Commercial drivers are in high demand as more businesses look to provide premium services to clients, including same-day delivery of products and merchandise. For example, more restaurants now offer delivery services for their customers, and a growing number of shoppers love the convenience of having their groceries delivered right to their front door. Unfortunately, in an effort to quickly deliver goods and services, some commercial drivers might drive in an unsafe way or not take proper precautions before getting behind the wheel, which puts themselves, other drivers, and their company at risk. In today's Aegis blog post, we look at three ways companies can work to improve commercial driver safety in a way that doesn't hinder delivery or service times.
Reward Safe Driving, Not Fast Driving
When customers place an order for delivery, they have an expectation that it will be delivered within a specific time frame. This is true whether someone is ordering a catered lunch for their office, a new sofa for their home, or their weekly grocery list. For the sake of making a timely delivery, commercial drivers might be tempted to ignore traffic laws and speed limits, putting themselves at a higher risk of collisions or tickets. Companies can help prevent accidents and traffic violations by rewarding drivers' clean driving records and accurate deliveries instead of focusing solely on timely deliveries. Commercial drivers will be better motivated to obey speed limits and traffic laws if they know a good reward can be earned by safe driving.
Regularly Review Weather and Road Conditions
Bad weather conditions and heavy traffic backups can cause serious delays for commercial drivers, which might lead them to speed and drive recklessly in order to still make their delivery window. Some of these delays can be avoided or minimized by ensuring that drivers always check weather and road conditions before getting behind the wheel. This can give them an opportunity to avoid unsafe roads, plan alternate routes, and adjust their delivery window if necessary to ensure a safe trip. In addition, it can also help protect drivers and commercial vehicles from getting stuck on flooded roads or underpasses.
Ban Phone Use While Driving
Commercial drivers rely on smartphones to communicate with their supervisors and clients, navigate their routes, and confirm delivery details, but sometimes their use can make drivers more distracted and unsafe when they're behind the wheel. In fact, it is now illegal to text while driving in the state of Texas, but drivers might still be tempted to text or scroll through their screens while driving. To reduce accidents, protect commercial drivers from injury, avoid costly tickets, and improve safety, companies should enforce a ban on phone use while behind the wheel, and encourage drivers to safely pull over if it's absolutely necessary to make a call, send a text, or check delivery details on their phone.
Commercial drivers are an important part of companies across various industries, but they need to make sure their job is being done in a responsible and safe manner that keeps them, other drivers, commercial vehicles, and company property safe from harm. Companies that rely on commercial drivers should also be protected with quality Commercial Insurance coverage from Aegis Insurance & Financial Services.
Aegis offers a full range of reliable, comprehensive Commercial Insurance solutions, tailored to specific industries and to the unique needs of our clients, such as Business Owners Policy, Commercial Auto, Workers Compensation, General Liability, and Commercial Property Insurance. Contact Aegis at 713-850-7622 for more information or fill out our online form to request a free quote today!