As the economy improves and businesses grow, more and more vehicles are on the road, covering an increasing number of miles each year.
But while this might be great for business, it’s increasing the frequency of road accidents, which in turn is resulting in more insurance claims affecting fleet businesses.
Companies that are closely partnered with agencies and insurance carriers to understand the risks that they face are in a better position to ensure that themselves, their business, and their employees are well-protected.
If you run or manage a fleet business and are concerned about the risk of accidents that your drivers face, then marketing your company as one that prioritizes driver safety is essential to ensure that you are attracting and hiring the best talent.
Whether you generally find new drivers through word of mouth, current employee referrals, or by posting job advertisements, how you market your fleet safety program will make all the difference.
Some of the main things that safety-conscious drivers are looking for in a workplace include:
Safety culture
The first step is to implement a culture of safety in the workplace that everybody can get on board with.
Regardless of how many safety technologies your vehicles are fitted with, such as a pulse rear end collision avoidance system, or how much driver training you provide, a strong safety culture will always be the backbone of any fleet safety program.
Drivers should not only understand how to stay safe on the roads, but also the importance behind it. Safety programs should not only focus on drivers, but also on every other employee who works on the vehicles from the cleaning staff to the maintenance workers.
A thriving fleet safety program involves everybody coming together to prioritize safety, look out for potential hazards, and implement new safety ideas and procedures on an ongoing basis.
Procedures and policies
It’s important to put appropriate procedures and policies in place that apply to all drivers. For example, if drivers are using their own vehicles for business purposes, then it’s important for them to increase their insurance limits to ensure that this is covered.
It’s also important to implement a Motor Vehicle Record program, which should be a key part of your fleet’s safety program when it comes to minimizing liability claims.
A formal MVR review process should be an essential for your company, as failing to have one in place can have catastrophic results for your business.
Having established MVR standards and criteria in place will show if employees have acceptable driving histories or not and allows you to more easily make decisions on whether or not employees are able to continue driving for the company based on whether or not they meet acceptable standards.
Driver screening and selection
The fleet safety program should focus on ensuring that drivers are safe on the road from the moment they are considered for hiring.
Screening and selection are a crucial part of ensuring that you are only working with drivers that are suitably qualified and experienced for the job, which helps to ensure that you can create a team that is safe, reliable, and trustworthy.
It is important to have clear hiring standards in place and ensure that there is a thorough screening and checking process for anybody who is being hired to drive for the business.
Putting applicants through a formal selection process will help you ensure that you are only working with drivers who are suitable for your company.
Ongoing driver training
Regardless of how experienced your new hires are, any drivers that are hired by your company should be a part of an ongoing training program that is tailored towards providing education for the safe operation of the vehicle that they will be in charge of.
The level and degree of training that is required will depend on the ability and experience of each driver. Training for fleet drivers should not be a one-and-done process; instead, it should be ongoing and consistent to ensure that their knowledge is always current and up to date.
A driver training program should consist of familiarization with the vehicle that they operate, defensive driving techniques, training in the use of safety technologies, accident prevention, accident response training, vehicle and safety equipment maintenance, accident reporting, and vehicle inspection procedures.
Marketing driver jobs for your fleet
Recruiting drivers can be challenging for any fleet, especially if you are looking for the top talent, and want to hire professionals who will contribute to the safety culture that you are building for the workplace.
Along with prioritizing the above, it’s worth considering how you present positions and use strategies such as content marketing to make your company and workplace positions stand out to the best drivers available.
Some of the best strategies for marketing your available positions and attracting competent, safe drivers to work for you include:
Descriptive job postings
Being as descriptive as possible when writing up a job description and job position posting is key to marketing your fleet as a good place to work.
Along with going into detail about what the job entails, don’t hold back when it comes to sharing more information about the safety procedures that you take and the process that drivers are expected to go through in order to work for your company.
This will help you reach your target audience of drivers who are professional and committed to safety, so while you may get fewer applicants, they are more likely to be of a higher quality and a better fit for your business.
Content Marketing
You can use content marketing to demonstrate your company’s commitment to fleet safety and preventing road accidents.
The easiest way to do this is through using your business website; with a business blog, you can showcase your knowledge of fleet safety, offer helpful and valuable advice and information, and provide a place where prospective drivers and anybody else can go to find out more about staying safe on the road.
A well-thought-out, valuable business blog that demonstrates your commitment to safety is an ideal way to not only attract more drivers to come and work for your fleet but also clients who are interested in working with fleets that prioritize safety procedures and take active steps to reduce accidents and insurance claims.
Word of mouth marketing
If you are already working with a team of fleet drivers who are committed to safety and preventing accidents on the road, then it’s a good idea to take steps to turn them into ambassadors for your brand as an employer.
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the top ways that people find jobs and companies find new employees in many industries, particularly in the fleet industry.
Incentives for employees who can help you successfully hire a new driver, for example, such as a referral scheme with monetary bonuses for both the new hire and the driver who referred them, can be a simple yet very effective to market your fleet employment program and find new drivers who are qualified, experienced, and dedicated to upholding safety on the road.
Email marketing
Starting an email marketing campaign for drivers is a good idea when it comes to fleet recruitment.
If your website attracts professionals who may be looking for work in the future or are simply checking out their options at the moment, then asking them to sign up for an email program where you can send them information about your latest job openings, tips, and tricks for safer driving on the road, and company updates is one of the best ways to engage potential future employees.
If you do not currently have any positions available, then asking anybody interested in working for you to subscribe to an email newsletter can be an ideal way to create engagement with professionals that may apply to work for you in the future.
Social media marketing
With social media now becoming a top choice when it comes to finding jobs, it’s no surprise that many companies are committed to growing a larger recruitment presence on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Social media marketing is not only effective for marketing your services, but it can also help you find professional drivers who are interested in coming to work for your fleet.
Similar to a business blog or email marketing, you can use your company’s social media profiles to demonstrate your commitment to road safety and build engagement and relationships with professionals who may be interested in coming to work for you in the future.
You can do this by sharing interesting, valuable content, asking questions, and striking up conversations with the people who interact with your posts and shares.
Recruiting for a fleet is all about good marketing. While driver jobs are in high demand right now, professional drivers will often be choosy about who they work for and want to know that their health and safety are in good hands.
Increase your chance of hiring the top talent for your fleet by creating a culture of safety and building your recruitment marketing plan around it.
