4 Ways to Further Improve Relationships Between Fleet Managers and Drivers

One of the simplest ways to get the most out of your drivers is to keep them happy and motivated to do their jobs. This personnel management is easier said than done, but good fleet managers can always find a way to send the right message to drivers. By improving relationships between drivers and fleet management, your company can enjoy more consistent performance from workers who are fully invested in their work. No one solution will turn around every poor performer, but a multifaceted approach to improving driver and manager interactions could have a big impact on your fleet company.

1. Project objectivity by leveraging telematics
Drivers hate to feel like their contributions aren’t being properly valued. This feeling inevitably creeps in when it seems like a few select employees are being treated better than others. It’s natural that superior performers are awarded extra perks, but drivers can still take it personally if the motivations behind the award are unclear. By basing driver rewards around telematics data, fleet managers can point toward hard numbers when explaining how bonuses are distributed. Fleet managers can take objectivity to the next level by converting telematics data into hard performance standards for every driver. Holding the entire company to an identical, transparent standard will eliminate suspicions of favoritism from the fleet. Furthermore, Fleet Financials noted that setting expectations early is a critical step in keeping up driver retention.

2. Help drivers to focus on their jobs
Employees naturally trust their supervisors if the advice from above helps them to do their job more effectively. Fleet managers can build relationships with drivers by simply making their day-to-day work a little easier with effectively applied fleet management tools. Introducing a fleet fuel card, for example, helps drivers to do less paperwork . Thanks to purchase reports delivered courtesy of the fleet fuel card, drivers can invest their focus on safer, more efficient driving. GPS data can also be used to help drivers avoid last-minute traffic jams. By becoming a consistent resource for drivers, fleet managers can improve their working relationship with employees considerably. This relationship will help the fleet to run more smoothly as well.

3. Reward good drivers for excellence
A common critique of data collected by telematics solutions is that the information is inherently negative. Detractors claim that the numbers can only be used to highlight mistakes in employee behavior. This viewpoint overlooks a long list of ways that robust data collected by telematics data can be used to drive employee performance. Tracking changes in key categories like fuel efficiency, for instance, can show employees where their performance is improving. By looking at the data for steady development and room for improvement, telematics reports can be used as a powerful tool for developing bonds between drivers and fleet managers.

4. Create space for driver input
Industry news resource Manufacturing.net pointed out that the potential for developing strong driver relationships is one of the main advantages of keeping a fleet management in-house. One way fleet managers can strengthen their relationship with drivers even more is by fielding to their input. Fleet managers can act a responsive ear to employee concerns and suggestions, fielding relevant ideas to management and communicating responses back to drivers. By making feel like an important part of the business, fleet managers build trust with drivers that ultimately leads to more reliable performance. Drivers are less likely to slack off on a company that has show an investment in their well-being and professional development.