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Safe Driving Tips for Trucks/Fleets

Did you know that Safe Driving Tips can reduce cost for fleet companies which average about$57 billion? Well, your freight company is likely to suffer downtime, from vehicle repairs to medical bills to lost productivity, after a truck collision. It’s also possible for your freight insurer to raise rates in such a situation.

As we are inching towards August, the “Back to School” awareness month, safety should be a top priority in your transport or logistics company. You need to implement safety programs to minimize instances of road accidents or collisions. To help you improve fleet/truck driver safety, here are six fleet safety tips you should encourage your drivers to follow:

Have Them Follow the HOS (Hours of Service) Rules

HOS rules help truck and fleet drivers reduce fatigue and improve road safety. This is because driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of road accidents/collisions. So, ask your drivers to adhere to your company’s HOS limit to minimize this risk.

The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) set a cap on the working hours that commercial drivers should have every day and week. These limits also include restrictions like observing much-needed rest breaks. Besides ensuring that your drivers record their hours of service, you must ensure that they comply with FMCSA’s rules.

Discourage Distracted Driving

More lives are lost due to road collisions caused by distracted driving each year. As these numbers keep rising, it’s time you take action to avoid multi-million lawsuits against your company. Consider discouraging your drivers from getting distracted while on transit.

Inform your drivers about the need to prioritize their work over little distractions. Also, inform them about the penalties they may face when they allow themselves to be distracted.

Coach Drivers on Braking, Cornering, and Acceleration

Set up driver coaching programs that promote responsible driving habits. In the programs, your drivers should be trained to avoid excessive speeding, acceleration, braking, and hard cornering. They also need to know how to balance the vehicle on the road when faced with challenges that require urgent braking, cornering, and acceleration.

Stick to the standard CDL driver safety tips when coaching your truck/fleet drivers on responsible braking and cornering. You can also install fleet technology like electronic logging devices to automate this process. Having a safety score that evaluates drivers’ safety risks can help too.

Insist on the Importance of Following Road Signs

Your truck/fleet drivers need to pay close attention to local traffic rules and road signs to avoid collisions or accidents. Traffic signs usually represent rules motorists need to observe to keep themselves and other road users safe.

They can warn about changes in the road or give instructions on how to approach certain roads. Either way, they help drivers avoid dangers and obstacles on the road that can harm or put them at risk.

Educate Drivers to Cope with Weather Conditions

Weather patterns tend to change from one geographical location to another. In this case, your commercial drivers will encounter different weather conditions on a long-distance transit.

You should therefore have weather tracking systems on your fleet to help your fleet staff prepare for the worst. Invest in weather telematics solutions designed to receive real-time weather reports and forecasting data. By tracking weather conditions in real-time, you can ensure that your climate-sensitive cargo makes it through the harshest climatic conditions in one piece.

Buy Fleet Management Tools Today

The month of August was labeled Back-to-School Safety Month for one reason. It reminds drivers, children, and parents to be aware of the increased activity of school children in public areas. One way you can mark this month is by informing your drivers about these safe driving tips.

Count on Safety Track for fleet management equipment such as tracking devices and fleet dash cameras to improve your drivers’ safety on the road. Learn more about how our solutions work through a free demo.