Good driver behaviour halts fleet vehicle abuse

How to encourage good driver behaviour

Although most people who drive company vehicles take good care of them, there are those who will damage the vehicles and, in the process, give a bad impression of the company and affect the bottom line.

How can Fleet Managers encourage good driver behaviour to avoid the abuse of vehicles?

Common incentives

• Regular inspections can motivate drivers to keep their vehicles in good condition. Fleet Managers can require vehicles to be inspected quarterly by a local supervisor or manager so they can be monitored.

• Smoking is a major problem that affects fleet vehicles. Enforcing a no-smoking policy in your business can cause people to want to smoke more. Fleet Managers can consider having the cleaning costs of vehicles sent to drivers.

• Vehicle abuse is often carried out by employees whose services have been terminated and are about to leave the company. This can be avoided by immediately taking the vehicle from the employee the moment they are notified of their termination.

• Another incentive for drivers to take care of vehicles is when they have the lease-to-own option. When drivers know they are going to take ownership of the vehicles after a period of use, they tend to treat them better and show good driving behaviour.

We can help you

Traffic fines are another form of abuse that are a cause of frustration for Fleet Managers.

The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) traffic violation demerit points system, currently in its testing phase will make fleet operators’ lives easier because the traffic infringement is directed, in the form of demerit points, to a particular driver.

Previously, a fleet operator would receive the fine and redirect it through a cumbersome process to the offending driver. If necessary, disciplinary action would follow this.

On the other hand, while Aarto takes away the responsibility from the company, it is still a complex system to navigate. With Avis Fleet’s Traffic Fine Management System (TFMS), managing driver infringements and enforcing appropriate action is easier.

Essentially, the TFMS product takes the hassle out of collating data and managing drivers’ fines.

When drivers fail to bring their vehicles in for maintenance, it can also amount to abuse and result in higher-than-normal vehicle maintenance costs. Missing preventative maintenance can damage the condition of the car and result in loss of manufacturer warranties.

By outsourcing your fleet management to us, we can take care of the maintenance for you. We offer full maintenance leasing that simplifies vehicle management: we take care of maintenance at a fixed monthly rate, and you don’t have to worry about the long-term bind of owning a vehicle.

Find out more about our fleet solutions here, or contact us directly to improve your fleet performance with our diverse and reliable solutions.