Protecting your brand on the road

By Richard Peak, director at Nextbase

As a fleet manager, keeping drivers and vehicles safe is the number one priority. But it is not the only one – you must also endeavour to keep your brand as safe as possible.

Why does it matter?

How many times have you seen a lorry bearing the name of a big brand stuck at the side of the road? Or a tradesperson’s van with their company logo smashed to pieces?

This is before we start to think about how many drivers have been seen caught in a bout of road rage.

In fact, 55% of business car drivers have previously admitted to shouting, swearing and making rude gestures to other drivers. This is not the impression of your company you want the public to be left with.

In the crashes themselves, the vast majority of focus rightly goes to the safety and health of the driver. Once that is established, and the proper support given it is important to note the impact a crash can have on a brand.

Leaving a vehicle stranded for days is not a good look and neither is the resultant potential for social media snaps to go viral.

Indeed, social media creates a risk that one bad incident in one location could soon be beamed around the world.

While previously any fault or driver indiscretion might have been seen by a few passing motorists, it now has the potential to be an image or video shared widely and quickly.

The heavy lifting of policing poor driving is often performed by a bumper sticking asking, “How is my driving?”. I don’t think I have ever met anyone that has ever made use of the number provided. So what are your other options?

The good news

The flip side of the risk is the undeniable benefit of the hundreds or thousands of drivers who see the name of your company on the roads every day. In fact, this is an important part of many company’s marketing strategies.

For instance, if you live in, or regularly visit London, you are probably familiar with the loud, red, white and blue vans of Pimlico Plumbers.

Seeing them everywhere gives the impression that they are always available if you need them. This is exactly the impression that an emergency plumber wants to cultivate. Plain white liveries would not have the same impact.

While some accidents are unavoidable, and for the most part professional drivers are just that, professional, there is clearly room to improve and provide a helping hand to drivers.

The technology available in vehicles nowadays can be a real help to both drivers and fleet managers, and more help is on the way.

Dash Cams have long been a part of a fleet manager’s arsenal, but while they might have once been used purely to help prove fault in the case of an accident, they are now evolving to stop these accidents from happening in the first place.

Furthermore, Dash Cams also often record inside the vehicle too, a useful way to protect drivers and brands from baseless claims or help understand the cause of crashes.

Ultimately, the most important thing to do is to ensure that the fleet is maintained to a high standard, drivers are given the training and schedules to help them perform at a high level and every precaution is taken to protect the brand on the roads, including new technology.

Your brand is a valuable asset, handle it with care.