According to Travelers Insurance, nearly 90% of Americans say that they will be going on vacation this coming Summer. This means that as a fleet manager you and your fleets will have to contend with a lot of extra traffic on the road during the hot, muggy days of summer. But congestion isn’t the only problem that is endemic to summer traffic. Hot weather driving presents a whole set of challenges for fleet driving as well as for all other types of driving. Our GPS technology can provide your company with distracted driving solutions, but there are other challenges to summer driving for which you should be prepared. Here are just a few tips for safer summer driving.

• Prepare your vehicle for the heat: Before your fleet starts out, be sure to check each vehicle’s radiator, pressure cap, belts, and hoses to make sure there are no cracks, leaks, cuts, etc. Also be sure to test headlights, break lights, batteries, coolant/anti-freeze levels and batteries.
• Make sure your A/C is working: Don’t take for granted that your air conditioner will be working during a sweltering heat wave.
• Pack and emergency kit: Be sure that each vehicle contains an emergency kit including items like flashlights, jumper cables, first aid kit, non-perishable food and water, etc.
• Manage glare and heat: Make sure that you have a pair of sunglasses handy to shield yourself against the glare of the sun and/or use your visor on your windshield. Also, travel with plenty of water to handle the summer heat.
• Anticipate summer storms: Even the best prepared motorist can occasionally run into summer storms. Keep a weather app or radio handy to check conditions and be prepared for slippery roads and sudden downpours.
• Share the road: As we said at the beginning of this post, warmer weather means more traffic and congestion on the road. Be on the lookout for motorcyclists, bicycles and remember that they too are entitled to the roadways.
• Summer Tread: Remove the winter tires on your truck and replace them with summer tires. Summer tires have a shorter sidewall and a less-aggressive tread. You may also wish to equip your fleet with all-weather tires to avoid the trouble of making the transition from winter to summer tires.

Of course, in addition to all this our GPS technology also helps to make your fleets transition smoothly from winter to summer driving. We do this by customizing our tech solutions to every business so that you can get the maximum benefit from GPS Routing, tracking and port sharing. Enjoy your summer driving and may your fleets be safe and your company profitable.

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