by: Karen Bradley
GPS vehicle tracking is an effective and inexpensive tool to monitor driver behavior, reduce accidents and fatalities, decrease liability, increase fleet profitability and keep your fleet in top condition with routine maintenance reminders. Put your drivers in safe hands with GPS tracking tools.
– Driver Safety Policies
There is often the question, should we tell our drivers we put GPS tracking on our vehicles? At EcoTrack Fleet Management in Tucson, AZ we believe transparency is the best policy. Employee manuals are often centered around employee rules and safety on the job but may not include Driver Safety. According to OSHA’s white paper, Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes, “Every 12 minutes someone dies in a motor vehicle crash, every 10 seconds an injury occurs and every 5 seconds a crash occurs. Many of these incidents occur during the workday or during the commute to and from work. Employers bear the cost for injuries that occur both on and off the job. Whether you manage a fleet of vehicles, oversee a mobile sales force or simply employ commuters, by implementing a driver safety program in the workplace you can greatly reduce the risks faced by your employees and their families while protecting your company’s bottom line. This should include clear policies on exactly what is
expected while operating a company vehicle. “
Your program should work to keep the driver and those with whom he/she shares the road safe. And, if necessary, the program must work to change driver attitudes, improve behavior, and increase skills to build a “be safe” culture. By instructing your employees in basic safe driving practices and then rewarding safety-conscious behavior, you can help your employees and their families avoid tragedy.
Employees are an employer’s most valuable assets. Workplace driver safety programs not only make good business sense but also are a good employee relations tool, demonstrating that employers care about their employees.”
Below is a 10-step program to ensure that you hire capable drivers, only allow eligible drivers to drive on company business, train them, supervise them, and maintain company vehicles properly. Adherence to these 10 steps can also help to keep your motor vehicle insurance costs as low as possible.
1. Senior Management Commitment & Employee Involvement
2. Written Policies and Procedures (alcohol and seatbelt use included)
3. Driver Agreements
4. Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Checks
5. Crash Reporting and Investigation
6. Vehicle Selection, Maintenance and Inspection
7. Disciplinary Action System
8. Reward/Incentive Program
9. Driver Training/Communication
10. Regulatory Compliance
This 10-step program is detailed in NETS Guidelines to Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle
Crashes. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/motor_vehicle_guide.pdf
EcoTrack’s Fleet Management’s GPS tracking software has the capability to send alerts to management and/or drivers alerts for erratic driving behavior, speeding, idling, unauthorized use and more. This allows employers to know who their problem drivers are and be proactive in their approach to correcting the behavior. The consequences of these actions should be clear to all drivers and laid out in the driver safety manual. Emphasizing the importance of following these clear-cut rules will keep your drivers protected, potential accidents can be averted, and costly insurance claims reduced. Having clearly defined rules will also reduce the risk of liability claims arising from discrimination, such as an employee feeling you are singling them out.
In addition, performing regular inspections on your company vehicles and regular maintenance on your fleet will reduce costly repairs and assure your drivers they are operating a safe vehicle. Routine maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotations, fuel filters, etc. can be programmed on EcoTrack’s GPS software to alert drivers and managers when maintenance is coming up due or overdue, keeping your vehicles in tip top shape.
GPS vehicle tracking insures that owners have the data they need to keep their drivers and the vehicles they drive safe and reduce the costs associated with potential accidents and liability. Utilizing these tools can save thousands of dollars in accidents and claims that could have been prevented.
EcoTrack Fleet Management in Tucson, AZ is the leading GPS fleet management company; committed to reducing business costs, providing quality customer support, and finding business solutions for fleet managers by providing real time decision-making tools, GPS vehicle tracking services & telematics. If you’re interested in installing a fleet tracking system, contact EcoTrack Fleet Management today at (520) 230-8093.
