Key Elements of a Commercial Fleet Safety Program
No matter how many or what type of vehicles are in your organization, a written fleet safety program is an important part of your company’s risk management efforts. Transportation-related incidents were the leading cause of occupational fatalities in 2022, accounting for 37.7% of work-related deaths.
The Importance of a Fleet Safety Program: What It Is and Why Your Company Needs One
A fleet safety program outlines the necessary policies and procedures to help create a safe working environment for employees. Developing a comprehensive written program is crucial for the proper selection, training and monitoring of drivers, which helps ensure their safety.
Additionally, a well-documented fleet safety program helps with efforts to ensure that company policies are followed in a uniform, consistent manner with a goal of:
- Reducing vehicle incidents
- Limiting operational disruptions
- Mitigating liability risks related to negligent entrustment
Seven Essential Elements of a Fleet Safety Program
Consider implementing these recommended elements of a formal fleet safety program:
- Management Commitment: Your fleet policy should state management’s commitment to providing a safe working environment for employees when operating vehicles as part of their job duties.
- Driver Screening and Vetting: A fleet safety program is only as strong as the drivers hired by your company. To assist with effective hiring efforts, all drivers should undergo a formal screening process. This process should include employees who operate company autos, personal autos, or rental vehicles for business purposes. This screening and vetting process should include, but not be limited to, the use of written applications, in person interviews, road tests and a motor vehicle record (MVR) review.
- New Hire Onboarding Program: All new hires who will operate vehicles as part of their job duties should undergo an onboarding process that includes documented classroom and hands-on driver training in addition to a review of company fleet policies, including:
- Safe driving expectations
- Distracted driving and cellphone use
- Incident reporting policy
- Vehicle maintenance practices
- Personal use policy (if applicable)
- Ongoing Driver Training Program: Drivers should receive periodic safety training. Topics to consider covering during these discussions include a review of company incident trends and actions to take to reduce these loss exposures, seasonal driving safety tips and general defensive driving best practices.
- Vehicle Telematics Management: If your company has invested in vehicle telematics, it is important to have a program in place to educate your drivers on how this technology is used to monitor their driver behaviors and how collected data is utilized to help improve vehicle safety within your organization. Establishing a designated individual or team to manage this process and conducting scheduled performance reviews with drivers is a key part of this program.
- Vehicle Maintenance: To help maintain proper working vehicles and reduce the potential of a vehicle incident, a formal vehicle maintenance program is recommended. Vehicles should be placed on a preventative maintenance program that is tracked by an assigned individual or team to ensure scheduled maintenance is performed in a timely manner. All vehicle maintenance efforts should be documented. Consider using Pre and post-Trip checks to track vehicle conditions.
- Incident Investigation and Remedial/Discipline Programs: All vehicle incidents should undergo a formal investigation with the goal of identifying the root cause and identifying corrective actions. If applicable, remedial training and/or disciple actions should be taken as a result of the investigation findings.
