The Federal Road Safety Corps says fleet operators play a vital role in achieving zero road accidents in the country.

FRSC corps marshal Shehu Mohammed said this on Thursday in Abuja.

The FRSC boss said drivers were a vital part of every transport business – as they also played the most crucial role in transportation.

“The recruitment of drivers – which is foundational for successful driver management, is a very delicate subject that should be handled with all caution and seriousness. This however, goes a long way to determine the overall safety and productivity of the fleet.

“It is essential to prioritise their well-being and enhance their safety by developing safety policies,” he said.

According to him, this includes organising training and re-training programmes to improve their skills and utilising technological solutions to enhance their driving safety.

Mr Mohammed said fleet operators and managers could introduce a reward system (if not in place) to incentivise better-performance drivers through financial bonuses and recognition programmes to encourage drivers to be more efficient.

He appealed to them to exercise caution in the recruitment of drivers, adding that drivers were crucial to their operations’ overall safety and productivity.

He called on fleet operators to embrace technology to monitor driver efficiency, analyse their behaviour, and track vehicles while in transit.

Mr Mohammed said that the role of technology in the transportation industry (particularly the deployment of telematic systems, GPS tracking and other apps) could not be over-emphasised.

Mr Mohammed said that the Corps’ recent appraisal of fleet operators’ compliance with RTSSS Minimum Safety Standards and installing the Speed Limiting Device in fleet vehicles was declining.

He said the FRSC also observed increasing cases of mixed loading among articulated vehicles where humans and goods were loaded together.

(NAN)