Pharma and medical sales reps have a tough job that requires a lot of time being spent on the road. Jobs that require people to spend a lot of their time behind the wheel certainly have their perks, but there are also difficulties, and, obviously, safety is an issue when you are spending a lot of time driving. It is said that the average driver covers 20,000 miles on the road each year while sales reps cover at least 10,000 more, so what are a few tips that will help Pharma and medical sales reps when it comes to driving?
Obtain Medical Sales Fleet Training
Medical sales fleet training will teach you the best practices for safe driving and help to improve your driving performance. Even a confident driver can have dips in their performance or feel stressed when logging many hours on the road, but specialist training will help to improve your behavior and abilities behind the wheel so that you can stay alert and safe at all times.
Carry Out Basic Maintenance
Every motorist should be conducting basic car maintenance throughout the year, but this is particularly important for those that spend more time on the road than an average driver. Covering 30,000+ miles each year can take its toll on the vehicle, which could impact the car’s performance, efficiency, and safety. You should get the vehicle serviced annually, but there are also maintenance tasks that you can do yourself. This includes:
- Changing the engine oil
- Replacing the air filters
- Checking the tire tread
- Topping up tire pressure
- Washing and cleaning the interior and exterior
Look After Yourself
When you have to spend many hours behind the wheel, and for long periods, it can be easy to neglect your health and well-being. Professional drivers that cover many miles annually need to make a concerted effort to look after their well-being both while driving and in their free time. While driving, you should take regular breaks and ensure that you do not go hungry or thirsty. In your free time, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle and make sure that you are getting enough rest and sleep each night.
Make The Vehicle Comfortable
Finally, you need to make sure that the vehicle is comfortable. It is hard to settle in behind the wheel when you have an uncomfortable driving seat, or the car is filled with rubbish. It is worth spending time and money getting the vehicle set up so that it is comfortable and you can enjoy spending time behind the wheel, including having the technology available to improve your driving experiences, such as a GPS, dash cam, and stereo system.
Hopefully, these tips will come in useful for any medical sales rep that spends a significant amount of time on the road. While there are perks to a role like this, there are also challenges and difficulties when you have to spend so much time behind the wheel, and it is important to know how to manage.
