The Registrar/Chief Executive, Professional Driving and Safety Academy and the former National President, Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (ADIN), Jide Owatunmise, is pushing for the adequate recognition, reward and motivation of Drivers through the creation and observance of an International Drivers’ Day to be started in Nigeria and has secured the approval of the United Nations on it.
According to him, “Global and National Research Reports revealed that over 80 percent of Road Traffic Crashes were attributed to Human Factors while over 70 percent of these were caused by Drivers. Without Doubt, Drivers play very significant role in the Safety and Security of irreplaceable lives and valuable properties. There is therefore the need to encourage the Recognition, Capacity Building, Reward and Motivation of Drivers to further boost safety and security on Nigeria roads.
“In view of this, our Organization has taken up the challenge to promote the observance of Drivers’ Day in collaboration with relevant Stakeholders in Nigeria with the ultimate goal of making it an International event that will be observed worldwide.” He said.
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Adding, “The 3rd Thursday of November of every year is to be set apart for the observance of the Drivers’ Day. This will also complement the success of the Annual “Day of Remembrance of Road Crash Victims” which is observed on the 3rd Sunday of November every year worldwide, with the flag off of the first edition of the Drivers’ Day event in Nigeria on Wednesday 15, November, 2023 in Lagos.”
Implementing a driver rewards programme incentivizes drivers to raise their safety metrics and improve their safety scores on the road.
Driver rewards programmes create a culture of safety within fleets that may have previously struggled.
This piece will outline how to implement a safe driver rewards program successfully so you can create this safety culture as well.
Poor reward system and working conditions for professional drivers can contribute to adverse health and safety concerns. For motivated drivers, it’s not just about getting the miles and receiving a paycheck; it’s about having pride in how they are contributing to the organization
Motivated employees and contract drivers are inspired to help you create a successful company.
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When the topic of motivation comes up, the first thing people turn to is pay and benefits, thinking “We have to pay them more!”. However, these factors only motivate people to a certain extent. Once their basic needs are met, people will look for other factors to keep them going.
According to a publication by Netradyne on ‘How to Create a Driver Incentive Programme’, it stated that the overall goals of every driver incentive programmes are improving fleet safety, increasing customer satisfaction, and boosting revenue.
A driver safety incentive programme is a great place to start when your fleet is on the road, it is impossible to directly supervise all your drivers.
Although tools like dash cams and telematics systems enable you to pinpoint details like speed and location, there are still plenty of gaps. This is problematic because poor driving can ruin your fleet’s reputation and reduce revenue. So, how do you encourage drivers to consistently make smarter, safer driving choices?
Incentive programmes also significantly improve driver retention, any initiative that increases driver happiness and engagement is bound to bring a healthy return on investment. Driver reward programmes can also bolster training, improve fleet culture, and change driver behaviors for the better.
Benefits of a Driver Incentive Programme
Driver incentive programme is essentially a way to positively reinforce safe and productive driving behaviors through rewards and recognition.
The best safety incentive programmes are unbiased meritocratic systems that help fleets develop better relationships with their drivers.
When selecting the behaviors to reward, make sure there is a way to measure and track them over time. Data collection through telematics systems and vehicle sensors is a great way to monitor and analyze data.
Tracking metrics ensures your programme remains unbiased. In contrast, practices like random inspections are less likely to affect positive change.
Besides identifying goals, it is also important to pinpoint your approach for rewarding safety in the workplace.
Will you focus on driver excellence or driver improvement? Each focus can have unintended consequences. For example, if driver excellence is rewarded, then the same drivers may win all the time, and other drivers may get discouraged. Drivers may also be tempted to cheat on their reports, which will impact fleet data collection.
Communicate Expectations
To be successful and improve safe driving, a safe driver recognition programme must provide drivers with a detailed manual that clearly defines goals, rules, and benefits.
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Make sure it includes criteria for incentives, data gathering techniques, and how metrics will be weighed and tallied.
To head off any driver concerns about processes or favoritism, be specific as possible. The manual should also include contact details for the person in charge of the programme in case drivers have questions.
Communication should not end after your driver incentive programme is launched. Drivers should be regularly reminded about the programme with flyers and during meetings.
To keep drivers engaged, provide them with regular updates about their rank in each competitive category.
Ask for Driver Feedback
Many fleets overlook the importance of driver feedback because they assume that drivers are unconnected to operations.
However, there is a lot of valuable information to be learned from drivers. So make sure to regularly ask drivers for their opinion about your safety incentive programme.
Use Game Formats
Game format is a great way to increase participation in your truck driver bonus program by making safe driving fun and competitive.
It harnesses the innate joy that comes from playing, competing, and winning. It also makes safe driving an essential aspect of how drivers interact, helping build team spirit and a better safety culture.
Adding gamification to your incentives program is simple thanks to apps like Netradyne’s Driveri.
The Driveri app gives drivers immediate feedback, rewarding them with points for actions like obeying the speed limit and maintaining a safe following distance. These points add up to a driver’s total performance score—their GreenZone score.
Drivers can view their updated scores throughout the day via the mobile app, ensuring they have constant motivation to do better.
Choose the Right Rewards
Ideally, your rewards should be tailored to match your fleet’s unique culture. So before choosing incentives for your driver rewards program, ask drivers for their input.
While some incentive ideas may seem pricey, keep in mind that every prevented accident saves your fleet thousands of dollars.
Incentives effectively function as driver retention bonuses—they ensure drivers stay motivated, loyal, and engaged. Here are some types of incentives: Cash bonuses, Gift cards,Pins, plaques, and jackets customized with the fleet’s name and logos.
Special Privileges
You might also consider incentives that can be saved up, like points, and later exchanged for larger ticket rewards, like sport days, paid family trips, and kitchen appliances.
Share Successes
For many people, cash bonuses and merchandise are not the most valuable reward for their achievements.Positive feedback and encouragement can be a highly important motivator.
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In fact, according to a Gallup survey, public acknowledgment via an award, certificate, or commendation is better than monetary rewards. So make sure that your safety incentive plan includes a strong driver recognition program.
In between major awards cycles, use email newsletters and internal memos to acknowledge drivers who are making exceptional progress.
Launch a driver of the month program or provide some other type of incremental recognition for categories like “most improved.” And when recognising your top performers, invite them to share their individual best practices and success stories at team meetings. Here are some additional recognition ideas:
Best Driver Award Certificates
Keep in mind that recognition is most impactful when it’s delivered promptly. The longer it takes for managers to recognize drivers, the less likely drivers will see their compliments as meaningful.
Final Thoughts
Drivers want to know their fleet cares about their personal safety. A well-designed driver rewards programme not only reinforces a strong culture of safety, it also creates a positive environment where drivers feel that their improvement efforts are truly appreciated.
This, in turn, boosts morale and loyalty. Before setting up a programme, research driver incentive programme examples to make sure you design a plan that is successful from the start.
An appropriate driver reward scheme should be developed to motivate drivers to the desired level of safe driving performance and to recognise significant achievements.
Care needs to be taken, however, to ensure that pay and reward systems do not lead to inappropriate behaviours, rule breaking, or under-reporting of incidents or crashes. For example, a payment system based on the number or journeys, loads or kilometres driven might lead to drivers working excessive hours and risk them driving tired. Or a system where drivers are recognised and/or rewarded for incident-free driving could result in under-reporting of incidents or accidents. Only introduce such a scheme if you can be assured that all accidents are reported.
As an alternative, present an award to drivers who achieve the highest standards in their annual driver assessment, or consider rewarding employees coming up with ideas about how to improve the company safety procedures or how to make work-related driving safer.
Conversely, drivers who are identified as breaking driver rules and regulations should face a clearly defined disciplinary process.
