How Do You Reward Positive Driver Behavior?
The principles of Ivan Pavlov hardly apply to the world of fleet management and truck driving. But something profound can be said of the notion that good work and positive attitudes should be rewarded – tenets the famed Russian physiologist explored.
It is particularly true of fleet managers who recognize good work patterns and positive expressions of loyalty among drivers. iGlobal LLC – a technology company specializing in providing solutions for transportation, logistics and distribution industries – examines the concepts of rewarding exceptional drivers and provide some basic guidelines to create greater driver loyalty. Reward Positive Driver Behavior!
Good Drivers Should Be Recognized
Drivers’ work ethics that exemplify a sense of personal integrity and reflect habits of hard work should be duly noted within fleets in order to establish a guide for good business practices. And fleet managers have to take the lead in instituting effective programs that bring attention to excellent drivers, especially against the statistical backdrop of high turnover among drivers.
Here are 4 steps that will take your fleet to the next level:
- Go Above and Beyond: Get with your other managers and determine what type of program or reward system would resonate with your drivers. It doesn’t have to be anything big, fancy or elaborate. It could be something as simple as a letter from the boss praising the driver for excellent work. Recognizing drivers among peers is an excellent way to promote strong work ethics. One way is by issuing certificates, which are inexpensive and sometimes serve as lasting keepsakes.
- Get a Move On: Make it quick. If you learn a driver did exceptional work or went above and beyond the normal course of business, the sooner you recognize the driver the better. You may not have to do anything elaborate; simple ceremonies are sometimes the best. Delays in recognizing drivers for good work are almost always counterproductive. Months later, drivers may have forgotten what was done, and the opportunity to encourage your fleet will have been lost. If you decide on providing a bonus or recognizing a driver, don’t wait until the end of the year. Give it immediately or soon after the behavior is noticed.
- Get It Right: You have to hit the target. Inappropriate rewards or recognition programs can have the opposite effect by sending the wrong message. The reward, the incentive or the bonus should fit the occasion and should demonstrate a sense of tact and sensitivity to drivers’ concerns and needs. Providing cash rewards, while appropriate on some occasions, might create a sense of entitlement among drivers. Timed correctly and provided almost spontaneously, small rewards or recognition programs sometimes have more impact than handing out money.
- Get Personal: Add that personal touch. Drivers – like everyone else – want to know they are more than a number or a cog in the business machine. They want to know they are valued for their personal contributions – be it their sense of integrity, their hard work, their attention to detail or their ambition. And if the reward comes from a manager, that adds to the touch.
A program that reinforces positive behavior reaps tremendous – and sometimes transcendent – benefits that, done properly, translate into improved driver performance and increased fleet loyalty. In the end, programs of this type are worthy investments in growing your fleet.
EDGE Scanners Measure Drivers’ Performance Simply and Easily
But the big question for busy fleet managers is how to measure these metrics to enable the institution of a worthwhile rewards program. iGlobal’s EDGE Mobile Data Terminal fits the bill perfectly and provides managers with the tools to measure not only truck operations and the flow of paperwork, but also gives drivers the mechanism to display their ability.
Here are some of the technological assets the EDGE MDT measures that fleet managers can use to gauge driver performance:
- Do drivers scan documents consistently and promptly at delivery and pickup stops?
- Utilizing the EDGE’s truck score cards, are drivers using their trucks efficiently and responsibly in a way that helps maintain fuel efficiency? The score cards measure gas mileage and compare numbers in different time periods (monthly).
- How long are drivers idling their trucks, a vital component in mapping out effective time-management strategies?
The proper technological tools make fleet management easier, more cost efficient and improves everyone’s attitude.
iGlobal LLC builds hardware and develops software that resolves critical business dilemmas, especially those involving fleet management and communication technologies.
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