Mind-Set Versus Skill-Set

A recent survey by ALD suggested that 70% of fleet drivers believe they could reduce their fleet fuel consumption if they were financially incentivized to do so. Here at GreenRoad our experience of dealing with fleet drivers from a wide variety of industries back this up. When looking at changing behavior this leads us to two important conclusions:

Firstly when it comes to driver performance it is a case of mind-set versus skill-set. That is poor performance that leads to high risk/high fuel usage is not as a result of a lack of basic driving skills but more of an issue with driver attitude.

Therefore it is not extra on road training that will help bring about change but understanding why fleet drivers are choosing to driver the way they are. This could be due to work pressure, time pressure, stress or just because the fleet driver has picked up bad habits. Once you understand the root cause of your drivers’ behavior you can make a plan to tackle it.

Secondly because for the majority of people behavior behind the wheel is a matter of choice – they already possess the necessary skills to drive in a safe and economical manner. Therefore if you make safe driving a positive experience through reward and recognition it is much easier to get a permanent change in behavior much more quickly than issuing instructions and making it a negative or demotivating experience. What’s more a reward scheme doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Small impromptu rewards and recognition of a job well done is often enough to get your fleet drivers to join you on the change journey and others to participate enthusiastically.

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