When accidents occur, the damage is not merely to your vehicles. Accidents can also mean hefty fines, insurance premiums going up, and a stain on your reputation – not to mention the risk of injury or death to your drivers and others on the road.
As a fleet manager, it is critical that you make safety your top priority. It is both the right thing to do and essential to your bottom line.
The following are a few things you can do to help ensure that your fleet is a safe one.
Train your drivers
Your fleet is only as safe as your least trained driver. It is important to invest in training to help ensure that your drivers are not involved in avoidable accidents. By encouraging active participation and even offering incentives, you can engage your drivers in making safety a priority.
Keep your vehicles well-maintained
It is not only your drivers that need to be safe but also your vehicles. If there is a mechanical problem while a vehicle is on the road, it can increase the risk that an accident will occur. And in most cases, these types of incidents are preventable. In fact, by some estimates up to 85% of defects can be detected during a walkaround check.
Additionally, it is important to keep your vehicles up to date with the regularly scheduled maintenance.
Set up an accident review group
Unfortunately, not all accidents can be avoided, so you need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. This means setting up an accident review procedure which includes:
- Review of each incident to determine liability.
- Review of each incident to determine driver error and provide follow-up training as needed.
- A risk management program aimed at helping you to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Ensure efficient communication
Once you have a safety program in place, it is important to communicate it effectively throughout your company. Rules must be established on how the program will be distributed to managers and drivers and follow-up communications should be distributed occasionally to help keep safety front and centre for the entire team.
Use tech to monitor driver behavior and report events
The use of technology can be incredibly helpful in accurately determining exactly what happened to cause an accident. Furthermore, it can be used to monitor driver behavior, pick up on bad habits for training purpose; and for rewarding good habits.
If you are interested in learning more about fleet management software that can help you improve the safety of your fleet, contact Trux Solutions today!
