Northgate Vehicle Hire has launched a new package of driver safety solutions to increase driver wellbeing and fleet efficiency.
Available for all businesses across the UK, not just Northgate customers, the ‘Safe Driver’ programme includes driver training, safety, and compliance functions.
These are supported by a range of compliance checks, including licence and grey fleet checks along with driver and fleet audits, helping companies identify and then reduce costs.
The scheme launches on the back of a customer survey carried out late by Northgate in 2021, which defined the key priorities of its van customers. Companies put drivers first, with wellbeing, safety, compliance listed as their top three priorities, followed by business cost savings.
Neil McCrossan, Northgate Vehicle Hire’s sales and marketing director, said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic LCV drivers have become recognised as key workers as they have played an integral part in keeping the country moving.
“More companies are proactively looking after their drivers’ wellbeing more closely to help reduce risks for when they drive on company business. Driver retention is also a key consideration for employers now as the competition for staff heats up after the pandemic. The better you look after a driver the more likely they will stay with your business for longer,” he added.
The Northgate Safe Driver training educates both fleets and their drivers on the best ways to reduce on-road risks. The full suite of training options available includes e-learning modules, on-road training, driver workshops and even virtual learning environments.
A four-stage driver risk-assessment program integrates with the training package to recommend the correct courses for a company’s needs – all of which meet the ISO: 39001 road traffic safety (RTS) management standard.
Grey fleet checks on insurance, tax and MOT status can also be offered, supported by an online driver licence checking portal.
All training activity and results are then fed into a centralised reporting system to give full visibility of all drivers and vehicle performance directly to managers in real time.
McCrossan added: “Companies didn’t realise that licence checking could be cost effectively automated and outsourced. With our licence scanning solution, licence checks take just seconds to check, while the process is also highly time and cost efficient.”
- Northgate will be at this month’s Great British Fleet Event to demonstrate how it can support fleets with driver compliance and wellbeing as well as fleet electrification work. For more details on the show and to register for a free ticket, click here.
