need to be clear on which safety features are included, and which are not. "Many drivers will just assume the car has, say, ABS or stability control, thinking they're now standard in all vehicles, but this isn't the case."
Thomas has found that drivers will adapt their behaviour with safety innovations, which then tends to override the benefits. "We have clients whose crash rates actually increased after buying reversing sensors because drivers become overly reliant on them, when in fact they are just a further assistance to the driver."
So the training should not only alert employees to what the safety innovations do, it should also ensure people are of the right mindset that they don't expect them to compensate for driver error. "Because nothing will prevent a vehicle from crashing when it's travelling too quickly, or cornering too sharply for its speed," says Thomas.
It's crucial to train employees in procedures for vehicle servicing, and for reporting damage or mechanical problems. "The question is, does the driver actually know what they should be looking for?" says Stewart. "I'm not saying that every driver needs to do a course and become a mechanic, but they do need some core understanding of basic maintenance. Be sure they know how to check the tyres and fluid levels, and how often they need to do this."
You also need to be confident drivers understand the drink-driving laws.
Performance Reviews
Driving history should be a component of performance reviews, with the level depending on how important driving is to the position.
A procedure for identifying the reasons for unsatisfactory performance, such as an aspect of the job, is essential.
It's not uncommon to find a problem driver is also having problems elsewhere, says Thomas. "Their job performance might not be up to scratch, absenteeism may be an issue. Generally, there's a profile for certain types of people. We've found this to be the case when we deal with what we call the recalcitrant driver, or the driver who has multiple incidents and crashes."
Thomas says some people should not be driving at all, such as those who are not very coordinated, who have health issues, or who are psychologically not suited to the driving task.
"We encounter people who drive quite well when we go out in traffic. However, when we interview them, put them through our BAMS psychological profiling tool, we quickly realise something is not right. So the next question is whether there's a health problem such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or something going on in their life that's affecting them."
Employers must be prepared to recognise there's something wrong, and use their employee assistance program to make a referral to a doctor or psychologist. "It's important to ensure the professional receiving the referral is aware there are issues around driving, and they understand the company's policies," Thomas stresses.
Eco Driving
Finally, by ensuring all drivers are trained in eco-driving techniques, it's possible to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent, lessen the fleet's impact on the environment, and reduce the incidence of collisions.
One simple technique is to ensure tyres are properly inflated: 252 kilopascals, or 36 psi, gives optimum grip by keeping a flat footprint on the road. Another is to adopt Murcotts' twin techniques of looking ahead and staying back.
"By scanning ahead you can anticipate," says Thomas. "For example, you see a set of lights on green 500 metres away. The idea is to set things up so by the time you reach them, they'll have completed the red sequence and be back to green. So you simply coast through as opposed to racing up, jamming on the brakes, stopping, then accelerating away."
The smoother your driving, the more fuel efficient it becomes. "And here is the wonderful outcome: you'll also have a lower crash rate," says Thomas. "One European study showed there was something like a 34 per cent reduction in crashes. So the mindset that goes with eco-driving is the same mindset that goes with crash avoidance."
