4 Common Costly Driving Mistakes – And How To Fix Them

We’ve analysed the latest data from our fleet customers to reveal the most widespread mistakes that fleet drivers are making, which can end up costing businesses tens of thousands of pounds.

These mistakes include drivers not realising their van has a sixth gear and excessive idling. The data is collected during the blind stage of the free Lightfoot trial, where our devices record drivers travelling as they normally would. Once our advanced driver coaching technology is set live in the fleet, it can address many of these issues as they happen, allowing the business to achieve significant savings when it comes to fleet costs.

The most common errors include:

Taking it up a gear

Many van drivers either don’t realise, or forget, that their vehicle has a sixth gear. This means the vehicle will be over-revving when driving on 60 and 70mph roads, which significantly impacts fuel efficiency.

The importance of not being idle

Excessive idling is particularly prevalent amongst last-mile delivery fleets and utilities and telecoms businesses. Our data shows that leaving the vehicle running unnecessarily uses 1.07 litres of fuel per hour, adding up to thousands of pounds in fuel costs.

The fast and the furious

Aggressive driving habits, such as speeding, harsh braking, and sharp cornering, make a considerable difference to fleet budgets due to the increased risk of accidents, which can result in higher insurance premiums, as well as by reducing fuel economy. These behaviours also increase wear and tear on key components such as brakes and tyres and can lead to unscheduled vehicle downtime.

Learning the tricks of the trade

A lack of training in effective driving techniques and little to no understanding of how technology works can substantially reduce vehicle efficiency. This is particularly true for electric vehicles (EVs), where drivers may not use brake regeneration properly or even be aware of the effect that heating and air conditioning can have on range. Using in-cab coaching technology has been proven to improve average EV range by up to 35%.

Paul Hollick, Lightfoot’s Managing Director, commented: “The data we receive from our pre-installation testing highlights some significant areas of concern for businesses, which are costing them time and money.

“However, once we can pinpoint these issues, they are relatively easy to remedy. Driver coaching from our in-cab devices provides significant improvements in driver behaviour in a relatively short time.

“Our insights can also help a business make changes to their routines to save money, such as suggesting more efficient delivery routes and, with the increasing adoption of EVs, adapting a vehicle’s duty cycle to combine a charging stop with a driver rest period.

“It’s also important to reward drivers for their improved behaviour – making this a team process ensures increased employee buy-in and a greater chance of success.”

If you’re ready to help your fleet save money whilst travelling more safely and sustainably, get in touch today to find out how Lightfoot can transform driver behaviour and tackle fuel-hungry habits such as speeding, idling, over-revving, and more.