The Human Side of Fleet Technology: Putting Drivers First

Trucks are getting smarter, and expectations for technology in commercial trucking are rising. For most commercial fleets, the first major move towards carrier technology was the FMCSA ELD mandate of 2018, which required fleets to shift from paper driving records to integrated, electronic logging systems. 

Today, fleets and developers are working together to imagine the future of commercial trucking technology and how to get there. From improved equipment, sensors, and situational awareness, to “robotic trucks” capable of autonomous driving at low speeds on long-haul routes, many are envisioning a world where AI and automation improve efficiency and accuracy.

However, the bottom line on which all agree is that skilled drivers will always be a necessary part of the equation. Human oversight will be needed to respond to unexpected incidents and manage a route's more intricate parts. Well-trained and skilled drivers are vital now and will continue indefinitely for years to come.

How Does Technology Impact Commercial Truck Drivers?

When the ELD mandate was created, the main purpose was to more accurately record driving records and comply with Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. A secondary benefit, however, was to protect drivers. While HOS guidelines were firmly in place, some drivers may have felt pressured to bend the rules to complete routes or hit unrealistic timelines. ELDs were meant to help everyone respect and abide by a healthier work-life balance.

Today, technology continues to focus on the dual purposes of improved efficiency and driver safety. For example, improved vehicle sensors and communication technologies keep trucks in better operational health, sending real-time alerts and recommending next steps for the driver based on the severity of the alert. DVIR tools make regular inspections faster and more accurate, getting the driver on the road quickly and safely. HOS trackers ensure that drivers stay compliant and protect them from fatigue with automatic alerts. More and more, technology is helping fleets both improve operational efficiencies and keep their drivers safer.

The Approach: Why It’s Important to Put Drivers First

Since investing in technologies and prioritizing features that improve a driver's day does come with some cost, it must be a conscious choice for fleets. With tight budgets and the bottom line in the mix, fleets can find a concrete ROI of investing in driver experience, including: 

Better Driver Retention: Recent studies show that losing a driver can cost a fleet an average of $8,234 per driver, and can range up to more than $20,000 for experienced or specialized drivers. Each driver in a fleet represents an investment in onboarding costs, training, salary, and benefits. Improving driver job satisfaction actually saves you substantial costs.

Happier and Healthier Drivers are Safer: Prioritizing driver mental and physical health can directly affect your safety rating, as you reduce the chances of fatigue-related accidents and implement a culture of safety that rewards safe driving practices.

Improved Company Reputation: A fleet that prioritizes its drivers will also benefit from an improved company reputation, especially among drivers. That means better recruitment and retention, which in turn elevates company operations and safety scores. More efficient operations means meeting customer expectations and timelines, laying the groundwork for repeat business and new customers alike.

Read more: The ROI of Investing in Driver Experience

Technology that Improves a Truck Driver’s Day

As technology becomes ubiquitous in commercial rigs, multiple features are designed to impact driver productivity directly. For example:

Improved Driver-Focused Navigation: GPS navigation is something most passenger drivers utilize, but specialized navigation tools designed for truckers can make routes substantially safer and more efficient. These tools take into consideration things like low overpasses, road construction, sharp turns, and steep inclines. Recommendations can also be made for the best-priced fuel along a route or safe places for rest stops. Even data like real-time weather monitoring can help a driver avoid dangerous weather events, protecting the timeline, driver, and cargo.

Reduced Busywork and Better Workflow: Most drivers agree that busywork is one of the least enjoyable parts of their jobs. Fleets that prioritize reducing busywork make a good impression on drivers, who appreciate fewer redundant tasks, fewer logins across apps, and reduced re-entry of standard information. Customizable forms that pre-populate repeat fields or utilize drop-down menus can offer small shortcuts that add significant time savings over a week or a month of routes. 

Other tools that make inspections more efficient, like photo-capable DVIRs, can also make a big difference in a driver’s day. Reduced busywork reduces driver task fatigue and helps fleets receive cleaner data compared to manual data entry. 

More Flexible and Fun Training: Driver training is increasingly important as fleets integrate more technology into operations. While the new tools have great potential to save drivers significant amounts of time and headaches, they must know how to use them to reap the benefits. The good news is that many fleets are incorporating fun and flexible training systems for both onboarding of new technologies and continuing education for drivers. 

This approach combines both traditional classroom learning with video lessons that can be completed remotely, during rest stops. Gamified learning makes it fun to “compete” as you complete your learning modules, and many fleets use these rankings to reward their drivers with fun incentives. Training no longer has to be dry and boring; it can be customized to company culture.

Easier Compliance: You can improve employee satisfaction and reduce your drivers’ mental loads by implementing tools that automatically manage compliance tasks, like HOS and sleeper berth split. Technologies that automatically alert them when they’re approaching an HOS violation can keep them in compliance and help prevent fatigue-related accidents. Not only is this good for the driver, but it also saves fleet costs by preventing hefty fines and potentially dangerous and expensive accidents.  

Improving Driver Productivity with Fleet Tools

At the end of the day, the two main goals of driver-focused technologies are to keep drivers safer and help them maintain a better work/life balance. Drivers who are healthier in body and mind, feel confident that their trucks are well-maintained, and experience routes their company has done everything possible to keep as safe as possible are more likely to stay. They become the veteran drivers who mentor new drivers, support a positive corporate culture, and drive down the fleet’s costs by reducing accidents, improving safety scores, and lowering turnover rates. Focusing on drivers’ well-being is not just the right thing to do, it’s the fiscally smart thing to do as well.

Platform Science prides itself on providing technologies that allow commercial drivers to thrive within their fleets. With a full suite of flexible and powerful enterprise software tools and an extensive network of approved third-party add-on apps in the Virtual Vehicle Marketplace, fleets can build a truly customized fleet management system that can take operations to the next level.

‍Contact us today to schedule a demo, or explore our site to learn more about our driver-focused solutions and extensive add-on app ecosystem, the Virtual Vehicle marketplace.