Ensuring fleet operational safety and compliance

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) law and several other Workplace Health and Safety statutes and regulations are examples of this.

While the Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National legislation has already been in effect for several years, changes were made in October 2018 to provide for better recognition and authority for each and every person involved in the supply chain. This helps to create a shared duty to ensure both legal and safety considerations in every aspect of operational activities.

Fleet managers have a 'duty of care' to protect their employees from the risk of foreseeable injuries whilst they are at work, recognising that a vehicle used for work purposes is considered to be a place of work. Duty of care obligations could include (but are not limited to):

• Fatigue: ensure that drivers don’t work excessive hours and take breaks when needed.

Consideration: Are your drivers taking adequate breaks? Are your drivers well-rested (even outside of work hours) and ready for duty? Are your drivers’ logbooks being reviewed regularly?

• Vehicle Standards/Maintenance: ensuring vehicles are maintained and are always roadworthy.

Consideration: Are vehicles well-maintained and roadworthy? Are your drivers completing pre-start checklists? Does your service team get ample time to maintain vehicles before they hit the road?

• Driver Behaviour: ensuring vehicles and drivers do not exceed the speed limits.

Consideration: Are drivers operating their vehicles safely? Are drivers adhering to the speed limit at all times? What kind of on-going driver training do you provide?

Unfortunately, safety and compliance isn’t something that can be contracted out. However, having the right tools, information systems and processes in place allows businesses to monitor and manage compliance proactively instead of reactively (i.e. when violations or breaches occur).

Telematics provides businesses with readily accessible, accurate and reliable data on their entire vehicle fleet, allowing for both time and monetary savings through the effective and efficient management of resources.

Some of the benefits that can be immediately realised as a result of using telematics in your fleet include:

• Safer drivers
• Less paperwork
• Improved health and safety performance of drivers
• Increased productivity
• Lower risk, liability and operating costs

MiX by Powerfleet solutions are developed to help your business succeed and realise operational efficiencies stemming from Health, Safety and Environmental compliance.