How’s My Driving? –An Important Question in Fleet Management Brian Dziuk | Sep 28, 2016 9:43:24 AM

Every now and again, while you’re sitting in traffic on your morning commute to work, or even when you’re driving around on your day off, you’ll see utility vans, trucks, semis, and other commercial vehicles with the now-famous “how’s my driving?” decal across the back.

Companies put these decals across the backs of their vehicles for a number of reasons. This includes reminding drivers to use caution on the road or giving other drivers on the road a number to call to report dangerous driving by company vehicles.

Preventing dangerous driving not only protects company assets—the driver, vehicle, and cargo—it helps to protect the company’s reputation.

The Problem with the “How’s My Driving?” Decal

Quick question: when’s the last time YOU ever called one of those “how’s my driving?” phone numbers that was on the back of a commercial vehicle? For many, even most, the answer is probably “never.”

To call that number would require you to either:

1. Remember the actual phone number to call as well as the driver number and/or license plate of the vehicle well after whatever prompted you to want to call;
   OR
2. Try to make the call while you’re still driving/take a picture.

The first option would be a remarkable feat of memorization for most; the second would be dangerous as it would encourage distracted driving.

As a result, these numbers rarely get a call, and few of the calls do get have all the information needed to take corrective action against the right driver. Even worse are the false or overblown calls that might come through.

This issue largely negates the value of having the phone number plastered across the back of the vehicle.

Don’t Just Ask “How’s My Driving,” KNOW the Answer with GPS Tracking!

When you need to know if your drivers are behaving responsibly on the road, leaving the reporting of driving behaviors to random strangers on the road simply isn’t enough.

Instead, try using an impartial, verifiable source of data—such as GPS tracking for fleet vehicles!

With GPS tracking, you can know:

• How fast drivers are traveling
• Stop distance and frequency
• How well drivers are adhering to their schedule/route
• What engine sensors are tripping for maintenance purposes

This data can help you establish if your drivers are safe behind the wheel, as well as improve vehicle maintenance scheduling. Armed with this information, you can corroborate any “how’s my driving?” hotline calls you do get, or prove a driver’s innocence.

Having accurate, up-to-date GPS tracking data makes answering the question of “how’s my driving?” all too easy.

Find out how you can get started with GPS for your vehicle fleet today!