From punishment to performance: How Southeast Asia’s fleet operators are rethinking driver coaching

Why fleet safety in Southeast Asia requires a more responsive approach

Fleet operators across Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines work in varied and demanding road environments. Dense urban traffic, busy logistics corridors and growing last-mile delivery networks can create multiple sources of risk during a single shift.

The World Health Organization reports Open in new window that approximately 1.16 million people die in road traffic crashes each year. It also identifies speeding and distracted driving as significant contributors to crash risk. Drivers using mobile phones are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash, while every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in fatal crash risk.

For commercial fleets, these risks can affect more than individual drivers. They can also lead to vehicle downtime, insurance costs, missed deliveries, reputational damage and pressure on fleet managers.

This makes the central question clear: how can operators improve driver safety in fleet management without creating a culture based only on surveillance and punishment?

Why retrospective driver safety management falls short

A traditional approach to driver safety management often follows the same pattern:

1. A camera or telematics device records an event.
2. A manager reviews the footage later.
3. The driver is asked to explain what happened.
4. The organisation issues a warning or takes corrective action.

This process can be useful for investigating serious events. However, it does not give drivers feedback when they can still change their behaviour.

It can also make coaching feel like an exercise in fault-finding. Drivers may feel that monitoring is being used against them rather than as a tool to support safer driving.

Managers face a different challenge. When every speeding event, harsh brake or near miss generates a manual review, high volumes of alerts can make it difficult to identify the events that require immediate attention.

A more effective fleet safety strategy separates real-time intervention from manager-led coaching. Drivers receive timely feedback for lower-severity events, while managers focus their attention on patterns and incidents that need further discussion.

How to improve driver safety in fleet management with real-time feedback

The most effective time to address risky behaviour is often as it occurs, rather than days later in a review meeting.

Edge AI technology in devices such as the Geotab GO Focus Plus processes video directly on the device. When the system detects events such as tailgating, lane departure, distracted driving or harsh braking, it can deliver an immediate verbal alert in the cab.

This gives the driver an opportunity to respond in the moment. The intervention is brief, specific and connected to the behaviour itself.

For higher-severity events that require manager attention, automated workflows can route the relevant video clip directly to the driver for self-review before a coaching conversation takes place. This provides context for the discussion and gives drivers an opportunity to reflect on the event beforehand.

The result is a clearer feedback loop:

• Detect the behaviour.
• Alert the driver where appropriate.
• Escalate higher-severity events.
• Review the relevant evidence.
• Coach against a shared understanding of what happened.

How fleet telematics supports driver behaviour monitoring in Southeast Asia

Fleet telematics provides the data infrastructure for a more consistent safety programme. It can bring together information such as:

• Vehicle location and trip history
• Harsh braking and acceleration
• Speeding events
• Collision-related data
• Idling duration
• Video evidence
• Driver safety scores

Individually, these data points show what happened. When analysed over time, they can help reveal where and when risk is more likely to occur.

For example, a fleet manager might identify repeated harsh braking on a particular route, speeding events during the final hour of a shift or different risk patterns between vehicle types. These insights can help managers address the conditions surrounding risky behaviour rather than treating every event as an isolated incident.

This is the practical value of reducing fleet risk with telematics. The goal is not to create another dashboard of alerts. It is to help managers prioritise risk, identify patterns and choose the right coaching response.

Aerotrans demonstrates the value of fleet safety coaching

Aerotrans, the ground transport provider for the Garuda Indonesia Group, operates more than 700 vehicles across Indonesia. The organisation adopted Geotab in September 2024 to gain greater visibility across its operations.

Before using Geotab, Aerotrans had limited insight into driver behaviour and found it difficult to identify where risk was accumulating. The company now uses telematics data to monitor vehicle activity, driver behaviour, maintenance and fuel usage.

Since adopting Geotab, Aerotrans has reported the following improvements:

• An 89% safety ranking
• A 61% improvement in predicted collision rate per kilometre
• A 57% reduction in harsh braking events
• 66% fewer acceleration spikes
• A 22% reduction in idling duration

“Before Geotab, our visibility of the fleet was very limited. Now, we can monitor our vehicles in real time. Since adopting the system, we have also seen a significant improvement in safety performance.”

— Hermawan, Chief of Transport Operation Control Centre, Aerotrans

These results illustrate how a fleet safety telematics solution can help connect visibility, driver feedback and safety management. They should be understood as Aerotrans’s reported results, rather than a guaranteed outcome for every fleet.

What to look for in fleet management software

Fleet management software should help operators move from isolated event reviews to a repeatable safety process.

When comparing platforms, fleet operators should consider whether the software provides:

Geotab fleet management software combines vehicle data, driver behaviour information, reporting and coaching workflows in one platform. GO Focus Plus can add video-based safety capabilities for fleets that need visual context around selected events.

Operators assessing the business case can also use the Fleet ROI Calculator to explore potential opportunities across safety, fuel and maintenance.

How to build a driver coaching programme for fleet operators

A driver coaching programme does not need to begin with a complete policy overhaul. It can start with a clear process and measurable baseline.

1.Establish a behavioural baseline

Use fleet telematics to measure current patterns, such as:

• Harsh braking
• Speeding
• Acceleration
• Idling
• Distracted driving
• Collision-related events

The baseline gives managers a reference point for identifying priorities and tracking change over time.

2. Give feedback at the point of risk

Use real-time in-cab alerts where they are appropriate for the event and operating context. Reserve manager-led reviews for higher-severity incidents, repeated patterns or events that require additional investigation.

Where suitable, route video to drivers for self-review before a formal coaching conversation. This can help ensure that the discussion begins with shared evidence.

3. Link performance to recognition

A safety programme should not focus only on poor scores or flagged events. Recognition can also acknowledge improvement, consistent safe behaviour and constructive participation in coaching.

The exact framework will vary by organisation. The important principle is to make safety performance visible and give drivers a clear understanding of how improvement is recognised.

For more detail on measuring driver performance, see Geotab’s Driver Safety Scorecards white paper

Conclusion

Improving fleet safety in Southeast Asia requires more than collecting footage after an incident. Operators need a process that helps identify risky behaviour, provide timely feedback and focus manager attention where it can have the greatest value.

Fleet telematics supplies the data. Fleet management software turns that data into scores, alerts and workflows. A structured driver coaching programme then helps teams use those insights consistently.

Aerotrans’s reported results show how this approach can support measurable safety improvements in an Indonesian fleet. For other operators, the starting point is a clear baseline, a practical coaching process and a system that supports drivers before risk becomes an incident.

Next step: Build a more proactive safety programme

Read the guide, Stop watching footage, start driving results, to learn how fleet operators can move from reactive video review to more proactive driver safety coaching.