Hello all. Steve here!
That’s right – it’s me again. We sure have been seeing a lot of each other lately, haven’t we? Don’t worry, though – I am still not planning to take the blog away from Aunt Gertie any time soon. I just ask (very politely, may I add) to pop in whenever I have something important to say or discuss. And in that regard, this week is no exception.
And just what is today’s relevant topic, I hear you ask? Well, today we are going to be discussing telematics, and the many ways in which they can influence the way we carry out our courier jobs.
The Technology of Telematics
That’s right, telematics – those systems that give courier fleet managers a whole load of information at their fingertips about how their drivers are carrying out their courier jobs. More and more companies are using these as a way to figure out who is driving safe and driving well (#catchphrase), and who is not performing quite so brilliantly and needs to be re-trained. I've been told off a couple of times myself when I worked as a corporate driver, and I’ve seen friends get into some real trouble for playing a little too fast and loose with the rules of the road. And it was all because of telematics.
How Telematics Work
So what exactly do these systems measure? Well, a driver can expect to be tracked in a few key areas, including braking, speeding, revving, cornering and steering, fuel use and idling. A good driver will ideally keep within set boundaries in all or most of these categories; those who don’t might be in need of re-training, or at the very least the company may need to make some adjustments to account for their driving style.
The reason telematics are so important is that they allow bosses to know exactly who's weak in which areas, so they can adapt their training sessions to address everyone’s issues. Thanks to telematics, driver training courses can be more comprehensive, while still delivering the same standard of teaching to individual drivers.
As you can see, telematics are pretty useful for improving the way we do courier jobs – so the next time you think your bosses and their "new fangled" programs are just out to get you, keep that in mind. It’s nothing personal – it’s just progress.
To make sure your behaviour doesn't get flagged up by telematics, the best thing to do is to (you know what’s coming…) drive safe, and drive well!
See you next time, everybody!
Steve