Did you know that traffic related motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of work-related fatalities? Are you doing all you should in terms of fleet safety? Do you know what makes up an effective fleet safety program? In this article, I’ll attempt to summarize what an effective fleet safety program consists of and how you can go about implementing one.

There are six components of an effective fleet safety program. They are: (1) Management Support (2) Driver Selection & Qualification (3) Driver Training (4) Supervision (5) Vehicle Maintenance and (6) Accident Investigation.

Let’s start with management support. I’ve found that, if management doesn’t either make the commitment, or provide their support, the program is destined to fail. First and foremost, you must have a policy statement in which you clearly state the mission of the fleet safety program. This document will be more than a simple piece of paper. It should set the expectations you have for all of your drivers, and clearly state the repercussions should they decide not to follow the program. This is the single most important part of the entire program. As stated above, without management’s support, it will fail, guaranteed!

Driver selection and qualifications are another important factor in the program. Simply stated, you need to make sure you are hiring the right person for the job. Is the job understood by the applicant? What does the job entail? Are there any physical qualifications for the position? Are there any federal regulations that need to be adhered to? Is there a gap in employment that needs to be investigated further?

You will want to make sure each and every driver fills out an application. The application will ask about prior driving experience. They should also sign a form informing them that you will be ordering their driving record from the RMV, and that their job is contingent upon a favorable driving record (among other factors). You’ll want to make sure there is a section about obtaining a drug test and what specifically you will be testing for. Lastly, make sure you check references.

The next component is driver training. Driver training takes several forms. The first thing you should do is find out what kind of training your insurance carrier provides. In most cases, the carrier won’t provide individual training to all of your drivers, but they will provide training to the employee(s) you have designated to run your fleet safety program. In effect, they train the trainer, who in turn, trains your drivers.

The carrier might employ a training concept called “commentary class.” This training consists of part school and part on the road. The employee spends time in an informal classroom setting, and then applies the concepts he/she has learned to a real life road test. The trainer sits in the passenger seat with a scorecard and takes notes to make sure the trainee is verbalizing appropriate defensive driving decisions. If you use a leasing company for your fleet, you might find that the leasing company provides similar services.

In Massachusetts, the Mass Safety Council provides driver training. You can either arrange for them to come to your place of business, or you can go visit them at their headquarters. Among other things, they’ll provide 4 hour defensive driver training classes and post accident follow up classes. They also have a “skid school” where you can practice skid control in a controlled environment, if you so chose.

Supervision is the fourth component. This can be tricky because very few companies can provide full-time supervision. Most people have seen the “how’s my driving” bumper stickers on the backs of vehicles. Have you ever wondered how it works? Say for instance, a fellow motorist notices erratic driving by one of your drivers. He/she calls the number on the decal and then reports to the operator what is happening with that specific vehicle. The operator then provides your company with the details on the incident. Then, your driver supervisor reviews the report, discusses with the driver, and they report back to the provider with the steps taken to address the infraction.

These programs allow for immediate feedback, and allow you to pick up any trends. Are the same drivers continually being tagged? There is a psychological component to this technology as well. Drivers are very aware of the decal, and end up being better drivers because they know “big brother” is watching.

Another new technology being used (sparingly, because of cost), is something called Driver Cam. A camera (with a gyroscope) is mounted behind the rearview mirror, and it simultaneously shoots forward and into the cab. In the event of an accident, it will record the 10 seconds before and after the crash to see what was going on both in the cab, and in front of the vehicle. The camera then sends the video back to Driver Cam where they analyze it and then send the results back to your company. As mentioned above, it is expensive (approximately $400 each), but extremely effective.

The fifth component is vehicle maintenance. They tell us that 98% of accidents are caused by human error. Proper vehicle maintenance (and documentation) is a must. Your drivers should have a vehicle inspection checklist and do daily inspections. It is very important, if you have mechanics, to make sure they are properly trained for the equipment they are repairing. Just like a carpenter, a driver is only going to be as good as his equipment. Poorly maintained equipment is an accident waiting to happen.

The last component to an effective fleet safety program is accident investigation. You can do items 1-5 perfectly but what good is it if you don’t analyze the specific reasons for the accident? What were the lessons learned? Could the accident have been prevented? Should there be any punishment meted out? If there is punishment, be consistent and don’t play favorites.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies don’t take fleet safety seriously until they get a non- renewal notice from their insurance carrier informing them of an impending cancellation due to poor losses. Don’t let this be you! By being proactive, and having a formal plan in place, you make yourself look a lot more attractive to an insurance company and it will show in their pricing. Remember, insurance companies aren’t in the business of losing money and they won’t hesitate to drop you if they don’t believe you’re serious about safety.

If you would like information on obtaining a free, written fleet safety manual contact Chris Sheppard of Smith Buckley & Hunt.