The problem of being able to attract good drivers always drills down to costs. You attract better drivers if you pay well.

Then of course, there is the ongoing threat of good drivers being poached by international companies. This is according to Toni Fritz, Head of Vehicle and Asset Finance – Business at Standard Bank.

Fritz says that transport companies should consider creating their own pool of skilled drivers. While vehicle manufacturers and a number of private companies offer driver training in South Africa, it is not enough to solve the challenges faced by the industry.

“Addressing the driver training issue effectively will require public – private collaboration. This would entail creating an academy and making sure that the model is backed and funded equally by multiple suppliers. We need to come together and create an academy that will offer training and accreditation solutions to the industry as a whole,” she adds.

Developing good drivers requires changing driver behaviour. “We have found that incentive programmes can a go long way in driving good behaviour within organisations,” she adds.

Telematics also come in handy when tracking good behaviour, but often at a cost. Fritz says investing in good telematics is what transport companies should look at doing to attract, help record, monitor and incentivise good drivers.