Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1196310
WEEKLY EDITION OCTOBER 9, PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 YEAR END EDITION DECEMBER 26, 2019 Implementing a Fleet Safety Program By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director, continued from page 3 Having a documented policy stating what disciplinary or remedial action will be taken under certain circumstances will also help you in your coaching and driver accountability. Everyone in the firm should be aware of these guidelines. This helps ensure that there are no surprises if a driver simply can't continue in the role due to various risk factors. If he or she is otherwise a good employee, perhaps he can be reassigned. Either way, having a driving policy that is known to all helps proactively manage some of the dynamics that can occur when a change needs to be made. 4. Encourage Safe Driving with An Incentive-Based Program. Negative reinforcement alone will not be enough to make sure that your drivers follow your safety principles, so implement a system that rewards safe driving as well. Consider offering an incentive like a bonus or extra vacation days to drivers who have the top safety scores. This should include both lack of accidents/incidents and other measures such as consistent pre- and post-trip inspections, accurate paperwork, and high scores on periodic driving demonstrations. Providing them with this kind of reward will help them improve their driving performance and ensure that those who strive to drive safely will be rewarded for their efforts. 5. Keep Your Vehicles Clean, Safe, and Well- Maintained. Your drivers are only as safe as the vehicles they are driving. Even the best driver might get into an accident if their tire blows out because it was in need of replacement or their brakes are too worn- down for an emergency stop. So, make it a point to conduct thorough inspections and maintenance for your vehicles regularly, according to the service schedule recommended by the manufacturer. These under-the-hood and on-the-rack checkups should be in addition to the pre- and post- trip inspections conducted by the driver daily. The Benefits of Effective Fleet Safety Systems At some level it seems obvious that having a fleet safety program is better than not having one. Yet, with all the many things a small business owner has to juggle, it can be hard to prioritize some of these things. So here are a few reasons from the National Safety Council (NSC) to make developing (or updating) and implementing your safety programs a priority.