1. YOUR DRIVERS
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When we debated this top 20, one colleague remarked that nominating drivers as the most powerful people in road transport is a cop-out. We don't think so, after all, without them, nothing would get moved.
Drivers are generally the second-highest operational cost for a transport business after fuel and how they drive helps determine how quickly that business's single biggest cost (fuel) mounts up.
Well trained and, dare we say it, incentivised drivers have immense power for good: they can save you money through reduced consumption of that oh-so-costly diesel, cut back on vehicle wear-and-tear, and improve safety records.
If they're committed to proper daily walk-round checks, they're helping you maintain your compliance record. Not only that, but they can act as great ambassadors for your business: they probably have more direct contact with customers or your customers' end-users than you do, and if they convey the right impression, your relationship with your customer is strengthened.
Also, drivers can have influence when they're out on the road: how carefully they drive, how well they behave, reflects well on the entire industry.
But of course, poorly trained, poorly managed drivers can cost you money through heavy right feet generating higher fuel costs and careless manoeuvring leading to damage to vehicles, and can sour your relationship with customers and Joe Public alike.
Drivers exert great influence over all transport operations in many ways, and thus we feel justified in naming them No.1 Power Player for 2009.