Fleet Safety Program for Drivers FAQs

Fleet vehicle accidents are among the costliest injury claims made against businesses. These vehicles dominate the roads, making them more likely to be involved in severe or fatal accidents.

The average cost of fleet accidents is immense, slashing your profits and risking your ability to operate. Developing a strong safety culture is both an investment in your future and a service to the public.

Without a strong safety program, you risk the welfare of your employees and your business. And a generic safety program that checks compliance boxes simply isn’t enough.

Tenstreet specializes in helping you to build a fleet driver safety program dedicated to your company, your drivers, and your needs. 

Big Project, Big Benefits

Anything can happen on the road. Your big rigs can find themselves in any number of situations, including bad weather and other reckless drivers.

Training your truck drivers on how to operate, react, and tackle incidents equips your fleet for anything. Developing a fleet safety management campaign isn’t easy but it comes with lasting benefits, including:

• Improve Driver Safety – Review your drivers and acquire vital insights into their habits and behaviors. Pinpointing areas of improvement helps you to get more from your drivers.
• Reduce Your Auto Premiums – Slash your auto insurance premiums by reducing accidents and losses. Insurers recognize a safe pair of hands, which puts more money back into your pocket.
• Boost Your Corporate Image – Image is everything. Bolster your reputation by demonstrating your commitment to safe driving while offering reliable services.
• Build a Strong Team – Your employees are your most valuable asset. Help show your commitment to them with fleet safety solutions that are engaging and valuable. Take care of your team, and they will take care of you.

Lay the Foundations of Your Fleet Safety Program

With every safety program comes the building blocks to make it happen. Tenstreet supports your organization by providing driver safety software, clear guidance, and structured programs that improve the outcomes of your safety department.

Before you put your pedal to the metal on safety, here’s how every commercial driver safety program begins:

• Identify Exposure – Gain an understanding of all owned and non-owned vehicle exposure. Identify everyone representing your brand on America’s highways.
• Management Buy-In – Acquire leadership support for the program to ensure everyone is pushing in the same direction.
• Screening/Reviewing – Build a team that understands the value of your driver safety program. Establish your standards, screening processes, and evaluations.
• Impactful Training – Any good program requires training that provides drivers with access to information on safe driving strategies and highlights areas for improvement regularly.
• Visibility and Transparency – Dashcams and cab cams are your eyes and ears on the road. Outfit your vehicles with the data-gathering tools you need to understand your business better.
• True Accident Management – Mitigate your costs by understanding your exposures. Educate drivers on what to do if an accident occurs.
• Formalized Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance – Keep your fleet in prime condition by transforming how you handle routine maintenance to avoid driving with faulty equipment or sub-par components.

Be the Best in the Business

Fleet managers, dispatchers, and drivers know that regulations have tightened and enforcement has increased. Haulers have no room for error, with infractions punished by strict penalties. Adjust to the new normal of the commercial trucking industry with the Tenstreet approach. 

Talk to Tenstreet to learn more about how safety can allow you to break through the glass ceiling today.

Safety programs for your fleet are not confined to security protocols alone. Ultimately, no aspect of fleet management can act in isolation, meaning there will be hurdles to overcome. There are three significant challenges in fleet management, including: 

• Safety/Productivity – Keeping drivers safe on the road is a priority for fleet management. Issues include visibility, transparency, and developing training programs that achieve actual results.
• Cost-Reduction Initiatives – Many companies stick to generic programs because they believe it’s the best way to keep costs down. However, generic programs and methodologies cost more in the long run due to their lack of efficiency and results.
• Fuel Price Volatility – Fuel costs are essential to maintaining your profits. A commitment to safety can improve how your drivers operate their vehicles, reducing fuel consumption and saving on costs.

Tenstreet solutions address every aspect of fleet management, including safety, thus empowering you to get more from your team.

The most challenging aspect of fleet safety is knowing where to begin. With so many moving parts contained within a single safety program, it can be difficult to decide which areas to address first.

Some of the best ways to make your fleet safer include: 

• Developing strict written safety policies
• Issuing regular refresher courses for all drivers
• Rewarding drivers for great performances
• Choosing reliable vehicles
• Investing in the technology that contributes to more safety
• Committing yourself to preventative vehicle maintenance

Driver behavior is the core of any fleet safety program. Any driver that consistently fails to meet your standards is a liability and an accident waiting to happen. By improving the behavior of your drivers on the road, you can make a significant dent in your fleet’s accident rates.

Tenstreet provides you with the data required to learn more about everything that is going on on the roads. Data alone isn’t enough to change the face of your company — you need to know how to use it.

Some of the techniques you can use to improve driver performance include:

• Identify Risky Behavior – Speeding, taking corners too quickly, and not providing enough space for other drivers are some examples of bad behavior that could increase the risk of an accident. Identify and address these habits with comprehensive driver training on how to reduce risk on the road. 
• Highlight Substandard Drivers – Approaching drivers who consistently fail to meet your standards using an evidence-based approach is the first step to improving performance. This should be done honestly, transparently, and privately.
• Incentivize Safe Driving – Give drivers a reason to focus on improvement by rewarding them for their work. It could be a cash bonus, gift card, or something else.

Ultimately, improving driver performance requires strict policies and the ability to enforce them.

Fleet safety violations can cost your business dearly. Some examples of the fines imposed by the DOT include: 

• $1,951 for operating out of service
• $19,505 for allowing a driver to operate out of service
• $13,072 for records falsification
• $3,969 for non-recordkeeping violations (maximum penalty of $15,876)

Carriers can also lose their operating licenses, and offending drivers may be taken out of service. In some circumstances, the DOT can even issue criminal penalties with jail time.

Tenstreet is the #1 platform for carriers and drivers looking to connect. We support thousands of businesses nationwide to recruit, onboard, manage, and retain their drivers.

Since 2006, Tenstreet has supported millions of carriers and drivers in keeping America moving. We are committed to helping your business to stay agile without becoming weighed down by increasingly strict compliance.

We are the forward-thinking platform that enables you to take advantage of next-generation solutions for managing small fleets, improving driver performance, and making the most of your custom integrations.

Whether you’re looking for a job, looking for a driver, or looking to change the face of your fleet, choose Tenstreet today.