Valuing People Survey – Overcoming Your Drivers Fatigue

Driver fatigue is a major issue for fleets; a contributory factor in up to a fifth of all road traffic accidents according to research from the Department for Transport’s Think! campaign. Not only are these incidents more likely to be fatal, but it’s also a shared hazard, potentially affecting other road users too.

Unsurprisingly, respondents were very concerned about monitoring working hours. Asked to rank concerns from 1-9, half of those surveyed placed this at seven or higher. That’s weighted towards HGV operators, 71% of whom ranked it this way, while car and LCV fleets were fairly equal at just under 50% each. In all groups, driver fatigue was ranked highly, similar to working hours. Likewise, larger fleets tended to be more concerned about both factors.

Planning is a key weapon in the fleet manager’s arsenal in this respect – creating journey plans that include regular scheduled breaks for rest, as well as having a policy in place ensuring employees are medically fit to drive. It’s an aspect addressed by Shell’s latest sites, such as the Berchem service station in Belgium, which has been designed to provide efficient, queue-free refuelling and AdBlue top-ups for drivers, and discounts on refreshments. Shell also offers Fatigue Awareness information for fleets, aimed at helping factor this into drivers’ working lives.

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Shell and Fleet World Valuing People Survey

In this second part of our series of exclusive surveys, Shell and Fleet World questioned 266 fleet executives to find out how they interact and monitor their drivers. Covering car, van and HGV operators, the results reflect some surprising attitudes to the issues facing fleet managemen

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