Enhancing fleet safety through a study on Travis Perkins driver behavior

author: FutureCar Staff    

A recent driver behaviour study conducted for Travis Perkins has identified three key areas that need to be addressed in order to improve driver safety. These areas include skill decay, stress and performance, and attention lapses and distractions.

Travis Perkins, a company that employs 3,000 drivers who deliver building materials to customers across various construction segments, commissioned the research from Dr Lisa Dorn, an associate professor of driver behaviour at Cranfield University and the founder of PsyDrive. PsyDrive specializes in accredited training for road safety professionals, as well as research, assessment, and interventions for improved road safety.

The study involved a review of existing research and took into consideration studies conducted in other industries, such as aviation, emergency services, marine, military, and the rail industry. The goal was to learn from these industries and adapt their findings for use in the Travis Perkins fleet, and potentially for the wider driver community, in order to enhance safety.

Dr Dorn highlighted the impact of stress on driver performance, stating that stress causes distraction and can affect driver safety. Attention lapses and distractions were also identified as significant causes of crashes. Additionally, the study found that without regular practice, people experience skill decay, particularly in cognitive skills like decision-making, which has implications for safety when driving for work.

Richard Byrne, the safety director at Travis Perkins, stated that the company will use the study's findings to guide its driver strategy. This includes informing areas such as policies, interventions, training, recruitment, and employee well-being. Furthermore, as members of key transport forums and the leading partner to the construction industry, Travis Perkins aims to share these learnings more widely to promote best practices and encourage a cultural shift where drivers feel comfortable discussing any challenges they may be facing, while also promoting regular training beyond compliance requirements.

The results of this study were recently presented by Karl Wilshaw and Dr Lisa Dorn at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) annual safety forum conference.

FutureCar Staff