3 Ways to Focus on Fleet Safety During National Safety Month

Since 1996, the National Safety Council (NSC) has deemed June as National Safety Month, providing free and accessible safety best practices and resources to support a range of industries. This annual observance serves as an opportunity for fleet managers and the transportation industry to amplify safety priorities and highlight ways fleets can establish safe, efficient ways to protect drivers, vehicles and others on the road.

Setting your drivers and vehicles up for success during National Safety Month starts with implementing a fleet safety strategy. From using connected fleet technologies to relying on trusted industry partners, MICHELIN Connected Fleet outlines the top three ways fleet managers can prioritize safety initiatives to keep work truck fleets moving forward.

1. IDENTIFY CURRENT SAFETY PAIN POINTS 

The first step in your fleet safety strategy is to identify any current safety pain points. You can ask yourself these questions to get to the root of some of your challenges.

• Are your drivers exhibiting risky driving behaviors like speeding, harsh braking and distracted driving?
• Are you experiencing a higher frequency of emergency roadside service incidents?
• Are your vehicles regularly maintained and proactively inspected?
• Are you noticing premature wear and tear on your vehicles’ essential components like brakes and tires?
• Are you having difficulty keeping up with and adhering to local, state and federal regulations related to vehicle safety, emissions and driver hours?
• Do you have trouble maintaining visibility and monitoring vehicle locations in real time?

If these questions resonate with you and your fleet, there are some actionable steps you can take. First is addressing driver behavior. If your drivers exhibit behaviors like sharp cornering, speeding and harsh braking, they are putting themselves and other people on the road at risk. These patterns can directly impact the safety of your drivers and vehicles – not to mention affecting productivity. Beyond the inherent danger they present, these patterns are wasteful for fuel and increase operational costs and vehicle wear and tear, potentially causing unplanned maintenance events and downtime.

You’ll also want to consider a proactive maintenance schedule for your vehicles, as well as leveraging a connected fleet solution for real-time asset and driver visibility. All of these things, including monitoring and correcting driver behavior, can be supported with connected fleet technology.

2. USE TECHNOLOGY TO ADDRESS DISTRACTED & UNSAFE DRIVING

The next way to enhance your light commercial fleet safety strategy is by sourcing and implementing the right tools and technology into your business. MICHELIN Connected Fleet provides fleet managers with a holistic platform of integrated solutions that boosts driver and vehicle safety. For example, fleet managers can gain instant visibility into their drivers’ behaviors with fleet tracking technology. This technology provides real-time alerts and monitoring tools so you can identify potential safety hazards and unsafe driving behaviors. Fleet managers can also tap into automatic incident notifications that send instant alerts if an incident occurs.

Leveraging connected fleet technologies, fleet managers can also reduce the risk of potential collisions caused by distracted driving. Distracted driving is a primary cause of on-the-road incidents, as 57% of collisions are directly related to mobile phone distraction. MICHELIN Connected Fleet works closely with LifeSaver Mobile to provide fleets with a software-only approach that automatically detects driving and blocks unauthorized use of mobile devices. This allows fleet managers to enforce their hands-free policies by blocking or reporting non-compliant phone calls while also delivering real-time voice alerts to their employees when they have exceeded speed thresholds.

“In addition to keeping drivers safe, LifeSaver Mobile’s software solution will help reduce operational downtime, minimize your company's legal liability and improve your overall insurability,” remarks Ted Chen, Co-Founder & CEO, of LifeSaver Mobile.

3. PARTNER WITH A TRUSTED FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

Knowing where to start in your fleet safety journey can feel overwhelming, especially with so many technology solutions at your disposal. As you set your fleet up for safety success in June and beyond, make sure you’re working with a trusted industry partner like MICHELIN Connected Fleet. In today’s transportation landscape, most fleets already have a telematics solution, but there are very few partners who can provide the technology and fleet data analysis to help you set and achieve your unique safety goals. Here’s what to look for in a fleet management solution partner if you’re considering a change.

Safety FOR THE ROAD AHEAD

While National Safety Month is a prime opportunity to enhance fleet safety, the focus should not stop after the month of June. Operating with safety at the forefront of your business not only supports productivity and efficiency but ensures your drivers have the resources to make smart decisions on the road. Working with industry partners like MICHELIN Connected Fleet and LifeSaver Mobile can provide you with a suite of best-in-class safety solutions and help cultivate a longstanding safe driving culture.

Ready to kickstart your work truck fleet safety strategy? Call MICHELIN Connected Fleet today at 800-358-6187 or contact us online to get started.