Since the introduction of various legislation (for example The 2007 Corporate Manslaughter Act) more companies have invested in fleet driver training. However, not all companies investing in such are doing so due to legislation pressure. Below is a list of other reasons why we find companies deciding to invest in training, without being “pushed” by the law:
- Company Policy – Many companies  take a committed approach to H&S in the workplace, which includes ensuring their drivers are safe at work.
- Reduce Costs – Many companies are drawn to driver training to help drive down costs such as fuel, insurance and repairs. Companies have seen a reduction of up to 20% by investing in the right driver training.
- Improved Company Image – Creating the right company image is sometimes the key motivator for some companies.
- Motivating The Workforce – Advanced driver training is a great way to motivate the workforce. Training sessions are often a great bonding experience if it’s done in small groups!
The future of fleet driver training:
It has been suggested that within the next 5 to 7 years, fleet driver training may become compulsory for all businesses that employ people who drive a company vehicle. Whether it be for employees who drive for a living, or those who have access to a company vehicle.
Being a driver training business, we would be delighted to see such legislation. However, we feel that although there will be more compliance towards occupational road risk, we doubt all drivers will need to complete driver training.
What we expect to see, is that there will be more incentives for businesses to provide driver training, and more pressure to provide training for those who do a considerable distance each year (such as company car drivers that do over 25,000 miles a year).
We also expect to see fleet driver training refresher courses to become common place. Providing driver training will no longer be a one-off task.
Finally we expect to see companies taking a more holistic view to driver training, and want to make their drivers safer as part of their continued development, without necessarily the need of government pressure.
As a conclusion we feel fleet driver training will continue to grow in popularity over the coming years, with more and more companies deciding to invest in such – and not just for the cost saving benefits, but also for the greater good of road safety.