3 Ways Training Your Truck Drivers will Save You Money
Posted on: 1 August 2016
Are you on the fence about whether you should plough money into training the truck drivers you employ? There are so many benefits to training, from increasing safety to improving efficiency. However, if funds are something you're worried about, then the biggest benefit is that training drivers will actually save you money in the long run. Here are 3 ways you can cut costs by sending your drivers on a course.
Fuel Economy
After the purchase of the vehicle itself, one of the most expensive costs associated with truck driving is fuel. You may have tried to save on fuel in other ways already, such as shopping around for the lowest cost or turning off components like air conditioning. But have you tried lowering your outgoings by training your drivers to drive more efficiently? Drivers can pick up many tips from training courses that encourage more economical driving, including smooth acceleration and deceleration, as well as changing gears at the right moment and reducing idle time. These will all lower your fuel consumption, thereby lowering the amount you have to spend on it.
Less Maintenance & Servicing
How much money do you spend servicing and maintaining your trucks? Even minor accidents and human errors can quickly rack up in repair costs. Luckily, there's a way to reduce maintenance costs -- by training your drivers. Issues like damaged tyres and engine faults breakdown occur far less frequently when your drivers know how to avoid causing them and how to spot them before they worsen. For example, on a trucking course, your drivers will learn how to drive with a heavy load to avoid wearing and tearing strained tyres. This allows you to spend less on external maintenance companies, or reduce the man hours of your in-house team.
Cheaper Truck Insurance
Insurance is a common area where business owners try to save money, but the worst thing you can do is choose a cheap insurer who will load up your policy with hidden terms and fees. You can still save money with a quality truck insurance company if you reduce your chances of accidents occurring, and training your drivers is a great way to do this. The less likely your drivers are to crash (and, therefore, make a claim), the less an insurance company will charge you. Training helps reduce collisions and accidents by teaching drivers how to avoid common causes such as improper loading and distribution. Most insurance companies like to see that your drivers have completed training recently, so make sure older employees who have gone years without training take a refresher course.
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