If you’ve ever dealt with an accident in your fleet, you know that it is a costly, time-consuming, emotional endeavor that you never want to repeat. However, you can’t be in the passenger seat of all your vehicles at once, and you can’t watch your drivers every second of the day. How can you ensure that they are exhibiting safe driving behaviors? This is why you need a fleet safety program for your fleet.
What is a fleet safety program? It is a formal outline of policies and procedures that ensure a safe working environment for employees while protecting against liability from vehicle accidents. Of course, you can never guarantee that an accident will never happen, but you can significantly reduce their frequency with a fleet safety program.
Elements of a Fleet Safety Program
A fleet safety program must be comprehensive to work effectively for your business. You must keep it up to date and incorporate it into your business’s safety culture. If you do a thorough job of setting up your safety program, you should find success in reducing accidents. These are some things to consider when creating your fleet safety program.
Identify Your Drivers
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it may come as a surprise how many people are behind the wheel of your business’s vehicles. When you include personal and rented vehicles used for fleet business, you may have a broader range of drivers than you once thought. Identify each driver in your business so you know where to start.
Get Commitment From Management
Getting any policy or program off the ground requires full support along the chain of command. Otherwise, it becomes impossible to enforce. Ensure you get buy-in from your drivers’ leaders and supervisors when putting together your fleet program, and obtain their input along the way.
Driver Screening
Your team is the backbone of your fleet, so you want it to be solid and stable. Vet drivers to ensure they have the proper safety certifications and good driving records. Ensure you've established clear hiring standards and implemented a thorough screening process.
Driver Training
Driver training is critical when you first hire a new team member, but it’s also essential throughout a driver’s career with your business. Regular training keeps information fresh, and drivers should have access to information on safe driving techniques and strategies at all times.
Management of Drivers
Properly managing drivers with tools and technology is vital to ensuring they follow the policies and procedures you set in place. Using telematics, dashcams, and other such technology solutions will help you set your drivers up for success.
Management of Accidents
Sometimes, accidents will occur despite your best efforts. To save money in the event of an accident, it is critical to act quickly. You must understand your risk to prevent future accidents.
Establish Written Policies and Procedures
Your drivers need to know what you expect of them at all times. Making clear guidelines helps them better navigate their day-to-day while keeping them safe on the road.
Create a Plan for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance
For drivers to be safe, vehicles must also be in their best shape. That’s why they should be regularly inspected to prevent unexpected breakdowns or malfunctions on the road.
Get the Best in Fleet Safety Technology
When you’re looking to keep your fleet safe, there’s no one better than Azuga. Azuga offers technology solutions like telematics, dashcams, and GPS tracking that help you gain visibility into your fleet. Try a demo of our software and see for yourself what it can do.
