Driver Training

It is common place for businesses to regard training employees as an expense rather than an investment and it is for this reason that training is deemed by many to be optional, as opposed to essential. Driver training is no exception to this and companies that do not invest in training their drivers may be negatively affecting their profits, both in the short and long term, as well as placing their mobile employees at a greater risk whilst at work.

Why Invest in Training Drivers?

By UK law many large and specialist vehicles require specific driving training and a licence to be issued before an employee can legally operate that vehicle. However, investing in driver training schemes that are focused on improving the standard and efficiency of your drivers not only greatly increases the safety of your employees but aids your business in reducing costs and increasing profits.

Health & Safety

Road related health and safety is a hot topic at the moment and with driving a company vehicle being responsible for 50% of all work related injuries or fatalities, this is no surprise. Changes made to the Health & Safety, Duty of Care and Corporate Manslaughter Acts over recent years denote that employers and individuals within a business can be held personally responsible for failures in health and safety policy and implementation, and they could possibly face large fines or even prison sentences if found guilty.

Companies that provide driver training courses are not only specialists in coaching employees to drive more responsibly, with greater awareness and anticipation reducing the number of accidents, but also in assessing and consulting on the risks facing a company’s drivers which means that businesses can manage these risks more effectively.

Reduced Operating Costs

Road Traffic Accidents can be very costly to businesses as they often result in expensive vehicle repairs, insurance excesses, increased premiums and the cost of replacing any ‘tipped loads’ or damaged onboard goods or tools.

In addition, employees involved in accidents can be unable to work for long periods due to prolonged injuries sustained affecting overall productivity and company performance. Professional driver training courses have been shown to reduce incidents by 25% on average.

Reduction in Fuel Costs

To combat the rising costs of fuel, which is directly impacting the profits of many businesses, an increasing number of companies are providing their employees with vehicles that offer greater fuel efficiency and are also investing in modern technology to monitor the driving behaviour of their mobile workers. However, whilst modern vehicle technology and improved driver monitoring is reducing fuel wastage, the predominant cause of inefficient driving is the attitude and skills of the person at the wheel. On average driver training schemes reduce a company’s fuel expenditure by 15%. In addition, responsible and efficient driving reduces wear & tear on the vehicles.

Protect Your Brand

Drivers that are more fuel efficient will reduce your company’s carbon footprint which is of high importance to many businesses given the environmental issues facing us today. Through reducing the number of accidents and other road related incidents as well as overall driving behaviour, driver training also helps to protect a company’s reputation in the eyes of the general public.