Posted inPMV

Al-Futtaim Logistics on putting drivers first

Johan Alberts outlines the importance of skilled and motivated drivers

Al-Futtaim Logistics on putting drivers first
Al-Futtaim Logistics on putting drivers first

As general manager of corporate transportation at Al-Futtaim Logistics, Johan Alberts certainly knows a thing or two about fleet management. The 220 buses for which he is responsible carry a total of 25,000 people approximately 43,000km across the length and breadth of the UAE every day.

Naturally, corporate transportation on this scale requires a fleet of robust vehicles, but it also demands a cohort of highly skilled and motivated drivers.

“We try to be proactive as far as safety is concerned,” Alberts told PMV.

“When it comes to driver performance, we look at harsh braking, harsh acceleration, and of course, speeding. This is not confined to highway driving; Al-Futtaim Logistics’ vehicle management system is context-sensitive in the sense that it can detect speeding on any road,” he explained.

This information is not a resource used occasionally to review the performance of Al-Futtaim Logistics’ corporate transportation drivers. Such feedback represents a vital, daily tool for Alberts and his colleagues.

“A vehicle management system is only effective if used regularly,” he explained.

“Every morning, we report performance statistics to our team of operations staff. We also employ a weekly scorecard system to identify the driver with the least errors. A number of our employees score 100% on a regular basis,” he revealed.

In addition, Al-Futtaim Logistics conducts monthly training sessions to engender safe and defensive driving techniques amongst its workforce. Even so, Alberts points out that competence only represents part of the story when it comes to driver performance.

“We work very hard to develop highly motivated work groups, and I think that our driver retention levels prove that we have been successful in this respect” he said. “Al-Futtaim Logistics’ Corporate Transportation division employs over 220 drivers, and the resignation rate is less than 2%. This is compared to the industry average of between 10% and 20%,” Alberts concluded.