How to Build a Truly Effective Safe Driving Program for Your Fleet
Safe driving is paramount when you are operating a fleet trucking business. If any one of your employees is involved in an accident, it results in negative press and increased insurance rates.
There are also the chances that the other party may file a lawsuit against you or that the ruck is subject to downtime for repairs, which of course means lost productivity.
This is why a realistic safety program must be put into place before even opening your business. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
Safe Drivers
First, it does not matter how many safety features a truck has as if the operator is inherently unsafe, and there will be accidents. When you are hiring drivers, extensive background checks must be given to ensure there is no history of unsafe driving.
It would help if you also had them submit to drug testing like a mouth swab drug test before getting hired and random checks during the length of their employment. While this may seem like a burden, it actually helps retain employees who are serious about their profession and about being a valued part of the company.
Driver Training
When your team is finally put together, it is advised to put an operator training program into place. This gives the employees standard guidelines about federal and state laws and company rules. In addition, a training program makes sure everyone is on the same page.
Monitoring Equipment
One piece of equipment that should be on every truck is a dashcam. While many truckers assume that the employer only uses dashcams to monitor the employee, this belief couldn’t be farther from the truth.
While employee monitoring programs are quite useful, and in many circumstances, necessary, the real value of dashcams is when they can be used to prove that your employee is not liable in accident situations. The footage can be accessed by law enforcement to prove the innocence of the driver. They can also result in lower insurance premiums when installed on each vehicle. Make sure to review the dashcam guides from this site Samsara to evaluate which models would be best suited for you.
Maintaining the Vehicle
Of course, all the safe driving habits in the world are no defense against a truck that is in terrible condition. However, by keeping your trucks on a regular maintenance schedule and having them inspected before and after each trip, you ensure the trucks are physically safe for the operator to use.
Safe driving program: incentives
Everybody loves a reward, and truck drivers are no exception. As a result, many trucking companies offer a reward-based system that incentivizes great driving behavior. Some popular options include cash bonuses or increased vacation time. While safe driving behavior should be par for the course with any good worker, offering incentives is just a professional way to show your team that you value their time and effort that they put into the job they do.
