Government Fleet

Fleet FAQ

Fleet FAQ? Fleet Safety & Risk Management

Q. I see a lot of talk about driver accountability and safety — but how can I make that work for my fleet?

A. As with any safety program, you need to avoid looking for a cookie-cutter solution, but, that being said, there are some general principles you can follow when implementing driver accountability.


Accountability begins with a clearly written and fully transparent driver-centered policy document that includes a reward-penalty structure. This structure should include clear steps of escalation up to and including firing for drivers who don’t adhere to it.


Accountability shouldn’t be one-sided with the driver expected to have all the responsibilities. You have a responsibility to your drivers to communicate regular updates and changes to the policy. You also have a responsibility to inform drivers when they’ve violated policy and offer them ways to improve — if accountability is only punitive, you could adversely affect morale, productivity, and increase driver turnover rate.


Having a rewards system in place is a way to encourage good driving behavior. Using scorecards from a telematics or other fleet management system is a good method to keep the scoring objective. Rewards can range from cash bonuses, extra time off, or even a trophy — but it should be public and the competition periods regularly restarted.


However you implement a program of driver accountability, it should have at its heart keeping drivers and everyone else on the road safe.


Expert Bio

Answered by : Brian Kinniry

Senior Director, Strategic Services

As a 14-year CEI veteran, Brian Kinniry is the driving force behind the company’s product strategy and development. His senior leadership position, deep product knowledge, and familiarity of client needs provides Brian with the strategic insights necessary to deliver technological advancements that disrupt the fleet industry and provide value to CEI’s fleet clients and their drivers.

As a 14-year CEI veteran, Brian Kinniry is the driving force behind the company’s product strategy and development. His senior leadership position, deep product knowledge, and familiarity of client needs provides Brian with the strategic insights necessary to deliver technological advancements that disrupt the fleet industry and provide value to CEI’s fleet clients and their drivers.

More

Fleet FAQ? Fleet Safety & Risk Management, Questions?

Sponsored by

a Bobit media brand

Create your free Bobit Connect account to bookmark content.

The secure and easy all-access connection to your content.
Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices!

Create Account