Time Management Tips for Fleet Drivers

by | Jan 2, 2023 | Fleet Safety

Almost 8 in 10 American drivers have driven aggressively. This could apply to fleet drivers who are rushing to complete their routes.

However, rushing puts you at a higher risk of an accident and will inevitably stress you out.

Take time to develop some critical fleet driving time management techniques. Doing so will help you complete your routes on time without a panicked sense of urgency. As a result, you’ll drive more safely without sacrificing your ability to perform your job.

Below, we’ll list some essential time management tips to avoid traffic, find timelier routes, and optimize driving techniques for fleet drivers.

Make a Plan

The first step toward effective time management is to devise a strategy ahead of time. This includes determining which tasks must be completed and by when. Making a daily or weekly to-do list will assist you in accomplishing this.

This way, you understand what results are expected of you. Then, you can conduct any preparation necessary to execute these results.

Devising a strategy while planning fleet routes can also offer peace of mind. Instead of frantically wondering whether you should focus on a different priority and not having an apparent reference to remember the answer, you can refer to your plan and understand whether you’re on track.

Use a GPS

A GPS is a critical tool for modern fleet drivers. It can also help you avoid traffic and find the shortest route to your destination.

What if you’re incredibly familiar with the area you’re driving in? It would be best if you still used a GPS. Sometimes, your usual route will be obstructed by construction work, damage caused by natural disasters, etc.

But by using a GPS, you’ll always receive timely updates on the availability of your usual route. Some GPS apps are also specifically programmed to find the best shortcuts, which can further help plan your route.

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Allow Extra Time

Allow yourself more time to get where you’re going whenever possible. By staying ahead of your agenda, you’ll still be on track even if you lose a little time. It’s a great technique to manage your time and consistently meet your deadlines for fleets.

After all, obstacles are inevitable. You might run into bad weather or have your vehicle spontaneously break down. Either way, you’ll be less hurried and better prepared to deal with unexpected delays if you allow extra time in your schedule.

Stay Organized

Keeping your car physically organized can help you find things faster when needed. This organization can take the form of a physical storage system, whether that’s a dedicated car storage product or a simple array of bins to hold necessities.

Although spending a few minutes searching for an item doesn’t seem like a big deal, those minutes add up. For particularly time-sensitive jobs like food delivery, staying organized can heavily impact client and customer satisfaction since they won’t have to wait impatiently for their office catering or wedding flower delivery to arrive.

Take Breaks

You need breaks for both your physical and mental health. If you’re worried about productivity, understand that breaks are essential for optimal job performance.

Otherwise, you could feel fatigued. Exhaustion can cause you to miss your route’s freeway exits and elongate your commute. Even worse, driver fatigue can cause you to lose focus while on the road and get in an accident.

To maintain your energy and focus, get plenty of sleep every night. Doing so will ensure you’re alert enough to be great at your job and maintain fleet driver safety.

Learn to Say No

Being assertive enough to decline requests that’d overextend your workload is essential to time management. You won’t be able to do your best work if you take on too much. Instead, you’ll spread yourself thin and do your job poorly.

So don’t accept requests that would place an undue burden on you. Be realistic about what a sustainable workload means to you. If possible, delegate tasks to other team members for an equitably split workload.

Take Advantage of Technology

Once again, fleet drivers have access to many time-saving tools and technologies. These technologies include GPS apps, including apps that expedite drivers’ search for parking spaces or gas stations. So whenever possible, use these resources.

Researching which tools are best for your unique fleet driving needs will take some time. But once you do, you’ll conduct your commute more efficiently and drive in a timely manner.

Use Defensive Driving

Defensive driving refers to the practice of using driving methods that minimize the risk of driving safety hazards such as collisions and extreme weather. Even if those consequences aren’t your fault, whether because of another driver’s error or environmental conditions out of your control, an accident is still an accident.

At the very least, you’ll have to wait for insurance and your vehicle to be repaired before resuming work. In the most serious cases, people could get injured or even killed.

But by utilizing defensive driving, drivers use the smartest driving techniques. These techniques will keep everyone on the road safe and maintain the smoothness of your route.

A defensive driving course is an essential training tool for any company that requires employees to drive as part of their responsibilities.

Consider this:

  • About 40% of all vehicle accidents are work-related
  • Companies that provide defensive driver training typically reduce the number of employee-involved crashes by half
  • By decreasing the risk of accidents, you can potentially save your company thousands of dollars

The best time management strategy is to stay moving on the road. A single accident can cause a ripple effect that can hinder an entire company. Time, productivity, and money are lost when a vehicle is damaged and must be repaired or replaced. The loss is even greater if an employee is injured.

They say the best offense is a great defense. Defensive driver training saves money and saves lives.

Avoid Traffic with Great Time Management

With excellent time management skills, you can avoid traffic and complete your routes on time. Using our recommended techniques and resources, you invest in the safety and longevity of your job.

At DriveSafe Online, our mission is to help fleet drivers improve the safety and efficiency of their driver performance. That’s why we offer defensive driving courses for fleet drivers.

Get your fleet drivers safety certified in as little as 60 minutes. DriveSafe Online fleet driver safety courses are designed to help decrease employee downtime, increase workforce productivity, and prevent costly accidents before they happen. Whether they drive company vehicles or their personal cars to complete business tasks, training your drivers is smart business. Select ELIMINATE RISKY BEHAVIOR to protect your drivers and your business.