Q)
“I have a driver that had a recent car accident outside of work and they are coming back to work after the accident to drive a van, would you recommend we complete any particular training for this driver?”
Vanessa – Fleet admin at ISD
A)
Vanessa, many thanks for your question, an unusual one but nevertheless a good one.
Our answer, as you may suspect is a definite yes, after all we sell training! All drivers in the Achieve Driver Continuous Learning programme receive in-vehicle training as a matter of course and as part of the programme and whilst this driver may not be due training as yet it would certainly be prudent to bring this forward.
In the not-so-distant past I worked with a client that provided in vehicle training to every driver before they drove on company business and then regular refresher training as well as vehicle familiarisation training on delivery of every new vehicle. Needless to say, they had an accident rate of just 3.4% on a fleet in excess of 350.
In this case that you present it would be sensible to deliver training to this driver, making sure it is ‘sold’ as a positive intervention, not a punishment. It is human nature, and particularly with regards to driving, for us to put on a brave face and not relay our true feelings to those we know and especially our employer. A professional and experienced driver trainer, however, will get under the surface and provide tailored and empathetic training, reassuring your driver as well as delivering the usual benefits of reduced fuel usage, reduced WAT (wear and tear), increased confidence and reduced journey times.
If, on the off chance, your driver is suffering longer lasting confidence issues, our trainer will also report this back to you and we can then suggest an ongoing programme to work with the driver to assist them to get back to driving and full confidence which will be good for them and the business.
It just makes common sense to go down this road but if you need more persuading then from a H&S perspective this will also provide a Risk Assessment and subsequent training intervention all in one session.
