Fleet owners may be immensely proud of their employees, but they also know that some of them have driving habits that are not quite up to par. While not illegal, they may result in unnecessary expenditures for the company. Here are some of the behaviors that should be identified and corrected as soon as possible.

Driving While Tired

Road fatigue is one of the top causes of semi-truck accidents. Too many hours without a break or poor sleep while going on long haul trips all add up to dangerous driving. Easy ways for a fleet owner to prevent these accidents from happening are to install alarms that go off when a break is necessary, perhaps timed at regular intervals, or partnering with motels to provide reduced vouchers for long haul truckers so they may get a proper night’s sleep instead of having to make a temporary bed in their cab.

Inefficient Routes

If a trucker does not have a logical and pre-determined route to follow, then they are potentially costing the company a good deal of money in file costs. With the price of oil always a concern, fleets should be outfitted with GPS sensors that can automatically report back to the master GPS system whenever necessary. In the event a delivery needs to be re-routed or if there is hazardous weather that must be avoided, the GPS can identify and correct fuel waste scenarios and provide more efficient options.

Accelerating Too Fast

While truckers need to get where they are going as soon as possible, there is still no reason for driving over the speed limit or accelerating in a rapid fashion. Not only are these behaviors dangerous to the operator and other drivers around them, but they are also hard on the vehicle itself. Increased stress on the engine as well as lowering fuel economy both spell a decrease to the company’s bottom line.

Road Rage

Due to a variety of certain circumstances, it is quite easy for a professional truck driver to become emotional when behind the wheel. However, it is of the utmost importance that they are able to keep negative emotions in check. Road rage is never acceptable behavior. Some companies have even gone so far as to require anger management courses for all of their drivers. While you may not feel measures to this extent are necessary for your business, it may still benefit you to at least provide training videos of coping mechanisms for drivers to follow when they feel overcome with anger.

Tire Inflation

Probably one of the worst habits a driver can have is to disregard tire inflation. Tires that are improperly inflated can have drastically negative consequences for the health of the vehicle as well as providing a dangerous environment in which to work. In addition to being a precursor to a potential accident, underinflated and even overinflated tires negatively affect fuel economy. Inspections of tire pressure, as well as the tread on the tires, should be performed before each trip is taken.