Understanding Insurance Policies

As a commercial fleet owner, you want to be sure that you're protecting your interests. That means investing in a quality commercial truck insurance policy. The cost of the premiums can vary widely based on your coverage, but it will also be affected by the drivers you have covered on the policy. If you're looking to get the best possible deal, you need to minimize the risk of accidents and other issues. Here's a look at some tips that may help you to improve your fleet safety and keep your costs lower.

Start With A Comprehensive Safety Policy

The very first thing you should do as you start hiring fleet drivers is to establish a detailed driver safety policy. Put it in writing and ensure that you distribute it to all of the drivers. You may even want to require that each of them sign a copy of it for the file to show that they have read and understand it.

Plan a company-wide meeting to review and discuss the driver safety policies. Stress the importance of safe driving habits. Discussing the safety procedures in open meetings will help to encourage your drivers to adhere to the policies, and it will show your entire staff that you are committed to safety.

Include details in your safety policy that explain what your expectations are, such as the fact that only licensed and employed drivers are permitted to drive fleet vehicles. In addition, drivers should only use the vehicle they are physically assigned to. That ensures that you have accountability for anything that happens to the vehicles.

Require Continuing Safety Training

Especially for fleet drivers who spend a lot of time on the road, it's important to keep up with continuing safety training. This will help your drivers to learn new techniques for avoiding distracted driving, identifying road fatigue, and more. One of the best parts of this type of training is that you can actually require specific training classes when you notice that something specific has become a problem.

For example, if your drivers have been distracted lately or you've seen several citations for speeding or other violations, you can assign a safety class that's focused on that specific problem. This will show your fleet drivers that you are focused on safety and will help you minimize risks.

Make The Most Of Technology

With so many tools available to simplify fleet management and safety, it's in your best interest to invest in any that you can. For example, automated log book systems are great for keeping your driver records up to date. This ensures that you don't risk a forgetful driver overlooking their log files. Just install the black box system and let it record all of the vehicle activity. You can access the information from a remote login to a web-based system.

Another great investment is distracted driving prevention technology. For example, there are add-ons you can place in your fleet vehicles that prevent any form of cell phone use while the vehicle is in motion. This will help you to keep your drivers from texting or making phone calls while they're on the road, reducing the risk of accidents related to driver distraction and keeping your fleet insurance premiums lower.

Reward Safe Driving

Establish a reward program that provides incentives for your drivers to hit safe driving goals. This will give them something to strive for, and it recognizes their efforts. In many cases, reward programs like this are instrumental in encouraging employees to meet or exceed standards. And, by recognizing those efforts, you show your employees that they are valued and that doing the right thing will pay off.