How to Detect and Stop Your Truck Drivers from Moonlighting in Your Fleet Business
Detect and stop your truck drivers from moonlighting in your fleet business by adopting a comprehensive and sophisticated fleet platform. By having this, you’ll be able to clearly detect any inconsistencies and back up the evidence you present when you approach your moonlighting driver.
Over the years, side-hustle ventures have grown exponentially, leaving fleet owners in quite a bind. Research by Frost & Sullivan shows that exploring the benefits of a fleet system, like GPS monitoring and fuel accountability, can reduce unauthorised vehicle use by as much as 35%. This directly tackles the hidden costs that often arise from employees engaging in side gigs with company resources.
Don’t be left facing a ‘blind spot’. Get a better understanding of moonlighting, understand how to combat it (especially when it involves your company assets), and see how Cartrack can help you effectively address it.
How do I address moonlighting by my truck drivers?
You address moonlighting by your truck drivers by remaining calm, being professional, and refraining from an accusatory tone in your approach. Always collect all the evidence before approaching the driver, remind them of the policies in place, be strict about reinforcement, and give them a chance to speak for themselves.
If moonlighting drivers are using the company’s assets or vehicles for their side gigs, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. At the same time, as a manager or owner, it’s important to remain mindful of the fact that some employees might be doing this out of necessity or financial need.
To stop (or better control) moonlighting, you can:
- review and renegotiate your driver’s salary to encourage them to stay loyal to your company, while offering growth opportunities,
- require that drivers disclose their other jobs in writing, and
- ensure that your policies and contracts are clear about not allowing/having strict boundaries regarding moonlighting.
From a legal perspective, you can:
- launch a formal investigation and give the driver a warning or initiate the process of termination, depending on the level of violation of policies,
- put together a performance plan if you intend to retain your driver, and
- ensure you’re in line with local labour laws and not unfairly dismissing your driver.
What is moonlighting?
Moonlighting is when an employee has another job or ‘side hustle’, other than their primary job. This is usually to make more money and is often done after the hours of their 9-to-5. Most people moonlight in order to meet the demands of rising costs, especially post-pandemic, but some even do it to fulfil passions and dreams.
Some examples of moonlighting include a driver working as an e-hailing driver in the evenings after their primary job, or an employee who takes freelancing gigs outside of work hours.
Are there different types of moonlighting?
Yes, there are four different types of moonlighting. When referring to side gigs or side hustles, it’s typically things like consulting, freelancing, odd jobs, e-commerce, and starting a new business venture.
The four types of moonlighting are as follows:
- 🌑Full moonlighting: This is when an employee is spending a great deal of time on their second job or side hustle, so much so that it might compromise their primary job. This second job could also be full-time, but this isn’t always the case. The side hustle might require just as much energy & dedication as the primary job, leading to an employee who’s burnt out and inattentive.
- 🌗Half moonlighting: This is when an employee works on their side hustle but isn’t giving as much time and effort as full moonlighting. It still requires a lot of time & dedication and could possibly cause an issue. Again, employees often do this to earn extra so that their needs (rent, food, and bills) are met.
- 🌖Quarter moonlighting: This is when an employee works on their side hustle after hours, but it doesn’t impact their ability to do their primary job. This is also an approach that many moonlighters take as a means to boost what is perhaps a low source of primary income. You’d see this with employees who maybe freelance in addition to their primary job.
- 🔵Blue moonlighting: This is when an employee takes on another job or side gig, but it’s not necessarily because they’re unhappy with the amount of money earned from the primary job. They’re likely taking on this gig because they aren’t feeling fulfilled in their primary work. This type of moonlighting usually doesn’t interfere with the primary job.
What are the ethics behind moonlighting?
The ethics behind moonlighting are quite a heavy topic of discussion, with talks circling the matter of employees and their ability to freely do what they want in their own time. Simultaneously, you as the manager or employer have every right to be concerned about conflicts of interest, whether the moonlighting will affect the work your employee does for you or if your assets are being used.
Your drivers might argue that they’re free to do whatever they like in their own time or grow their skillsets, especially when considering the ever-rising costs of living. But if they haven’t disclosed or are using your company’s resources in their own time without permission, it’s unethical no matter which way you look at it. You have every right to take action.
Ultimately, the best way to manage any moonlighting situation is to work by the book, be as transparent as possible, and ensure that your policies are totally clear. Transparency is the best direction to take, whether it’s from you as a manager or from the employee. If a professional conversation can take place, then there can be a sense of trust.
HR professionals argue that clear policies on regulating moonlighting could be the best route to take, rather than banning it completely. But, if your company takes the complete-ban route, don’t leave space for confusion or misunderstanding. Ensure your policies are airtight and your contracts clearly state that moonlighting is not allowed.
Is there a difference between ‘personal use’ and ‘moonlighting’?
Yes, there’s a difference between ‘personal use’ and ‘moonlighting’. One is usually done for the purpose of commercial/financial gain. In the case of drivers who’re using company assets, ‘personal use’ suggests the vehicle is being used for something small and particular, like driving to the shops. ‘Moonlighting’ suggests that the vehicle is being used to make money, but in the employee’s personal capacity.
What are the financial implications of the ‘side job’?
The financial implications of the ‘side job’ usually centre heavily around the wear & tear, insurance, employee burnout, and (most importantly) brand reputation. Unfortunately, there are rarely positive outcomes for you as the primary employer, so it’s important to understand what the potential implications are.
Let’s look at these further:
- Wear & tear: This is one of the major tangible costs for your business. If your driver is using your company’s vehicle outside of working hours, it’s likely that those vehicles will have to be serviced or repaired more often. Not only does this add to maintenance costs, but it also depreciates the vehicle’s value.
- Insurance: If any incident occurs while your driver is using your company vehicle, and you plan on putting in a claim, then you might be out of luck. If your insurer finds that the incident or accident took place while your driver was moonlighting on their own time, they likely won’t cover it. What’s worse? There’s a good chance your company will still be included if this escalates into a court matter.
- Employee burnout: When your employees are full or half moonlighting, this could massively impact their output during their work hours for your business. This means they’re coming to work exhausted and unfocused, which means they’re not doing their work to the best of their ability. As drivers, this is a big no-no, especially because exhaustion could mean dangerous consequences.
- Brand reputation: If your driver is using your vehicle for their own side gigs and something happens, i.e., they do a poor job or they behave badly on the roads, then it’s your company’s brand name that’s on the line.
What can Cartrack do to help you address moonlighting in your fleet?
Cartrack can provide you with a comprehensive fleet platform that has everything you need to identify and stop moonlighting in your fleet. From detailed reports to immediate alerts, you’ll have everything you need to investigate efficiently and approach your drivers with confidence. If there are policies and rules around moonlighting, especially with company vehicles, you have to approach this carefully.
With Cartrack’s FleetWeb, our GPS tracking and telematics carefully track the movement of each fleet vehicle. You can monitor the whereabouts of your vehicles, seeing any route deviations and improper use. You can also export detailed reports, which will reflect oddities in vehicle use, show longer driving hours, and so much more.
You can set up automated alerts for almost anything to suit your operational needs. In this case, you can get alerted to after-hours vehicle use or even movement in and out of company-set geofenced areas. Fuel monitoring is another way to carefully monitor your drivers; thanks to our fuel probes, you can keep track of fuel use and identify strange patterns or fluctuations.
Our AI-powered camera solutions won’t only catch drivers using the vehicles outside of work hours, but they’ll also detect events like signs of exhaustion (which is typical of moonlighting drivers) or the presence of unauthorised passengers. Our DiD tags, with unique IDs for each driver, also keep track of which drivers are using which vehicles and when.
Final takeaways: Finding a balance between control and trust
We understand that wanting to detect and stop moonlighting is more about safeguarding your business and resources, rather than just being Big Brother. But, with the help of the right tools and platform, you can stay in control and handle moonlighting professionally, even nipping it in the bud before it costs you more than it already has.
Cartrack’s solutions can help you communicate better and let your drivers understand the ‘why’ behind moonlighting policies. When you’ve made your policies strict & clear for your drivers, you can manage and stop drivers from moonlighting, especially with company assets.
Protect your business, conserve your resources, and minimise your liability by keeping improper vehicle use at bay. Book a demo today to see how our solutions can give you total fleet visibility.
