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A new report from The AA and BT Fleet shows that fleet managers widely believe that the relationship they have with their drivers is key to the success of their fleet. However, only 31% of drivers believe they are consulted enough on key decisions.
BusinessCar was given an exclusive first look at the new Operational Fleet Insight 2016 Report, and its findings show that drivers want to be more involved in the decision-making process and want closer relationships with their managers.
The report states that more commonly a manager's engagement with their drivers is reactive rather than proactive, something which could be improved with 'vehicle working groups'.
According to the report, 41% of companies currently run these groups to make key decisions on the acquisition of fleet vehicles and technology, but only 21% involve their drivers.
However, there appears to be more of a desire to involve drivers these days, especially when it comes to tweaking new vehicles prior to their introduction to get specifications and trim choices right.
Just under half of fleet managers claim to consult their drivers when specifying new vehicles, something Stuart Thomas, head of fleet services and SME at The AA, expects to grow moving forwards.
"Telling drivers what to do is one thing, but involving them and making them feel part of the decision process helps to strengthen relationships between driver and manager," he said.
The report shows that whereas previously many drivers would simply be given a vehicle without any discussion over the specifications, in some organisations they are now invited to trial vehicles for a few weeks at a time and provide feedback.
Although incorporating drivers in decisions can help to improve driver-manager relationships and overall satisfaction with the vehicles they drive, there is often a conflict as fleet managers need to ensure that other criteria such as quality, reliability and price is met.
Thomas is quick to point out that drivers shouldn't dictate decisions, but there should be a balance, and involving the driver in key decisions in the fleet will ultimately make them more conscientious about the vehicles.
"You get a feeling that the more forward-thinking businesses are incorporating the drivers. If you want a safer fleet and want them to care about the vehicle, they need to be brought into it," he said. "If you think about it, a lot of drivers use tools and equipment to do their job. The vehicle is included in this. They often help provide feedback and advice on what tools to use, so this can be applied for the vehicle too."
According to the report, some fleet management teams have highly developed feedback and engagement strategies in place, whereas others have very few actual procedures. Thomas believes a great deal of this is down to the fleet size, as bigger organisations with larger fleets tend to introduce more initiatives as the savings for doing so are more significant.
Another key aspect that the report highlighted is how much drivers consider the impact their driving behaviour will have on their reputation within their organisation. This can cause a reluctance to want to come forward when accidents or near misses occur. Out of the drivers surveyed, 41% stated they'd had an accident or near miss in the past year.
When asked why they did not report all near misses, 38% of drivers claimed they were not required to, 20% stated that no harm was done so they didn't feel there was a need, and 13% said it was because of fear of punishment.
An improvement in communication and relationships between the driver and manager can only be a positive thing when it comes to reducing the likelihood of accidents and is another good reason for fleets to try and get closer to their drivers.
"Drivers can provide real insights to how to make the vehicles work better for them and reduce risk. When things are fed back, especially around safety, processes can be reviewed," Thomas concluded. "Ultimately, reducing accidents saves money. If you don't know it's happened, how can you act on it?
"If you don't have a trust with your drivers and staff, they are less likely to feedback near misses and fleets can miss out on potential safety improvements and reducing accident costs by spotting trends or offering training and support to drivers."
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