How to protect your business truck drivers 24/7

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When it comes to the success of your business, your truck drivers are crucial. And while you always hope product deliveries go smoothly, the road can be a dangerous place. Here are some tips for protecting your business truck drivers all day, every day.

Tips to protect your business truck drivers

1. Invest in safety technology

For commercial and passenger vehicles alike, technological innovations have come a long way in the past decades. And if you want your drivers to be as safe as possible, collision avoidance systems are well worth the cost. Even if you have older trucks without built-in safety features, you can purchase aftermarket systems to install in company vehicles.

Different collision avoidance systems have different features. Many of them offer lane departure warnings, cyclist and pedestrian warnings, forward collision warnings, and speed limit indicators. Some also have a feature called headway monitoring and warning. With this feature, a driver is alerted if they fail to maintain a safe distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them. Explore advanced safety solutions like HD Fleet’s dash camera system for a comprehensive approach to enhancing safety in your fleet.

2. Get the right insurance

Even the safest drivers can get involved in accidents. The right commercial trucking insurance will protect them (and your company) in the event of a wreck. However, you might not realise that insurance covers more than just accidents.

Most policies will cover you in the event of theft or vandalism. If your company operates refrigerated trucks, you can also purchase insurance to protect the refrigeration system and cover you if the product is damaged due to a refrigeration malfunction.

If you aren’t an insurance expert, choosing the right insurance for your company can be difficult. Make sure you consult with a trusted expert before making a selection. Insurance is often one of a business’s largest expenditures. It’s also one of the most critical.

3. Train your drivers

Truck drivers are experts in what they do, but even the most experienced trucker could use a refresher every now and then. To keep your drivers protected on the road, it’s a good idea to periodically offer training focussed on defensive driving.

While many defensive driving techniques stay the same no matter the type of vehicle you’re driving, some defensive driving techniques are especially important for truckers. One of the most important is blind spot awareness. Driver training doesn’t need to be difficult: even periodic, video-based refresher courses are often enough to make sure your drivers stay safe on the road.

4. Make sure drivers don’t drive while drowsy

When truck drivers are sleep-deprived, their risk of getting in an accident is much higher. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has hours of service regulations that specify how much time drivers may work in between rest periods.

Be sure that your drivers know about these guidelines and follow them. It’s also a good idea to use online tools or other types of management software to allow your drivers to track their trips and ensure that your company doesn’t commit any violations.

5. Allow extensions for weather

You and your drivers know the importance of shipping deadlines. However, in the event of real danger on the road, protect your drivers by offering some flexibility. For example, if there’s a major storm, make sure you make it clear to your drivers that it’s ok to pull over and wait out the weather. Your drivers’ lives are more important than a deadline!

6. Perform regular maintenance on all fleet vehicles

There are some places where businesses can cut corners. Vehicle maintenance is not one of them! If your company owns the trucks used by your drivers, make sure all routine maintenance is done on time and any needed repairs are made as soon as possible. If your drivers are owner-operators, ask them to submit proof of regular maintenance to make sure they stay safe on the road.

Bottom line

Your employees are one of your company’s biggest assets. Business truck drivers face more risk than the average employee each day, so it’s important to take extra steps to protect them. When you start by taking the steps above, your truck drivers will feel valued, and you can rest assured that your drivers and your products are safe on their journey.

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