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5 Things You Need To Be Wary Of When You’ve Got Employees On The Road
There are many reasons as to why you might have employees on the road: driving away for business trips, delivering goods, or even because you run a business that includes home servicing. Whatever the reason, it’s imperative that you know the ins and outs so that your employee and everyone else on the road remains safe at all times. Having drivers out and about could be a huge liability to your business if procedures aren’t followed, and it could potentially destroy what you’ve worked so hard to build. To avoid this happening, check out these things you need to be wary of when you’ve got employees on the road.
Alcohol consumption
You can’t stop your employees from enjoying alcohol in their free time, but did you know that alcohol can still be in the system the day after drinking and impair reactions on the road? The safety of your driver should be your number one priority and for their safety, you should conduct random and frequent breath tests on your drivers to see if they’re over the limit. If the results show that they are over the limit it’s your responsibility to make sure that they don’t drive anywhere that day. Failure to do so could lead to you being prosecuted if an accident or a police breath test occurs.
Risk assessments
A daily procedure before driving anywhere for your driver should be to check their vehicle. However, it’s up to you to arrange professional inspections of your vehicles to avoid any accidents on the road. Semi trucks can be very dangerous due to the sheer size and weight of them, so if part of your business includes them you should have them regularly serviced to check for any risks regarding the truck. It’s also a good idea to seek advice from semi truck accident lawyers to make sure you’ve got all of the right information and you know your legal responsibilities.
Weather conditions at certain times of the year can also compromise the safety of your vehicles, so make sure that you’re taking the right steps to weather-proof your vehicles and keep everyone safe from harm.
Road congestion
No matter how safe your drivers operate their vehicles, there will always be risks on the road. Congestion and impatient drivers are one of the main reasons that accidents are caused, especially on freeways. You should invest in a GPS system for your driver so that they’re aware of up and coming congestion and if possible, can avoid that route altogether.
Road congestion can also add valuable time to your driver’s journeys, and if you’ve got lots of deliveries to make it’s important that they take the most time efficient routes. A high-quality GPS should eliminate these worries for you.
Schedules
As mentioned above, sometimes it might be imperative for your driver to stick to a schedule to ensure that all deliveries are made on time, or they arrive at their destination for a pick up when planned. However, a common problem that many drivers face around the world is the lack of time to take breaks from the road. Driving for long periods of time is tiring, and your employee has the right to take breaks for basic human needs such as drinking, eating and using the restroom. Make sure that within your driver’s schedule there is time for them to do this because an unrested and uncomfortable driver isn’t going to be safe on the road.
The health of the driver
Finally, and possibly one of the most important things to remember is that you should always take note of the health of your driver. While it’s perfectly okay to drive if you’re suffering from a common cold, it’s your responsibility to notice when your driver isn’t well enough to be on the road. You should also make your driving employees aware that they should not and won’t be allowed to work if they are too unwell as it compromises their safety and other road users too.
Having employees on the road can be wonderful for business as it allows your business to spread further and reach more people. However, it is your role to make sure that your drivers are following procedure and that you are too. Follow these steps and you’ll have happy, healthy and most importantly, safe drivers for your business.
