By Sarah Bechtold, eDriving
November 6, 2024
The holiday season brings a surge in demand for many businesses, creating both opportunities and challenges for fleet managers. As shipping and delivery volumes increase, fleets are often pushed to operate at maximum capacity to meet tight deadlines.
Yet, as demands grow, so do the risks—everything from driver fatigue to vehicle breakdowns becomes more likely. Keeping safety and efficiency at the forefront is essential for managing holiday pressure without sacrificing the well-being of drivers or the reliability of operations.
Here’s a guide to help your fleet stay safe, productive, and stress-free this holiday season.
- Prioritize Vehicle Maintenance and Pre-Winter Prep
Cold weather, combined with heavy use, can strain fleet vehicles in ways that aren’t as common during other times of the year. Conducting thorough inspections and tune-ups before peak holiday demand can reduce the likelihood of breakdowns.
- Routine Vehicle Checks: Regular maintenance is a must. Check brakes, tires, fluids, lights, and other components to prevent unexpected issues.
- Winterizing the Fleet: For areas expecting harsh winter conditions, winterize your fleet. This includes checking antifreeze levels, switching to winter-grade oils, inspecting batteries, and ensuring heating and defrost systems are in working order.
- The Power of Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs): Use DVIRs to track vehicle conditions daily, catching potential problems early and ensuring vehicles are road ready.
Staying ahead on maintenance not only minimizes downtime but also reduces risk by preventing weather-related incidents. It’s a proactive approach that supports your team’s productivity, and helps to keep other drivers on the road safe, especially under holiday time pressures.
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Optimize Routes and Schedules for Efficiency and Safety
During the holiday season, time and safety are precious commodities. Effective route and schedule management can be the difference between meeting demands smoothly and facing an overextended fleet.
- Leverage GPS and Telematics Data: Use data to identify optimal routes, avoiding areas with traffic congestion, road construction, or unsafe conditions.
- Flexible Scheduling: Allow for some flexibility in scheduling to account for weather delays and traffic. By adjusting dispatch times or spreading deliveries over more shifts, you can prevent bottlenecks and give drivers the chance to work at safer speeds.
- Plan for Alternative Routes: Have alternate routes ready in case of last-minute detours due to crashes, road closures, or severe weather. Mapping these out in advance allows drivers to stay on schedule safely without needing to improvise in the moment.
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Combat Driver Fatigue with Thoughtful Scheduling and Rest Breaks
Driver fatigue becomes a significant risk factor during high-demand seasons. With holiday schedules putting pressure on fleets to maximize output, it’s easy for drivers to feel rushed or exhausted, which directly impacts safety.
- Monitor Hours of Service (HOS) Compliance: Ensure all drivers adhere to HOS regulations to prevent fatigue and reduce the risk of crashes.
- Promote Rest Breaks: Encourage drivers to take breaks at regular intervals, even if they feel they’re capable of pushing through. Rest breaks don’t just protect drivers—they protect the entire operation by keeping everyone safe and alert.
- Stagger Shifts: Avoid overburdening any single driver by spreading the workload. Staggered shifts allow more manageable schedules and ensure no driver is consistently pushed to their limit.
Remind your drivers that it’s in everyone’s best interest for them to take the time they need for rest. Fatigued driving is as dangerous as impaired driving, and no delivery timeline should come at the cost of safety.
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Strengthen Safety Training for Drivers in High-Demand Scenarios
The holiday season may require extra hands, including temporary or seasonal drivers who are not as familiar with your fleet’s protocols and routes. Refresher training or seasonal safety training can make a real difference.
- Seasonal Safety Training Modules: Cover specific topics relevant to holiday conditions, like winter driving safety, vehicle loading/unloading best practices, and emergency response.
- Encourage Defensive Driving Techniques: Remind drivers of the importance of defensive driving, especially in busy urban areas where holiday shoppers and delivery vehicles crowd the roads.
- Provide Tools for On-the-Job Support: Digital tools like driver apps or handheld devices with GPS, weather alerts, and route planning can keep drivers better informed and equipped to handle dynamic road conditions safely.
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Communicate the Importance of Safety and Compliance to All Drivers
It’s easy for safety reminders to fade into the background, especially during hectic times. Open communication about safety protocols and the importance of compliance can reinforce a safety-first culture, even when timelines are tight.
- Regular Check-Ins: Conduct daily or weekly meetings with drivers to go over any immediate concerns, recent incidents, or reminders about safety practices. Use this time to offer updates on routes, schedules, and holiday protocols.
- Emphasize the Value of Compliance: Make it clear that safety compliance is non-negotiable. During the holidays, when pressure is high, underscore that adherence to safety policies protects drivers, vehicles, and the reputation of your fleet.
- Recognize Safe Driving: Offer incentives or recognition for drivers who demonstrate excellent safety practices during the season. This could be anything from shout-outs in team meetings to rewards or bonuses.
Regular communication keeps safety top-of-mind and helps prevent the “holiday rush” from compromising your fleet’s standard procedures.
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Leverage Technology to Keep the Fleet Running Smoothly
Fleet management technology can ease the holiday workload significantly. Telematics and fleet tracking systems provide real-time data on vehicle location, driver behavior, and route conditions.
- Real-Time Visibility: Fleet tracking lets managers monitor vehicles in real-time, allowing them to address any issues like delays or breakdowns as soon as they arise.
- Driver Monitoring and Feedback: Safety platforms can track driver behavior, enabling managers to detect risky driving and coach drivers accordingly.
- Analytics for Proactive Decisions: Telematics data and driver vehicle inspection reports can help you predict vehicle maintenance needs, optimize fuel efficiency, and reduce the risk of breakdowns.
Meeting holiday demand with a safe, efficient fleet is no small task, but with the right strategies, it’s achievable. By prioritizing maintenance, optimizing routes, managing driver fatigue, and leaning on technology, fleet managers can handle holiday pressures while keeping safety for both drivers and other road users at the forefront.
For fleets looking to enhance safety and visibility during this high-stress period, Mentor by eDriving offers a comprehensive driver risk management program. With tools like personalized driver coaching, targeted feedback on risky behaviors, and driver risk scoring, Mentor helps managers proactively address risk, even as demands increase. Mentor’s Driver Event Reporting (DER), Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR), and manager coaching toolkit give fleet managers the insight they need to identify and mitigate safety hazards, while features like in-app micro-training can keep drivers sharp and prepared for changing conditions.
By combining effective fleet management practices with Mentor by eDriving, fleet managers can better support their drivers through the busiest months of the year—maintaining both operational efficiency and a high standard of safety.
Safe driving.
