HGV driving can be dangerous, however telematics can help

Is HGV driving dangerous?

The answer is an emphatic yes. Every time a HGV driver gets behind the wheel, he or she is at risk. According to Brake, the road safety charity “fatigue is a major cause of road crashes (range 10-20%) in the UK and could be as dangerous as drink-driving (1).

In this sense, “tired drivers have slower reaction times and suffer from reduced attention, awareness, and ability to control their vehicles. Research suggests driving tired can be as dangerous as drink-driving” (2) and “1 in 8 drivers admits falling asleep on the wheel” (3). 

Also, ROSPA published a research that shows  “that it is not easy to estimate the exact number of fatigue related collisions and that it may be a contributory factor in up to 20 per cent of road collisions, and up to one quarter of fatal and serious collisions” (4).

In detail, “these types of crashes are about 50 per cent more likely to result in death or serious injury as they tend to be high speed impacts because a driver who has fallen asleep cannot brake or swerve to avoid or reduce the impact” (5).

The growing competition in the online retail industry has also made a big impact on the day-to-day lives of HGV drivers. With the “Amazon effect”, consumers are led to believe that one-day turnaround for their online deliveries is a norm. With an increasing number of packages flooding the supply chain and the frequency of deliveries being made, drivers are performing under pressure.

While fleet managers and drivers work hard to create a culture of safety, it’s important to make timely investment in telematics technology to combat the ever-increasing demands on HGV drivers.

How can technology mitigate the dangers of being a HGV driver?

Modern telematics technology provides features and capabilities that streamline fleet operations and can help make a dangerous job safer while underscoring a safety-first approach for your fleet. 

For example, by setting and enforcing high expectations for safety behaviours from the top down, a culture of accountability is established. And, when combined with a telematics system to track and measure safety metrics, fleet managers can experience the power of a cost-effective and proven solution that helps:

Link driving behaviour to driver safety. Telematics helps improve driver safety by monitoring the location and speed of every vehicle. It provides near real-time alerts when speeding incidents occur, and automated speeding reports on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It also highlights other risky driving behaviours such as hard braking and fast acceleration. By creating awareness of these behaviours, fleet drivers can be more aware when they get behind the wheel, and you can support a greater return on investment.

Increase vehicle safety. Improved maintenance leads to healthier, more efficient vehicles and decreases the risk of breakdowns or unexpected problems. Telematics can provide up-to-the-minute data on vehicle condition to help streamline fleet upkeep and control repair costs to extend the service life of vehicles. This is done via automatic mileage calculations, daily odometer updates, and notifications when preset maintenance intervals are reached. Using this continuous monitoring, engine issues can be identified early, making vehicles safer to drive and making it easier to stay in compliance with governmental emission requirements.

Elevate route safety. Unknown terrain and unsafe roads pose a constant driver hazard. 

Telematics technology helps mitigate the dangers associated with getting lost or taking the wrong route by providing navigation that calculates HGV-legal routes, reduces left turns and gives detailed “last-mile” directions. It also allows managers to set up geofence alerts and use GPS tracking data to steer workers through, or around, dangerous areas like construction sites or pockets of extreme temperature zones, and receive notifications when workers enter and exit hazardous places.

Improve crisis and weather response. Weather emergencies and other disasters can strike without warning. Smart telematics solutions can alert the office to a driver in trouble via automated notifications and can leverage GPS to provide first responders with critical information about driver location in real time. 

In addition, the technology affords maps with satellite weather overlays to track developing systems and dangerous storms, providing drivers with advanced notice to allow time to prepare for impending conditions.

Achieving safety is a process that requires building a work paradigm that is safe for the HGV drivers, stress-free for the fleet managers and efficient for the customers.

Sources:

• (1-2-3)https://www.brake.org.uk/get-involved/take-action/mybrake/knowledge-centre/driver-fatigue

• (4-5)https://www.rospa.com/getmedia/25999a67-6e67-4a8c-b32d-13b5c1090010/Driver-Fatigue-Factsheet-2022-updated.pdf