It might surprise you to learn that truck driving is one of the most dangerous jobs. Truck drivers experience a surprisingly high number of non-fatal injuries compared to other professions. Controlling an 80,000-pound vehicle on the open road obviously carries its fair share of hazards for the truck driver, as well as for your business in the form of liabilities. However, there are a few strategies you can use to make truck driving safer for your business, as well as for your employees.
Better Training Tools
One of the main ways you can help your truck drivers stay safe is by providing them with better training tools. One training tool that can be extremely beneficial is simulation. Training your drivers in a simulation before they get behind an actual wheel has many advantages. Some of these advantages include the possibility of encountering dangerous driving conditions without being physically at risk and greater flexibility in being able to freeze, reset, or replay a scenario.
Stricter Safety Protocols
Using strict safety protocols is a great way to keep your truck drivers safe. Some of the ways you can institute stricter safety protocols include setting a maximum number of hours drivers can stay on the road without sleep, requiring drivers to pull over when making phone calls, and allowing drivers flexibility to drive slower or even not at all during inclement weather.
After instituting strict safety protocols, it is important to ensure that your truck drivers understand these protocols and well as agree to follow them. You can make this happen by providing frequent and good quality safety training.
Incentivize Safety
Safety in any workplace is obviously important. However, especially in businesses related to order placement and delivery, safety concerns can often fall to the wayside in favor of other business factors like fast delivery times. One effective way to avoid the de-prioritization of safety is through incentivizing it. You can incentivize safety through allowing employee and/or customer feedback, as well as providing rewards for drivers regularly completing essential safety training. If you incentivize safety, drivers will be less likely to cut corners by driving dangerously.
It is critical to ensure the safety of your business and your employees. Remember to prioritize the safety of your truck drivers as well as all your other employees. You can do this through providing better training tools, instituting stricter safety protocols, and incentivizing safety in the workplace.
A great way to make sure your liabilities are covered is by making sure you have good business insurance. Take a look at what policies we offer!