How to spot the signs that a colleague is stressed, fatigued

Tired female driver at the wheel

Stress and tiredness are among the major contributors to a driver’s lack of mental wellbeing and these can be caused by factors both inside and outside work.

It is vital that any mental wellbeing problems are identified so an employee can get the help they need to manage their symptoms and reduce the risk to themselves and other road users.

A sign that a driver is having an issue could be a change in the way they behave around people or carry out their job.

At a Fleet Live 2019 fleet operations seminar (2pm Tuesday 8), Andy Neale, director of driver risk management company NFE Group, will outline how fleet operators can identify the signs of poor wellbeing and implement a supportive culture at work.

“If I came to work with a broken leg, you would see the plaster,” he said.

“If I came to work stressed, there may be no physical signs.”

Stress – together with fatigue – are major factors in the mental wellbeing of a driver.

And, if a driver is stressed or tired, either can have a significant effect on their performance. Stress, for example, means a driver will take more risks.

“There is a whole range of costs to the operation caused by poor driving performance,” added Neale.

“There is the bent metal costs, bumps and scrapes, damaged wing mirrors and increased insurance costs, while research in other industries has shown that tired and stressed drivers use far more fuel.

"There is also a human cost, which will not show up as obviously on an organisation’s balance sheet.”

Joining Neale will be Andrew Brown, director of corporate partnerships at Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

He will put into perspective the scale of the problem in the UK, why fleets should take this wellbeing issue seriously and what they can do to address it in their own businesses.

Join us at Fleet Live

Fleet Live will give the fleet management community and decision-makers the chance to face future challenges and opportunities together with two days of learning, sharing and networking on October 8-9 at the NEC in Birmingham.

The event is complementary for fleet professionals and delegates can sign up for their ticket at www.fleet-live.co.uk/online-registration.

Fleet operations seminars: sessions and speakers overview

When: Tuesday October 8

11.00 Great ideas for a safer fleet

Caroline Sandall, ACFO national chair

Dr Jim Golby, ADT (Applied Driving Techniques) director of research and customer experience

John Newman, Jacobs head of health and safety

This session will give a case study from a fleet safety pioneer on the steps it took to improve safety and reduce risk.

Those attending will come away with practical solutions they can implement in their own businesses.

11.00 Driver recruitment and retention in commercial fleets

Martin Colloff, Hermes UK head of client and network distribution

Kieran Smith, Driver Require chief executive

Kieran Smith will discuss driver shortages in the industry, how the industry can resolve the issue and how Brexit could exacerbate shortages and bring the UK to a crisis point.

Martin Colloff, of Hermes UK, will talk about the challenges facing recruiting and retaining drivers in the commercial fleet industry.

This will include an overview of Hermes’ heavy goods vehicle recruitment initiative.

This session will also explore how fleet can persuade more women to consider professional driving as a career.

14.00 How to use your data to improve your fleet efficiency

Rory Morgan, Iron Mountain head of fleet

Caroline Sandall, ACFO national chair Make big data work for your fleet

The industry must change from a rear-view mirror perspective to using data to predict the future and be more pre-emptive.

This session will explore how to bring together multiple sources of fleet data from telematics, fuel cards, connected cars and licence checks to help reduce costs and improve efficiency.

It will also explore how fleets can use e-learning to store driver data and create safety profiles, as well as how fleets can use technology to manage fuel and reassess vehicle utilisation and productivity.

14.00 Driver wellbeing: identify the signs of stress and fatigue and create a culture of support

Andrew Brown, CALM corporate partnerships director

Andy Neale, director of driver risk management company NFE Group

Andrew Brown from CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) will put into perspective the scale of the problem of suicide in the UK, why fleets should take this issue seriously and what they can do to address it.

There will also be a case study from Andy Neale, of the NFE Group, on how to implement a supportive culture at work.

When: Wednesday October 9

11.00 Collaborative supplier partnerships that add value

James Davis, Cox Automotive UK customer strategy and insight director (Commercial Vehicles)

Steve Duffy, Network Rail senior delivery manager

Matt Cranny, ARI Fleet UK operations director

Phil Corbett, Travis Perkins procurement manager

This session will offer best practice on the tender process and how to remain collaborative with suppliers when there is pressure on the business to change suppliers to maintain the best value for money.

It will also explore how you can look for continuous improvement over a long-term supplier relationship.

11.00 Fleet utilisation and minimising vehicle downtime

Mark Woodworth, Speedy Hire head of transport

Pressure on fleet budgets and a desire to optimise vehicle utilisation has led to an increasing focus on making vehicles work longer, harder and smarter.

This session will focus on an expert case study from an award-winning fleet that has tackled fleet utilisation and vehicle downtime to deliver tangible improvements for the company.

14.00 Telematics: How to convince the board to invest

Michal Szuminski, The First Mile transport manager

Peter Kelly, Elis Group compliance and fleet manager

Telematics is an established technology that can offer improvements for efficiency and safety and can save fleets money in fuel and insurance payments.

The stumbling block in introducing the technology, which is now available at a variety of price points, is getting buy-in from the board.

This session will cover how a fleet manager can put the case together that shows the benefits of telematics are worth the investment and management focus.

What are the biggest obstacles and what are the benefits? How should you present your case and get a telematics initiative through from concept to delivery?

14.00 Protecting vulnerable road users

Ross Moorlock, Brake business development director

Protecting vulnerable road users and minimising the chance that their drivers will be involved in a crash are two of the most important steps fleet managers can take towards raising road safety standards.

Just 52% of organisations currently have driver handbooks that include guidance on vulnerable road users.

Brake’s Ross Moorlock will present a session on the responsibilities fleet managers should be aware of and what they can do in their business to raise awareness of the issues among their staff.