Workplace driving safety is a serious matter, and one that people often don’t think about enough. People talk a lot about safety on the highway, but relatively little about workplace driving safety. In fact, there are thousands of accidents caused in the workplace every year due to poorly managed vehicles, and the subject deserves greater attention.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of maintaining workplace driving safety, and describe measures you should take to ensure greater safety for drivers in the workplace.
The Importance of Workplace Driving Safety
Workplace driving safety is important for many reasons. Crashes while driving to work are the biggest cause of death in the workplace in the US. Many employers do not require their drivers to have commercial driving licenses (CDLs), which should be required to drive a company fleet. And there are often specific types of commercial licenses that are required for particular vehicles. Negligence and poor adherence to rules are also causes of frequent accidents.
When individual drivers neglect proper workplace protocols, it creates an atmosphere of negligence throughout entire companies. Employers need to keep drivers aware of company policies at all times to ensure that they remain alert and that all team members are focused while driving.
Strategies for Maintaining Workplace Driving Safety
There are specific strategies that employers and drivers should employ to maintain workplace driving safety.
Conduct Regular Fleet Maintenance
If you are the owner of a business that uses commercial vehicles, you should have a schedule of regular fleet inspections. Vehicles can break down with continued usage, so it is important to inspect them on a regular basis to make sure their parts are in order. Brakes, tires, and other parts will all require maintenance at some point, so it is best to take care of them before problems arise. You should also keep records of your vehicle inspections.
Talk to drivers about anything they might need to make their drives safer. Having first-aid kits, water, and other emergency equipment in the car can be helpful in treating injuries when they occur.
Purchase the Right Insurance
Getting the right insurance for company drivers is essential. It is inevitable that some accidents will happen, regardless of how careful drivers are. So you should look up among different car insurance companies to ensure your drivers are covered with the best possible policies.
Commercial vehicle insurance can cover passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and other vehicles that might be used in the workplace. Insurance types include third-party insurance, which covers damages incurred on the road, as well as injury or death of the driver that is caused by a third party. Employers can also opt for comprehensive insurance, which covers injuries and damages regardless of the cause.
Make Sure Drivers Have the Right Licenses
As mentioned above, far too many workplaces hire drivers who do not have the right kind of license for the vehicles they drive. Aside from requiring CDLs from all drivers, employers must make sure that their drivers are fully licensed for each vehicle type that they might operate.
Commercial vehicle licenses are divided into three major categories: A, B, and C.
Drivers with a Class A license are authorized to drive tractor trailers, which include semi trucks and large trucks; truck/trailers; tankers; livestock carriers; and also B and C class vehicles.
Drivers with Class B licenses can operate trucks of a smaller size than those of type A holders. This includes straight trucks, box trucks, segmented and large buses, dump trucks, and a certain number of Class C vehicles.
Drivers with Class C licenses can operate small commercial vehicles. Technically, this means any vehicle that holds 17 people or more. This category applies to small buses and full-size vans, as well as large trailers and HazMat vehicles.
Fundamentally, the difference between the classes comes down to the weight of the vehicle. In addition to these major classes, there are licenses and certifications required for other types of specific vehicles. Employers must check state vehicle requirements to ensure that every driver is properly licensed for the vehicles they operate.
Maintain Regular Work Shifts
Just as truck drivers who have to drive across the country suffer from fatigue behind the wheel, so too can commercial drivers in other circumstances. Be sure that drivers maintain a regular driving schedule of a reasonable number of hours.
Also, schedule regular rest times for drivers. Driving continuously without breaks can cause drivers to lose focus and increase the possibility of having an accident.
Establish Specific Safety Instructions for Drivers
To make sure drivers maintain safe habits while driving, you should create a set of safety instructions. Distribute copies to all your drivers, and also have a copy visible at all times in the workplace. Instructions should include:
Wearing seat belts at all times
No use of phones or other devices while driving
Zero tolerance for alcohol or other substances that might impair judgment
100% adherence to driving laws in whatever district drivers are in
Polite behavior towards other drivers and pedestrians
You should enforce these rules as strictly as possible. Breaking a rule should be equivalent to breaking the law and should be penalized accordingly.
Maintain Policies for Cold Weather Driving
Driving in icy or dangerous weather presents its own problems. You should also establish policies for drivers when conditions become dangerous due to the cold. These include:
Always monitoring the forecast in advance and alerting drivers when bad weather is coming.
Consistently maintaining tire pressure and making sure that vehicles are equipped with the right kind of tires for dangerous weather.
Being consistent about the kind of tires that any given vehicle uses. Vehicles should either use radial tires or other types, not both.
Ensuring that drivers do not use cruise control when roads are slippery. This can cause tires to hydroplane and drivers to lose control.
Encouraging drivers to maintain regular speeds when driving on ice. Speeding up or slowing down suddenly can cause cars to skid.
Making sure that gas tanks are always more than half full when temperatures are below freezing. Gas lines run the risk of freezing if tanks become too empty.
Making sure that all vehicles are equipped with winter supplies, including ice scrapers, snow brushes, shovels, gloves, blankets, emergency flares, flashlights, windshield washing fluid, and chains.
Keep Track of Drivers’ Physical and Emotional Health
It is no secret that having outside problems can cause drivers to become distracted and increase the likelihood of accidents. While no one wants to miss work, if you feel that a driver’s condition is poor enough that they shouldn’t be driving, you should take them off their shift.
If a driver is going through a difficult emotional experience, they might take their aggression out on the road and cause problems with other drivers. Part of your driver training regime should involve dealing with emotions appropriately and maintaining concentration while driving. You should always emphasize the importance of social wellbeing in the workplace so that people are not afraid to talk about their problems and they can seek help when necessary.
Monitor Driver Performance and Keep Records on Each Driver
It is important to keep adequate track of employee performance so that you know when certain drivers are falling behind or need further training. Different technologies can be assistive with this.
Performance monitoring should include:
Keeping records from customers on driver performance, as well as any police citations that drivers might have incurred.
Conducting periodic monitoring of drivers. You can have a supervisor accompany your drivers to evaluate their driving and make suggestions when necessary.
Using a GPS tracking system. These systems will tell you whether drivers are observing speed limits and working as efficiently as possible.
Using other technological devices to check in with drivers. There are a wide range of technologies available now that can monitor employee performance in different ways.
Finding the right balance between monitoring and trust is important. You don’t want to be on top of your drivers all the time, because they will start to become nervous and defensive. You should show them that you trust them and treat them like adults, but also take the time to oversee their activities to make sure they are on track.
Incentivize Good Performance
Employee performance isn’t only dependent on fear of punishment. To keep your employees motivated, you should incentivize good performance by offering a regular rewards scheme. One way to do this is by providing a reward for clean driving records. Make it specific, like driving for six months without any incidents. If other drivers see that their colleagues are rewarded for good behavior, they will be more likely to follow suit.
Final Thoughts
The importance of maintaining workplace driver safety cannot be overstated. To prevent accidents from happening and maintain positive morale among a workforce, company owners need to create and enforce strict policies for drivers, including regular training regimes and supervision. They should also make efforts to create a positive atmosphere for their employees so that drivers are incentivized to do a good job and avoid accidents.
