Can predictive modeling improve fleet safety and reduce driver turnover? Let’s begin with a definition. Predictive modeling is a process used to create a statistical model of future behavior. Predictive analytics is a form of data mining concerned with forecasting probabilities and trends, and can be used to help a wide variety of businesses from retail to wholesale, from production to transportation.
Simply said, predictive modeling for fleets seeks to identify safety trends by aggregating such things as citations, collision reports, MVRs, training records, telematics information, and How’s My Driving observation reports.
In a perfect world, predictive modeling would help fleet managers to hire and retain drivers who are safe, honest, reliable, courteous, and risk-adverse, which could also help to lower the high workers-compensation claims that employers pay out each year.
The downside of predictive modeling is that it often involves costly software and a level of data management that may not be feasible for all but the largest fleets. A second concern is the “garbage in, garbage out” issue, which states that the end result is only as accurate as the data on which it is based. Predictive modeling has been used to understand such things as how certain types of materials will react under different circumstances, how weather patterns change over time, and how an increase of x miles per hour in a speed limit would affect fatalities. The key to success in all these areas is that predictive programs must be valid and the data aggregated must be accurate.
What provides the best ROI for fleet managers not yet willing to make the investment in time and money to dive into predictive modeling? There are two: the first is a How’s My Driving Program, which has been proven to be effective at reducing collisions and returning money to the bottom line. The second is a telematics program that monitors a fleet’s vehicles for things such speed, acceleration, idling, travel outside of a certain area, etc.
Together, these two programs—How’s My Driving and telematics—provide an easy-to-manage and cost-effective method of improving fleet safety. For more information on both solutions, contact the leaders in the fleet monitoring industry, DriverCheck.
