Does Gamification Mean Better Truckers?
On-board cameras, increased connectivity to the highway, self-driving trucks and more. As technology continues to progress, we’re approaching the “gamification” of trucking. But is that such a good thing?
Soon nearly every move will be monitored, in real-time. Whether it’s the driver actually behind the wheel or riding co-pilot, Fleet Managers and operations personnel will have as much information as they could ever need at their finger tips.
Ready for Some Friendly Competition?
With all of this data being made available, fleets are creating an atmosphere for the gamification of trucking. What this means is driver “scoring” where certain types of behaviors result in either gaining or losing points is now here. For example, harsh braking might cause you to lose points while improve fuel performance would result in gaining points.
This whole concept simply adopts the theory that everyone is programmed to want to win and accustomed to playing games. Leaderboards are used and truckers are ranked among their peers to create a companywide competition with AWards and REwards given to those who consistently perform at the top.
d2go Driver Challenge App
Enter d2go’s Driver Challenge app. This is an application that brings this entire gamification reality to the fingertips of drivers and their managers. This adds a whole new element to coaching and tracking. The result is immediate and continuous driver feedback.
Drivers can now receive feedback in real time and correct certain behaviors that are considered dangerous. Likewise, positive habits can be encouraged and reinforced. It’s a new way to motivation and coach while also having access to trends across your fleet.
Why Gamification?
The whole point of gamification is to improve employee performance while using real-time feedback and goals. In trucking that could mean improving fuel efficiency and return on investment; improving safety, which could result in fewer accidents and overall maintenance costs; and overall improved productivity throughout the fleet and workplace.
But how much is too much? That’s the question that has been brought up in regards to the gamification of trucking. Meaning, at what point do the truckers become obsessive over all of the data that they lose track of other things. At what point does it become a distraction and actually begin to hurt safety or moral?
While improved performance in most categories would mean a “better” trucker, what happens to those who feel they don’t have a shot to rank high among their peers? Could it possibly have an adverse effect? We will soon find out….
In the meantime, it’s clear the industry is going to be more connected, tracked and monitored than ever before. And for now that seems like a positive thing.
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* photo from http://d2go.io/
