Driver rewards are a natural part of any fleet management system. Of course you're going to reward your best drivers, encourage your learning drivers, and discourage bad behavior. Building a whole rewards program makes sure this system is fair and properly motivating in the long-term.
The right driver rewards can encourage your drivers to be responsible, fast, and efficient and discourage them from unwanted habits without actually meting out punishment.
As a fleet manager, your goal is to choose the right collection of rewards that can promote your policies and effectively motivate your team. We have a few suggestions to consider.
Snack and Lunch Budget
In the past, drivers have used fuel cards or personal funds to buy snacks and lunch on the road. Some field service businesses offer a lunch stipend, some provide a packed lunch, but no matter what you do the desire for road food can be linked to driver rewards.
Offer a separate specialized card for quick marts and fast lunch places in the area and charge it up based on a set stipend and additional funds for good driver behavior. This is a particularly fitting reward for efficient fuel spending.
Vehicle Gear
A driver's vehicle is their workplace. They often build something like a mobile office in the front seat and equip the back with everything they might need in a stop. And you can bet that your drivers have unique ideas about what would be useful if they could customize. So let them, their ideas could be the next great fleet innovation.
Allow your good drivers to earn a budget or selection of vehicle gear like additional device mounts, tool-bays, seat pouches, and more. If they have a seemingly off-the-wal idea, consider carefully and ask for use cases before making your decision.
Title Recognition
Drivers can be a lot like pilots, proud of their skill and happy to be identified by a notable trait. While handing out nicknames is a fine line for employers, you can create titles that can be earned by exemplary behavior.
'Ace' might be your best emergency driver while 'Doc' for the driver who is best at repair calls. Base your titles on your company culture, the personality of your team, and the achievement you want to reward.
Custom Bumper Magnet
Another way to make your drivers feel like expert pilots is to allow external vehicle customization. Just as pilots paint their jets and add signature markings, you can reward your best drivers with dibs on one vehicle or a versatile bumper magnet that can show when they are driving any vehicle in the fleet.
There are actually many types of custom magnet you can use for temporary vehicle decoration to reward your drivers. You might even consider a catalog with options like side flames, colored stripes, and your earn-able titles.
Leadership Opportunities
Of course, when drivers really feel like they have hit the top, the most appropriate thing to do is give them opportunities to lead. Many drivers work alone or as a vital part of a field service team already.
But you can enhance their responsibility by granting your high-flying drivers additional authority or even pairing them with a new employee through a mentor-ship program.
Earning mentor-ship through driver rewards or a history of good driving is a great way to make sure your new recruits wind up with your most skilled old hands and learn all the right tricks.
Online Employee Profile
In today's environment, online presence is a valuable thing. Even for business fleet drivers. If you have members of the fleet listed on a website somewhere, have no doubt that your new team members want their spot.
One way to make sure you remember to update the site and give good drivers their due reward is to make a spot in the website driver profiles an earn-able position. When a driver achieves a certain number of hours, good ratings, or whatever you measure, let them contribute to their own online appearance as one of the team.
Upgrade Preference
Finally, fleet management is also about managing the vehicles themselves. And you can bet your drivers have an opinion. Some will have favorite vehicles they want maintained or traded for a newer one of same.
Some will want specific after-market customization's if you asked their opinion on fleet upgrades. Consider giving your best drivers preference for upgraded vehicles and a voice when you're deciding how to upgrade your fleet. After all, those vehicles will become their new mobile offices.
For more fleet management ideas and advice, contact us today!
