Technology and The Modern Truck Driver

From the old cart days to modern autonomous technology, driving a truck has come a long way since its humble beginnings. After swapping horses for horse power, the industry has continued to be at the forefront of embracing new technologies and finding innovative ways to get the job done. What we don’t hear as often, is how the driver has evolved along with the machinery that surrounds them.

Advanced telematics is now easily accessible to the average business to help them and their drivers better manage all aspects of their work including fatigue, trip scheduling and on-road safety.

So, how is technology shaping the truckie of today?

Digital Is The New Black

In today’s transport and logistics industry, you’ll rarely see a paper map on the dashboard when there’s turn-by-turn navigation just a screen tap away. So, why give drivers a paper check list when they can get access to all the information they need from the one place? Storing documentation on an electronic device is one of the simplest ways to make a driver’s life easier. And it makes life easier for the office staff too. Performing a vehicle inspection with a pre-trip checklist with the ability to take photos as proof, means issues can be addressed as they’re discovered — the checklist and photos can be sent directly to the back-office. Paper-based forms become a thing of the past when you’re able to create as many of your own forms that are specific to your business as you like. Once submitted, both checklists and forms are available to report on and action from the back-office.

The Best Driver They Can Be

No one is perfect, yet you’ll rarely have a driver admit that their handling could use a bit of fine-tuning. We’re all confident behind the wheel, whether it’s your personal car, commercial work ute or heavy vehicle, but it’s that confidence that can be our downfall. When our behaviours are recorded and measured through telematics, it can give you a unique insight on exactly how safe you drive.

Technology, such as vehicle tracking, isn’t about naming and shaming or being Big Brother, but recognising undesirable habits and coaching drivers on how to improve their behaviour. Driver alerts allows actions to be fixed on the spot and SMS alerts can be sent to notify management of ongoing problematic behaviour. Both good and bad behaviours are stored and tracked against a driver’s scorecard, where these events can be replayed and used to assist further driver training. It allows drivers to see how they’re going and improve over a period of time, while giving management insights into how drivers act. This all leads to positive initiatives to help fulfil health and safety obligations.

Never Off The Grid

When a driver is out on a job they need to be easy to track down and get in touch with. If a driver runs into trouble, such as bad traffic or a breakdown, and the message isn’t passed along, management finds out the hard way that there’s been a delay.

GPS fleet tracking allows back office staff to look up drivers while on route and get an ETA. Two-way messaging functions from the in-cabin device means drivers can be contacted without distraction. Navigation allows drivers to get step-by-step routes that are up-to-date with trip information, such as weather or traffic disruptions, in real-time. It’s an easy and efficient way to keep the entire operation moving smoothly and it minimises delays from unexpected events.

If you’ve yet to see how technology is revolutionising the industry, then it’s time to stop planning and to start acting. The modern truck driver isn’t held back by out-of-date processes but is time efficient and much more aware of their actions on and off the road.

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