4 Ways Companies Can Reduce Their Potential Liability For Truck Accidents
Posted on: 19 November 2014
Are you concerned about the possibility that some of your truck drivers could get into accidents? Truck accidents can be absolutely devastating. Not only could you experience significant property damage, but your driver could be injured as could others on the road. Though there's no way of making absolutely certain that accidents don't happen, there are some ways that you could reduce your potential liability.
1. Automatically Track Your Employee's Hours
It can be difficult to track an employee's hours if they need to manually report them. This is not only because employees could intentionally misreport time, but because employees could simply forget things. You can track your employee's hours on a computer system that checks them in and out automatically at the beginning of their truck's journey. Through this, you can be certain that your drivers aren't driving too much.
2. Implement Random Drug Tests
When dealing with employees that drive, sobriety is incredibly important. Random drug tests will ensure that your employees are aware that they must remain sober at all times. The drug tests should be done regularly and should be completely random if they are to be helpful; if they can be anticipated or if they only occur sporadically, employees may not take them seriously.
3. Schedule Regular Breaks
Impress upon your drivers that safety is more important than speed, and make sure that your drivers take breaks when they need to. You can enforce breaks by using GPS tracking on your trucks. Regular breaks are important for ensuring that a driver is well-rested. Management should be aware of the company's concerns and should not push employees to perform when tired.
4. Enforce Moonlighting Restrictions
It can be very dangerous if a truck driver has another job on the side. For this reason, it's vital to have specific moonlighting restrictions. This will ensure that truck drivers are not coming from another job when they enter into a driving shift. A zero tolerance policy may be necessary to enforce this. It's also important to make sure that drivers do not have a long commute to work, either, as this could also affect their performance and safety.
Of course, the above is not a substitute for legal help. A truck accident lawyer like Master Weinstein Shatz Moyer, P.C. can give you advice on the proper procedures to follow to make sure that your truckers are safe while on the road and that you are doing the best that you can.
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