When you have commercial autos for your business, it is important to focus on safety and security. There are several tips for you to follow with commercial autos which will ensure that your vehicles and your employees are safe throughout the year.
Driving Rules
There should be a few set driving rules that are enforced at all times:
- No cell phone use
- No intoxicants (drugs or alcohol)
- Mandatory seat belt use
It’s also a good idea to provide a full training session before any of your employees get behind the wheel of a company vehicle. The training should cover all of the driving rules in detail. In addition, as well as the consequences if they fail to follow the rules. Upon completion of the training, it is a good idea to have a signed statement indicating the employee understands the expectations. And thus, agree to safe driving protocols.
Limit Vehicle Use
Vehicles should only be used as needed. Try to limit business vehicle use to work-related travel. Some employees may use the same car for work and personal use, but this is typically a bad precedent to put into place.
Set realistic schedules for your employees to follow. If you create a schedule that doesn’t allow sufficient travel time between various locations, you are essentially asking employees to speed. Moreover, speeding will also increase the likelihood of a crash. Conversely, maintaining the speed limit will also help to keep fuel costs in line.
It is a good idea to encourage your employees to park in well lit, secure areas. Also, make sure that employees know to lock the vehicle whenever they are on the job.
Identify the Best Drivers
You are allowed to hire employees based on their driving skills. There are plenty of ways to conduct background checks to find out whether employees have had speeding tickets or crashes in the past. This step will help you to recognize safe drivers. You may not want to hire someone if they have a proven track record of disobeying traffic laws.
In the same vein, it can also be beneficial to create a program where you will recognize and reward safe drivers. When you can stay accident-free for extended periods of time, this is a cause for celebration. Consider establishing department-level rewards for going accident-free for a specific amount of time. You may be surprised by how cautious your employees are when they know that there is an incentive waiting for them.
Deal with an Accident Appropriately
No matter how safe your employees are, accidents do happen. You want to make sure that you have policies and procedures in place before an accident happens. It is important for your employees to know what to do in the event of an accident. For instance, ensure that they never leave the scene before the police arrived. All of the necessary information needs to be collected from the impacted parties as well as any present witnesses. You also need to make sure that they call the accident into a particular person or department at work.
Obtain the Right Insurance Policy
There are various forms of coverage that you can have on company vehicles. To clarify, this includes what is state-mandated, and also includes personal injury and property damage liability. You may also want to consider collision and comprehensive coverage so that you are better protected. When you have a higher level of coverage, you can minimize the cost impact that could occur if one of your employees gets into a car accident.In addition to the above tips to follow with commercial autos, have you read our article, “What would a lawsuit do to your business?” We answer many questions there. Please contact us with specific questions.
