A Driving Force: Selecting Safe Drivers for Your Business
Anyone behind the wheel – for any purpose, whether the employer or employee owns, rents, or leases the vehicle – during work hours is considered a driver for the company. It remains imperative, then, for employers to do everything possible to ensure that every driver operates those vehicles safely, to limit liability and losses.
Those individuals hired as drivers are easy to identify, of course. The occasional driver, though, can easily be overlooked as companies consider the risks associated with their fleets.
Safe drivers translate into savings related to losses. The National Safety Council confirms that the cost of losses related to vehicle accidents can be substantial.Safe drivers mean lower liability in case of loss. Screening, training, and monitoring performance comes heavily into play here.Safe drivers also can burnish your image with customers and the general public. Vehicles are visibly unavoidable on the highway. As a visual representation of an organization, drivers operating those vehicles safely and smartly can tell a positive story about the company they represent.Some general tips for hiring safe drivers include:
- Establish and clearly communicate a set of consistent standards for all drivers.
- Spend the time to accurately verify and validate the employee’s work history and safety record.
- Conduct thorough background checks.
- Retrieve and evaluate motor vehicle records (MVRs) for any past violations.
- Put the employee through driving-related tests, both written and on-road.
- Verify any special certifications related to the ability and authorization to operate certain vehicle classifications.
- Be sure that all applicable commercial vehicle driver qualification rules have been met and documented.
The professionals at The Reschini Group can help your organization get a fleet safety program in place that works for your specific needs. Contact us to talk more about this important consideration.
Copyright 2019 The Reschini GroupThe Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.
Life is a Highway
Maintaining MC Number Compliance
By Mike Drew, The Reschini Group
Most heavy industry includes trucks and significant ground transportation, whether to bring raw materials to the production site, or to ship finished products to the marketplace. This holds true – perhaps even more so – in the oil and gas industry.
When deploying land-based vehicles – like trucks of all shapes, sizes, and configurations – across state lines, you can bet that regulations exist to make sure everything is done properly and safely. In this case, the key element is the motor carrier, or MC number, designated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as a U.S. Department of Transportation number. Sounds simple enough, right? Complete the proper form, register your vehicle, get an MC number for it, and you’re in business.But not so fast, friend.
The number of variables already inherent in interstate transportation – plus the nature of oil and gas industry-related materials, plus the potential for carrying material for another party, plus other parties carrying your company’s material, plus any state-specific regulations, and so many others – require the completion of numerous forms to achieve and maintain full compliance.It can become a tangled, confusing, costly process. But here’s the stark, cold reality – the U.S. Department of Transportation can shut down an entire company that is not in full compliance. So taking the time and paying the cost to get it right, right from the start, quickly becomes a worthwhile investment.And if all that weren’t enough, affected companies must also be careful to avoid “quick-fix” websites and individuals who promise speedy, cut-rate compliance tips. It’s not that simple, and you could open your organization up to significant lost revenue by proceeding without credible guidance.The Reschini Group is your go-to source for the insurance-specific aspects of your transportation program, and we can help guide you to the best, most qualified experts regarding these additional compliance issues.Copyright 2016 The Reschini GroupThe Reschini Group provides these updates for information only. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.