EROAD and NZI have expanded their Safe Driving Rewards programme to include light commercial vehicle fleets for the first time, allowing eligible operators to receive an insurance excess waiver for safe driving performance.
The companies say the move marks a New Zealand first and expands a partnership that has operated for more than a decade in the heavy commercial fleet sector.
Under the programme, NZI-insured light commercial fleets using EROAD telematics technology can qualify for an excess waiver on driving loss claims if they rank in the top 25% of the country’s safest operators based on verified telematics data.
The programme is aimed at a sector representing more than 80% of New Zealand’s commercial vehicle population.
NZI executive general manager Garry Taylor says the programme has already delivered safety and financial benefits for heavy vehicle operators.
“NZI Safe Driving Rewards has proven its value with heavy fleets over the past decade and extending it to light commercial fleets means more businesses can benefit from safer driving,” Taylor says.
“It’s a clear example of the NZI Advantage in action – working with EROAD to reward good driver behaviour and improve road safety outcomes across New Zealand’s commercial vehicle sector.”
EROAD executive general manager Matt Gibson says the programme has already demonstrated measurable safety improvements.
“We’ve seen the real impact the programme has had on fleets in terms of reduced risk and improved driver behaviours, and we’re pleased to be bringing it to light fleet customers,” Gibson says.
“Rewarding safe driving behaviour is a powerful motivator and the tools we’ve built give fleet managers everything they need to act on it.”
Safety tools expanded
The EROAD Leaderboard forms the basis of the programme, benchmarking fleet safety performance against industry peers and national vehicle data.
To support the expansion, EROAD has launched a new Advanced Safety module for its EROAD Locate platform, providing access to:
- Vehicle Leaderboard rankings
- Speed reporting
- Harsh driving reporting
- Seatbelt compliance reporting
The company says the plug-and-play system is designed to provide a lower-cost entry point into telematics for light commercial operators.
How the programme works
Eligible fleets must use either an EROAD Locate Advanced Safety plan or an Ehubo2 Safe Driver plan.
Key features include:
- No joining fee
- Immediate activation without waiting for policy renewal
- Safety rankings based on verified telematics data
- Excess waivers for fleets ranked in the top 25% for safe driving in the 28 days before an accident
EROAD and NZI say the programme is designed to create a “feedback loop” where telematics data encourages safer driving, improves fleet rankings and delivers financial rewards through reduced insurance costs.
For more information, go to Safe Driving Rewards.
