The chronic shortage and fast turnover of skilled truck drivers is one of the biggest challenges that fleet managers face today.
In a recent whitepaper published by Volvo Group Australia and Clemenger BBDO[1], they found that 46% of survey respondents from the local trucking world are currently experiencing a driver shortage, 82% are having issues attracting quality drivers while 52% are having issues attracting the quantities of drivers needed. All the while, demand for domestic freight carriers is expected to double by the year 2030.
Australia is not alone in facing driver retention problems. In the US, according to a 2017 report by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) industry projects to be short at least 50,000 drivers by the end of 2017, according to and this number could soar unless fleets can come up with better ways to attract and retain drivers. [2]
In the same Volvo Group Study 88% of the respondents felt that a negative image of truck drivers in Australia was a barrier to recruiting new drivers and keeping those already in the industry. “Everyone thinks truck drivers are cowboys and are unsafe on the roads” was a direct quote from a truck driver who participated in the survey.
To stem the tide, proactive fleets are adopting new safety programs to motivate employees, help keep them safe on the road and assist to improve truck-driver image across Australia.
One such safety technology is the Mobileye 8 Connect™ collision avoidance system. Mobileye can help companies to monitor driver performance. The system records safety alerts triggered when a vehicle does any of the following:
- Follows the vehicle ahead too closely
- Is in danger of colliding with a vehicle ahead
- Is in danger of colliding with a pedestrian or cyclist ahead
- Makes an un-signalled deviation from its lane
- Exceeds the speed limit
By recording the number and type of alerts triggered by their fleet of vehicles, fleet managers can then analyse this data to determine who is driving safely – or at least more safely than their colleagues – and provide incentives and rewards as an employee retention tool. Equally so this information can be used to show safety improvement across the fleet to better truck driver and company image.
Additionally, Mobileye’s collision avoidance system helps retain drivers in a more mundane way: by preventing injuries from collisions. Studies show that after installing Mobileye, drivers exhibit improved driving habits and lower collision rates.
Winslow Construction Group, who operate across Australia, equipped 60 of their vehicles with Mobileye technology in 2019. “The numbers of accidents of Winslow vehicles on the roads were increasing but since the Mobileye program began there have been zero collisions with equipped vehicles. The system has also had a positive effect on driver behaviour.” [Read full case study here]
A University of Missouri study showed that three weeks after installing collision avoidance systems, the number of lane departure warnings dropped by 43% and forward collision warnings by 57%, i.e. the drivers were adopting safer driving habits. [3]
Mobileye’s cutting-edge technology can help fleet managers retain their drivers and improve the safety of their fleet at the same time.
To learn how much safer your fleet and drivers can be, contact a Mobileye for more information.
[1] Volvo Group Australia & Clemenger BBDO
[2] ATA
[3]MeM
