Better driving training with Fleet Monitoring

The health and safety reforms, currently before New Zealand's parliament, constitute the biggest change to health and safety legislation in 20 years, according Minister of Labour Simon Bridges. These reforms are set to cause big changes for companies whose business involves driving, whether transport, freight, distribution or getting from one job site to another.

The Health and Safety Reform Bill places more onus and legal requirements on managers and company directors to manage risks and keep workers safe. It will also require greater worker participation so workers are more involved in health and safety in their workplace. When the Bill was introduced in March this year, Simon Bridges commented that the new law (due to come into force on 1 April 2015) would be supported by stronger enforcement and education.

For companies where driving forms part or all of their business, this puts the focus on two key areas:

1. Monitoring and enforcement
2. Training and education

Navman Wireless covers both these areas through its fleet monitoring system and different varieties of vehicle tracking device. But it is the recently announced Driving Academy that really zeros in on the area of training and education.

Navman Wireless Driving Academy is a new web-based, predictive analysis platform that allows companies to pinpoint their most at-risk drivers and provide a specific training regime to suit each driver's behaviour.

Driving Academy is designed to help companies reduce collisions, injuries, costs and liabilities for fleets and create extra visibility in identifying the most at-risk drivers. The program's hazard perception evaluation allows fleet managers to identify risk in six core competency areas including:

1. Scanning
2. Space management
3. Knowledge of danger zones
4. Speed management
5. Awareness of other motorists
6. Attitude

Once the evaluation is complete, drivers are then automatically assigned specific, targeted training modules to address deficiencies.

The Driving Academy program provides trainee drivers with a problem-proof-solution format followed by a comprehensive assessment. The key benefits include:

• A cost effective way to efficiently allocate fleet training budgets
• Improves and modifies driver behaviour when it comes to fuel efficiency
• Ensures fleet managers are meeting their duty of care
• Provides accurate tracking and reporting to monitor drivers' risk levels and process through training modules

From 1 April next year, tools like a fleet monitoring system with vehicle tracking devices, coupled with improved driver training will be critical. Such tools will allow companies to improve their health and safety practices and processes, comply with the new laws, and ensure that their workers return home safe each day.