Massachusetts had not issued such a travel ban since their last massive blizzard in 1978.  As it turns out, the governor made a very wise choice.  On February 9, ABC news reported that in New York, hundreds of cars were stuck on the Long Island Expressway, causing many to have to stay in their cars overnight awaiting rescue.  (Some could only be reached by police using snowmobiles!)  Reuters reported that a 30 year old man in New Hampshire died when he lost control of his vehicle.  Stratford, Connecticut mayor John Harkins informed Reuters that their area was having difficulty digging out from the storm because their plows were getting stuck in the snow.

Obviously, occurrences such as these are rare.  Therefore, it is human nature to be tempted to assume that a travel ban is an extreme measure that will turn out to be unnecessary.  However, this storm makes it clear how important it is to obey these bans, as human lives are at stake.  It is critical to make sure your fleet drivers are educated on these issues as part of their training.

• Under normal circumstances, the formula for safe stopping distance is Perception Distance + Reaction Distance + Brake Lag Distance +Effective Brake Distance = Total Stopping Distance.  With any sign of rain, freezing, rain, or snow, this distance should be greatly increased.
• Extremely dangerous situations occur when a truck loses traction, which means it will not respond to driver command to accelerate, brake, or steer.  Wet and icy weather can cause hydroplaning, the usual culprit of traction loss.  Therefore, drivers should never use their engine brake (“Jake brake”) when the road is wet.
• Black ice is the result of water on the roadway freezing in the overnight hours due to falling temperatures.  This ice is nearly invisible and the cause of countless vehicle accidents.  If the roadways are wet and the temperature is falling below 32 degrees Fahrenheit overnight, it is wise to check in with your fleet manager to see if your company would prefer you suspend your travel for the night.
• Any extreme change in weather, be it fog, wind, or blindingly bright sunshine, can impact your ability to drive safely.  In these cases, you want to both see and be seen, so it is crucial to maintain a clean windshield and make sure the surface lights and reflective strips on your truck are kept thoroughly clean.

Your drivers should understand that safety is the top priority at all times, and as a fleet manager you should foster an environment where they feel free to contact you if they are uncertain regarding the safety of the driving conditions they encounter.

1)      Measure Emissions and Set Goals-   Gather your fuel consumption data for the last few years and start calculating, with the understanding that each gallon of gasoline your fleet used created approximately 19.5 pounds of carbon dioxide.   Determining your current level of emissions will give you a baseline from which you can set an overall reduction goal.  To create a sense of accountability, plan to track your yearly emissions in the future and report results to employees, shareholders, and the public.

2)      Improve Vehicle Selection- When purchasing vehicles in the future, look for ones rated “best in class” meaning they have the highest fuel efficiency amongst comparable vehicles.  You can maximize fuel efficiency with your current fleet by making sure any vehicle used is the appropriate size for the task at hand; using a large truck for a small delivery wastes fuel.

3)      Improve Vehicle Use- To maximize fuel efficiency, a vehicle must be properly driven and maintained.  Make sure your drivers are educated regarding how seemingly innocent things like accelerating and decelerating rapidly can squander fuel.  As a fleet manager, make sure all your vehicles have their oil changed regularly, tires inflated properly, and all other necessary preventative maintenance completed in a timely fashion.  Something as small as a dirty air filter can reduce fuel efficiency by 10%.

If you are unsure if your colleagues will be receptive to these recommended changes, there is an easy way to persuade them.  Adopting each one will save money on fuel, thus reducing overall operating costs for your company.

1)      Educate your drivers. Depending on the size of the vehicle, up to 33% of the fuel consumption can be impacted by how it is driven.  Drivers should be made aware that bad habits such as rapid acceleration and slamming on brakes use more fuel than maintaining a steady pace.  They should also be trained to consider their most fuel-efficient routes and avoid heavy traffic that will slow their travel.

2)      Make sure your drivers obey speed limits. Trucks typically achieve maximize fuel efficiency at an average speed limit of 55 miles per hour.  Research shows that reducing the average speed of a vehicle from 70 miles per hour to 65 reduces fuel use by 6%, and lowering it to 60 miles per hour adds an additional reduction of 7.5%,

3)      Discourage idling. Ask your drivers to avoid sitting in their trucks in between deliveries.  One hour of idling in an air conditioned vehicle uses anywhere from a quarter to a half gallon of fuel.

4)      Keep the lines of communication open. Make sure your drivers are fully informed regarding any changes you want implemented, and let them know that you are open to their ideas as well.  You may even want to create incentives for those who come up with unique ideas for saving fuel costs.

5)      Eliminate unnecessary trips. Check your books to make sure your driver’s deliveries are scheduled in an efficient manner.  Do you have two drivers going to different locations in the same geographic area?  Are you making multiple deliveries a week to a client that could be potentially reduced to one large delivery?  Ultimately, driving less when possible is the ultimate fuel saver.

• GTX Corp has created shoes programmed with a small GPS device that can help you locate someone who is lost.  They are applauded by those with elderly relatives with Alzheimer’s or dementia that may get lost easily.  You can find out more about these shoes online at http://www.gpsshoe.com/.
• RadarGolf has invented a golf ball, conforming to all United States Golf Association standards, which contains a tiny tracking device in its core.  The tracking chip is the size of a speck of dirt and does not change the performance of the ball in any way; it just helps you find it when it’s lost.  You can read more about this product online at http://www.radargolf.com.
• You have probably heard about the common practice of implanting microchips in pets that will help to locate their owners if they get lost.  However, you can now provide your pet with an external GPS locator as well.  You can check these out at http://www.gpsdogcollartracking.com/.
• A company called Street Safe has designed an app that uses your phone’s GPS to determine your exact location.  You can use it to speak to a Street Safe operator as an added protection while walking through an area you feel is unsafe, or to trigger a silent alarm that will send police to your location in an emergency. You can learn more about this app at http://streetsafe.com/.

Increasingly, fleet managers are turning to wireless vehicle management to help their companies save money.  These systems transmit data from a vehicle’s engine computer and a global positioning system (GPS) which can be used to remotely monitor their drivers.  They are able to track vehicle speed, mileage, stops, fuel consumption, hours in service, idle time, and engine diagnostics, to name a few.

Some of the benefits of these systems over time are:

• You will have a greener fleet.  Wireless vehicle management systems can monitor vehicle emissions and warn you immediately if a system is faulty.
• You can improve driver safety.  The data collected will let you know if a driver is speeding or otherwise driving aggressively.  You can then address these issues with them.
• Your vehicles can run longer.  You can accurately track when necessary routine vehicle maintenance is needed using odometer alerts at predetermined intervals.  You can also use a wireless vehicle management system to log a complete service history, which is useful for resale.
• You can reduce fuel costs.  The system allows you to track unauthorized use of your vehicles, excessive idling, speeding, and other behaviors that add to fuel consumption.
• You can reduce vehicle breakdowns.  With engine diagnostic monitoring, problems can be detected and fixed before a major issue occurs.
• You can reduce wear and tear on your fleet.  You will be able to track unapproved use of your vehicles, as well as see if drivers are taking the most efficient routes to their destinations.

In summary, wireless vehicle management systems can greatly assist a company in properly training its drivers, minimizing vehicle downtown, and decreasing overall expenses.

1)      Your vehicles should always be in top shape.  Make sure they are receiving all necessary preventative maintenance and that their tires are always inflated to correct pressure.  Having just one under-inflated tire can cut fuel economy by 2 percent per pound of pressure below proper inflation.

2)      Encourage your drivers to use cruise control while all on the highway.  Avoiding unnecessary changes in speed improves fuel economy.  Additionally, monitor your drivers to make sure they are sticking to the speed limits.  Aggressive driving and speeding can actually decrease your fuel economy up to twenty percent!

3)      Implement fuel cards for your fleet.  This will allow you to monitor exactly how much and what type of fuel drivers are purchasing.

4)      Be sure your vehicles are clear of any unnecessary weight.  You lose one mile of fuel efficiency for every 200 pounds of cargo.

5)      Encourage your drivers to turn off their engines if they find themselves idling in traffic for an extended period of time.  Think of idling as getting zero miles per gallon.  In other words, it is a complete and total waste of fuel.

Finally, if you are not already using fleet management software, you may wish to consider purchasing it.  A good fleet management package can assist you with monitoring the behavior of your drivers.  With such software, you can typically quickly and easily pull reports showing you an individual driver’s fuel usage, speed, idle time, and fuel purchase transactions.  This can benefit your business greatly by bringing to light areas where your employees need further training.

When researching roadside assistance options, here are some things to consider:

• Do not be afraid to ask about the company’s response time, and see if online customer reviews back up the company’s statements.  This is a critical issue, because it is costing your company money every minute your vehicle is out of commission.
• Inquire if the company offers discounts based on the number of vehicles covered.
• Test the company by calling their roadside assistance number and seeing how long it takes to reach a live person.  Then, go ahead and talk to the representatives.  If they are friendly and helpful, it will tell you a lot about the quality of service the company offers.
• Be sure to compare and contrast several different companies.  While they may offer similar services, some may meet your company’s needs in a specific way that others don’t.  Something as simple as the distance in which a vehicle can be towed free of charge may make the difference for your company.

Finally, there are certain features that are key to roadside assistance for fleet vehicles.  You will want to make sure the company provides towing, a locksmith service, battery jump-starts, tire changes, fuel delivery, and vehicle extraction from ice, mud, or snow.  Ultimately, your drivers will feel more secure out on the road thanks to your hard work in selecting a quality roadside assistance program to keep them safe in an emergency.

Truck driving simulators can help a company save money long term in several ways.  First, they assist in reaching training goals faster, and therefore, at a lower cost.  If a trainee is having an issue, they can practice it repeatedly in a simulator in much less time than they would be able to in an actual rig.  Second, one hour of training inside a truck consumes about 2.5 gallons of diesel.  Assuming the cost of diesel is $4 per gallon, training costs are reduced by $10 per hour per vehicle by using the simulator instead.  Add to that the savings of reduced wear and tear on the fleet vehicles.

Simulators allow fleet owners and managers to set measurable goals for trainees, as they can essentially control the environment in which they are training.  For example, simulators allow drivers to practice conditions and events they will likely not come upon naturally during their training period in a real truck, such as specific types of hazardous weather, oil pressure drop, loss of brakes, an overheated engine, or a steering axle tire blowout.   Simulators also allow trainees to get used to shifting a truck, a struggle for rookie truck drivers, in a safe environment.

While simulators are not meant to replace real trucks or human instruction, they are an excellent tool for managing the level and quality of driver training while minimizing expense.  Ideally, your company’s training model would include hands-on training, simulation, and human instruction, as all three have their value when creating a capable and skilled fleet of drivers.

• The most important part of any moving vehicle is the driver.  Drivers should always make sure to get plenty of rest before getting behind the wheel.
• Vehicle blind spots are a major cause of accidents.  Drivers should be aware of the size of the blind spots around their vehicle and mindful of any traffic that may be in those areas.
• Drivers should be on the lookout for highway construction and stay alert.  Almost one third of fatal crashes in work zones involve large trucks, so it is important to proceed with caution when going through these areas.
• Drivers should leave plenty of room between their vehicle and the one in front of them, as large trucks require more stopping distance than other vehicles.  In all states, if a driver hits someone from behind, that driver is generally considered to be “at fault,” regardless of the circumstances.
• Drivers should always wear their seat belts, even if it is not the law in your state.  Never assume that the size of the vehicle will protect a person in a crash.  In fact, a major cause of truck and bus driver fatalities is ejection from the vehicle.
• Aggressive drivers cause two thirds of all traffic fatalities each year.  Recommend that your fleet drivers avoid them by keeping their distance and maintaining a safe speed, rather than speeding up in an attempt to move past them.

We hope you will find these tips useful to share the next time you meet with your fleet drivers.