Implementing a Fleet Safety Program

by | Oct 24, 2019 | Fleet Safety

A fleet of cars

How to Implement a Fleet Safety Program

Fleet safety programs provide a broad range education for drivers. It helps them establish a safer driving approach and a heightened awareness of the dangers around them. To develop an effective fleet safety program, here are a few additional items you might consider implementing.

Written Policies, Procedures and Contracts for Fleet Drivers

An important starting point is to create internal written policies and procedures for your drivers. Set and explain your expectations, including driver behavior, conduct, and attitude requirements while on the job.

Establishing policies is particularly useful for outlining measures to combat alcohol or drug impairment and fatigue. By creating guidelines for a safer environment, you can prevent issues before they arise.

In addition to company policies, create or adjust contracts so drivers are held accountable for at-fault vehicle accidents. Personal accountability is a useful tool in raising awareness of safety and appropriate driving behavior.

The contract should discuss the consequences of disregarding company driving policies, as well as offer positive incentives including bonuses for good safety records. Understanding the pros and cons of the policies will further encourage fleet driver safety.

Fleet Maintenance Checks

Routine vehicle inspections and maintenance checks can go a long way in raising vehicle safety standards. They can uncover potential problems, and introduce a culture of safety to your operation that may not exist right now.

By bringing safety into regular fleet management in this way, everyone involved, not just drivers, must think about your fleet safety program and how it affects their role.

Fleet Driver Training

fleet safety programsA safety focused driver training program provides education, resources and concepts explaining driving dangers and how to avoid them. This proactive approach can include both an online defensive driving course and an internal fleet driver training session to cover company specific safety concerns.

Once you acknowledge the need for a driver training program, the next question you may ask is, “how do I put this program into practice?”

As with nearly every endeavor, even safety must meet budgetary requirements and be implemented without extensive disruption of operations. That means it’s important to find a cost effective training solution that delivers all the outcomes you want.

There are two primary training options to consider, in-person training sessions and an online fleet training course.

1. In-Person Fleet Driver Training Program

With this option, either in-house or specialist trainers meet your drivers in person and cover fleet driver safety course content in a classroom setting. For many people, this is the traditional approach that comes to mind when discussing training. However, in the fleet environment, the classroom approach poses several disadvantages.

For in-person training, drivers must be at a single physical location at a specific time. To make the most of your trainers’ time, the class or classes are filled with many drivers.

But if all drivers are in training, they are not out on the road working. That means disruption to your service. If you split the training into multiple sessions and only train a few drivers at a time, you must schedule more training sessions and allocate more money to the overall cost. In terms of value, it’s safe to say that in-person solutions are lacking.

2. Online Fleet Training Course

By contrast, online fleet driver training provides great value supported by the following benefits:

  • One-on-one training session for every driver. An online driving safety program ensures that every driver receives the same training message.  Consistency is essential when educating employees on specific rules and regulations.
  • Anytime, anywhere training opportunity. Since the training course is available online, each employee determines the most convenient time to take their training. This 24/7 training option eliminates scheduling problems and allows all drivers in your fleet to complete the driver training program in a very short period of time without disrupting operations.
  • Affordable for any budget. Recreating training programs for every training session can be costly and time consuming. An online fleet training course can be implemented once and used many times at a fraction of the cost of in-person training sessions.

These advantages make online fleet driver training an impressive value proposition that other options simply cannot match.

How Can the DriveSafe Online® Help Your Company?

When you understand the threat poor driving poses for your business, in human, monetary and operational cost, having a fleet driver training strategy in place makes good business sense.

The DriveSafe Online® fleet safety defensive driving course offers a simple turnkey training solution with many features including:

  • Mobile Friendly Access. Fleet drivers are always on the go. They’re mobile, so their training should be mobile as well. Drivers can begin the course on a laptop and complete it on a tablet without missing any information.
  • State Specific Content. While most safe driving tips and techniques can be used in any city, some traffic laws vary from state to state. The DriveSafe Online® library of courses tailors content to meet specific state requirements to make sure it is the right program for your team.
  • Certificate of Completion. When drivers successfully complete the course, they receive a certificate to document their accomplishment. You get peace of mind knowing that your drivers are better prepared to avoid potential road dangers. And your company leaders understand that their business investment is protected.

DriveSafe Online® offers discounts for fleet purchases, including additional savings for multi-year contracts. Click here to get more fleet driver safety course information and to lock in your fleet savings today!