Smartphones Helping HGV Drivers

Thank you for your comments and questions on last week’s blog and I hope it helped with giving you an insight to what the future holds for the HGV industry.

This week I am looking at smartphones helping HGV drivers. I have had many enquiries about extra help with theory test and revision and just general information on the industry. Smartphones are now the future and are pretty much doing everything nowadays, and is now becoming involved in the HGV industry with supporting on daily walk-around checks thanks to update to and new software specialising in fleet management solutions.

The new smartphone apps can be downloaded by the HGV drivers, where they can choose the correct vehicle template, then using the app guide go through their daily walk-around checks.

The developer of the app has created it for two reasons, firstly is for the standard daily walk-around checks which are becoming more complex. So when new regulations are brought out and introduced to improve health and safety on the roads and avoidance of hazards, these all get added to the daily checks that a driver has to conduct. The great thing is the app removes confusion so that drivers always make the checks that they are supposed to be.

Secondly the developers of the app are very aware of the current paper system and the inefficiencies of it and not being up to scratch anymore. The old paper system results were very time consuming, inflexible and could be inaccurate as well. A system that does not produce correct results for road safety is not acceptable at all and is dangerous.

The Smartphone app connects what the HGV driver is doing with the fleet manager’s office in real time ensuring all records are accurate and maintained with scheduling.

Once drivers complete there walk-around checks, the driver will enter the data in to the app. The data is then immediately sent to an online database that can be accessible by fleet managers. At the same time managers/line managers are alerted if the driver has noted any defects during their walk around. The alerts can then be sorted ASAP with managers.

Technology helps

The new software can be a massive help to HGV drivers and managers in the up keep and maintenances of vehicles and there roadworthiness. Yes technology is the future of the industry and helps massively. Technology has a huge part in the future of the haulage and transport industry with helping the increase of health and safety and regulation.

HGV driver training centre continues to develop new training methods to make what we offer the best out there in training. As good as technology can now be, the old ways of training based on knowledge and experience is always going to be a solid structure to go from and is the best practice

Driver walk-around checks are direct areas of safety, drivers will check tyres, brakes, lights. Any deficiencies that do not rise to the level of immediate danger can be handled at a later time. Serious deficiencies that will cause safety issue and concerns must be taken care of straight away.