What makes a good fleet driver? If you’re in the fleet business, you know that good drivers are essential to running a good fleet, so securing the best drivers possible is key.
Job interviews can be a nightmare for employers and potential employees alike. If you’re in the fleet business, you know that good drivers are the backbone of your operation, so you need to secure the best drivers possible. This doesn’t automatically mean the most experienced – many companies prefer drivers who are new to the industry to ensure they receive the best possible training through their own company.
The first step is to interview the right candidates – do your homework and make sure their credentials are valid. Speak to previous employers and get a picture of their past performance as a driver. Experienced fleet managers (or HR professionals) will be able to spot the difference between bad performance and poor training – keep that in mind when contacting references as you don’t want to lose out on a potentially brilliant employee.
Many companies will turn to professional recruitment agencies who specialise in this field, or to fleet management companies to assist with driver recruitment. Asking for expert advice is always the best route, but the final decision still lies with the company / fleet manager.
Whether you’re doing the interviews internally or outsourcing here are some tips to ensure you have all your bases covered. Here's four tips for conducting driver interviews.
- Find out how knowledgeable they are about the job
It’s possible for drivers to have a good track record and spend many years working as a driver without truly understanding the scope of their work. This often comes down to poor training in previous positions and uncommunicative work environments.
Johnnie Marais, General Manager Operations of EQSTRA Flexi Fleet, says it’s important to find out if the candidate understands the difference between driver performance (the things that make a good driver, such as knowledge, skill, perceptual and cognitive abilities) and driver behaviour (what the driver does with those attributes and how they apply it to their work). A very skilled driver might not know why it is so important to stick to pre-determined routes, or understand the reason why logbooks are so crucial to the business. This way you’ll get an idea of their level of training and whether they tend to take responsibility for their work.
Suggested Questions:
- Why do you think the information in logbooks are important to the company?
- If you were to employ drivers for your own company, what would be the top most important skills you’d look for in candidates?
- What part of the job sometimes frustrates you, and why? How would you change it?
- Does the candidate understand their impact on the business?
As a rule of thumb, candidates with a good understanding of the impact drivers have on a business tend to perform better. During the interview, find out how detailed their knowledge is of the position they’re interviewing for. Specifically, in relation to:
Company image: Is the candidate aware that the reputation of the company often rests on their shoulders? For many businesses, drivers are the most regular point of contact with clients, and their behaviour directly reflects on the company. Not only that, but their behaviour behind the wheel is noticed by the public and attributed to the company. Drivers who are aware of this, and take pride in representing their employer, are an asset to fleet managers.
Running costs: An excellent interview question is to ask drivers if they can list the costs involved in running a fleet vehicle. Drivers who understand that the cost of fuel, maintenance, tyres, insurance, and more, all contribute to the fleet’s (and their) success will be a lot more mindful of how they handle the vehicles in their care. This will also give you a good idea of the extent of their training and what may be required should you decide to bring them on board.
Suggested questions:
- In your opinion, what are the biggest expenses when it comes to a company fleet/vehicle?
- Do you think that customers judge a business by the quality and behaviour of its drivers?
- In what areas, can drivers add value to a business?
- What is the candidate’s understanding of safety?
No matter the extent of their experience, you want to know what a potential driver’s attitude is toward safety rules and regulations. Establish if the driver understands safe driver hours as well as his/her responsibility to ensure that this is not exceeded (a maximum of 15 hours in a 24-hour cycle). This is a quick way to establish whether they understand the reasoning behind the safety rules, or whether they simply see it as unnecessary company policy.
It’s worth digging a little deeper on this angle. Find out if candidates understand fatigue, the factors that cause it, and the steps needed to avoid getting fatigued. Many people (whether they’re working as drivers or hairstylists) don’t understand the dangers of fatigue. It’s important that drivers understand fatigue isn’t caused only by the number of hours worked.
A very tricky route can cause fatigue in just two or three hours, whereas a monotonous route can be mentally draining. It’s important to establish whether potential drivers understand these nuances. Drivers who measure potential fatigue only in the number of hours driven without considering driving conditions, often don’t understand the true causes of fatigue and how to deal with it.
Suggested questions:
- Explain why companies are so strict about maximum driving hours
- From your experience, how do you think companies can improve the safety of their drivers?
- Can you spot the warning signs when you start to get tired or distracted behind the wheel? There’s no wrong answer here! Everyone gets tired - we want to know whether you can spot the signs and what you’ll do.
- What are their personal values?
The above questions, and the way they’re answered, will already give you a good indication of the type of person that’s being interviewed. Working as a driver is a safety-critical position in any company, so you want to get a better idea of what their personal values are.
One of the best ways to go about this is to ask the candidate to describe what they would do (or have done) in certain situations. Ask them how they would react in the event of a tyre blowout / accident / vehicle warning lights coming on. Make it clear that you want some examples from real-life situations where they possibly had to improvise and that you value their input and suggestions on how to deal with such situations.
This will give you valuable insight into how the candidate operates daily – are they willing to skip certain safety checks in order to be on time? Again, their previous company may have encouraged that, so make sure you get to the reasoning behind each answer. More than anything, these answers will give you a clear picture of the type of driver this candidate will make.
As a rule, most companies will have a mandatory pre-trip inspection that drivers need to complete. It depends on the type of vehicle, but it will often include checking lights, ensuring tyre pressures are correct, that no engine warning lights are on, that any spare wheel / repair equipment is on board, that fire extinguishers aren’t past their replacement dates, etc. Often it’s a checklist that the drivers need to complete and sign. It is crucial that drivers realise how important this checklist is and that they never skip over any of the steps - even if they’re pressed for time. If every driver does this, these items will never be checked and it can result in serious injuries or worse to them or one of their fellow drivers.
Suggested questions:
- Have you ever been in a situation where you had a tyre blowout / engine failure? What did you do and what type of support did you get from your company?
- In the past, when you were running late, what did you do to make up time?
- Do you think pre-trip inspections are necessary?
How drivers should prepare for interviews
Working as a driver for a fleet requires a very special skill set. You must have sweated over your CV and cover letter a few times and now comes the extra burden of being interviewed too! But don’t fear: here are some important tips to remember when being interviewed:
- Remember that the purpose of the interview is for the interviewer to find out more about you. Make sure you are prepared to answer the following questions:
- Why are you the best candidate for the job?
- What can you tell us about our company?
- How do your qualifications match what the employer is looking for?
- Listen carefully to the questions and think about an appropriate answer before replying. You can also ask the interviewer some questions about the position and company.
- Be confident, but be wary of straying over to the ‘arrogant’ line - nobody likes a ‘know-it-all’. It’s good to provide elaborate answers, but add your own personal touch/style to them too.
- Ensure you can state your qualifications and experience and talk confidently about what is stated in your CV. Highlight the skills relevant to the position and elaborate on these.
The following topics might also be covered during the interview:
Your driving record
If you are working as a driver, it is essential to have a clean driving record. You must be prepared to answer questions about your licence or driver permit, previous fines, accidents, insurance coverage, physical capabilities, preventative maintenance and occurrences relating to your specific skills.
Geographical knowledge
Successful navigation is an essential part of your job. You can expect questions like how you handle traffic, how to identify the fastest, but safest routes and your ability to look out for landmarks and find your way back to where you started.
Client relationships and time management
Part of your job will involve interacting with clients daily. You’ll have to be prepared to answer questions related to your relationship skills, handling a late delivery as well as ways to deal with a difficult client. Your organisational and planning skills will come in very handy.
To log those kilometres while on your way to a special delivery, download our useful logbook.
