If you own a business, holiday time often means extra business and more busyness. Many companies rely on trucks heavily in the weeks and months leading up to the holiday season: inventory must be shipped in, deliveries need to be shipped to customers, and last-minute shoppers often require last-minute deliveries. All of these tasks often require truck services. Whether you have your own in-house drivers and trucks or whether you use a transportation service, however, there are several things you can do to help prevent truck accidents:
1) Screen drivers carefully and insist that transport companies do the same. Just one badly trained or unqualified truck driver can cause an accident that claims lives or causes serious, permanent personal injuries. Check anyone who drives for you carefully and check out-of-state driving records as well. A private investigator is usually very thorough and can do this for a flat fee. If you use a transport service or truck company service, ask to see evidence of their screening process to ensure that they screen applicants correctly. Refuse to do business with any company that does not screen its drivers very thoroughly.
2) Inspect any trucks that deliver on behalf of your business. If a truck delivers your products, team members, or is associated with your company, you are responsible for the safety of that truck. If you have in-house trucks, have a seasonal tune up completed and ensure that your trucks are safe and ready for the holiday season. If you will be delivering outside of Florida, ensure that your trucks have the right tires for winter driving.
3) Do not let the holiday rush create unreasonable deadlines. Yes, it is important for customers and clients to get your products and services on time. However, it is just as important for everyone to stay safe on the roads. Rushed, overextended truck drivers are a major cause of accidents. If your drivers are overextended, hire additional drivers so that everyone can get the rest they need. If customers require rush services that do not allow for truck transport, consider paying extra for air mail delivery, which will not put your drivers at risk. Refuse to create deadlines that encourage drivers to lose sleep or speed.
4) Review safety standards. In any company, the holiday season often means more work and a changeover as temporary workers are used to replace ill workers or supplement your work force for the holiday rush. This means that you need to take time to review safety standards with your truck drivers and everyone in your company. It ensures that everyone is reminded of safety protocols and that new workers understand how to stay safe on the job.
5) Give yourself some delivery wiggle time. If you need to guarantee a product or service will arrive by a specific time, add some time (a few hours or a few days) to the delivery date. This will ensure that your truck drivers are not rushing (or speeding) to make a deadline. It also ensures that your drivers have time for safety.