Trucks

Tips for Selecting Safe Drivers for Your Business

Our agency is committed to partnering with you to manage your business risks.  The two riskiest areas of most businesses are employees and vehicles.  Safety and business sustainability starts with the screening process.  You MUST have a clear, unbiased, no non-sense screening and selection process.

Driver behavior is responsible for 90% of all highway accidents. ¹ In 2013, motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. employers $25 billion.2

Who is Your Driver?

If anyone drives a vehicle on behalf of the company, you must have appropriate business auto coverage.   Even if the company does not own any vehicles, employees may use their vehicles for sales calls, running administrative errands, travel, etc.  The company is responsible for protecting the employee, the employee’s vehicle while it is in commission of company business and third parties.

Employees hired mainly as drivers are easy to identify. But, occasional drivers who use rental or personal vehicles for business purposes are sometimes overlooked when companies consider their fleet risks. Companies must be mindful of everyone who is driving on behalf of the organization, and the extent of that driving.

It’s Good Business to Have Good Drivers

Your business depends on your drivers and the decisions they make on the road every day. Here are some ways that good drivers benefit your bottom line:

  • Reduce the cost of loss. Fleet vehicle accidents are among the most costly of injury claims for business. The average cost of a loss related to vehicle accidents is approximately $70,000.³ Safe drivers can help lower the possibility of loss due to accidents.
  • Lower liability in case of loss. Effective screening, hiring, training and monitoring can help reduce liability. Remember to document your process including trainings.
  • Boost your public image. Every driver has the potential to send a message. When your truck is headed down the highway, you want it to tell a positive story about your company. A good driver tells the kind of story you want to tell.
  1. Create consistent standards for all drivers
  2. Verify past work history and safety records
  3. Conduct background checks
  4. Evaluate motor vehicle records for violations
  5. Conduct written and road tests
  6. Verify certifications
  7. Adhere to applicable commercial vehicle driver qualification rules
Sources:
¹ 
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811059.PDF 
² 
http://www.cdcfoundation.org/pr/2016/job-vehicle-crashes-cost-us-employers-25-billion-annually
³ National Safety Council 2014 Injury Facts Key statistics
Coast General Insurance Brokers