The Fleet Manager is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of a safety and health program. The program should be coordinated with safety and health staff, where available. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees are trained in their safety and health responsibilities. Employees should advise the Fleet Manager of any suspected hazards which they cannot correct. In addition, each employee should be held responsible for working in such a manner as to prevent injury to self, others and for safeguarding property from damage.

Fleet Managers focus primarily on motor vehicle accident prevention and, if fleet maintenance activities are in-house, on maintenance shop safety.

According to the National Safety Council, a standard of safe-driving performance is no preventable accidents.  Most accidents are preventable.

Motor Vehicle Accident Prevention

In most fleets, vehicle accidents represent one of the largest areas of financial loss. Fleet Managers can work closely with activities such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council to promote safe vehicle operation through the use of ongoing safety programs, instruction and displays featuring safety posters and accident awareness charts.

A vehicle safety inspection program should be established and vehicle operators should be provided training on safe driving techniques.  Each driver should be impressed with the important of good driving habits and the hazards of bad ones.  Good driver education programs expose each driver to useful driving information, establish a sense of traffic responsibility, develop favorable attitudes and most importantly, tech techniques for avoiding accidents.

Adequate planning to prevent accidents is essential to the efficient, economical and safe operation of the vehicles and support services. 

Injuries, illnesses, fires and other accidents are expensive from the standpoint of personal hardship, medical/compensatory costs and the costs of replacement/repair of damaged materials or equipment.  They may also result in costly delays in providing service. 

It is important to note that accident prevention requires an understanding of the interdependence between safety and these key areas of professional fleet management:

• Driver Education and Performance Monitoring

• Vehicle Age and Condition
• Scheduling, Routing and Loading Procedures
• Maintenance and Repair
•  Accident Investigation and Corrective Action Management

In-House Maintenance Shop Safety

Shop safety programs can minimize job-related injuries and lost time, improve job efficiency/productivity/morale and save money.  A job safety analysis, commonly referred to as a JSA, identifies the sequence of basic job steps, the potential hazards and the recommended action or procedures to eliminate the hazard and provides a systematic and logical analysis of all work steps and hazards which could lead to injury or death.

Improving Safety On the Road and In the Shop

Certain activities result in safety improvements both on the road and in the shop. These activities are enforcement of laws and regulations, traffic engineering, education, information and promotion publicity, incentive/award programs and accident investigation/analysis/reporting and appropriate disciplinary action.

Maintaining interest in motor vehicle safety may be accomplished through the use of:

• Management interest and example
• Safety meetings
• Awards for safety
• Safety contests
• Posters
• First aid training.

Top management has the ultimate responsibility for the safety performance of the fleet. This responsibility extends directly to the Fleet Manager and the supervisors, drivers and other employees.  To maximize, the safety performance of the fleet, everyone must believe that accountability for safety is as important as any other job responsibility.

Motor Pool Safety Programs

It is the Fleet Manager's responsibility to develop and implement programs to maintain vehicles in safe operating condition.

A vehicle should be assigned to use only after a determination that it is in safe operating condition and has been properly cleaned and inspected.

Operator Walkaround Inspection

Operators should be encouraged to check the vehicle's safety related equipment often and to ensure that necessary repairs are accomplished in a timely manner.  Consider making sure your operator's utilize this checklist:  

Weekly Passenger Motor Vehicle Walkaround Inspection

1.        Check tire pressure and tire condition

2.        Check brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, oil, transmission fluid, windshield washer fluid

3.        Check headlights, high beam lights, parking lights, reverse lights, tail lights, brake lights

4.        Check turn signals

5.        Check instrument panel lights (oil, temperature, engine, brake lights)

6.         Check horn, windshield wipers, windows, mirrors, seat belts, door locks, brakes and emergency brake

7.        Check for leaks, drips and inspect hoses for condition

8.        Check that emergency kit and tools are in trunk and operator's packet is in glove box.

Commercial vehicle inspections are governed by the requirements of Title 49 Transportation Chapter III - Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation Part 306.17 Periodic Inspection.

Occupant Protection - Safety Belts/Air Bags

It is recommended that all new passenger vehicles acquired be equipped with an automatic occupant protection system. Three-point safety belts are required at rear seat outboard positions. Use of seat belts all employees occupying the front seat of a motor vehicle on official business should be required.

Vehicle operators should not start the engine of a vehicle until all occupants have properly fastened the occupant safety belt. When it is economically feasible, air bags should be procured.

Fueling Safety

Fleet Managers should make sure that their drivers are aware that static electricity at gas pumps is a real hazard.

• Drivers should NEVER use cell phones when pumping gas.
• Drivers should NEVER get back into their vehicle while filling it with gas.
•  

If drivers absolutely HAVE to get in the vehicle while the gas is pumping, when they get out, they should close the door TOUCHING THE METAL BEFORE PULLING THE NOZZLE OUT so the static from the driver's body will be discharged before the nozzle is removed.

Driver Training, Awareness and Performance
 
Vehicle life can be extended through a program which teaches drivers to improve their driving skills and to be aware of the driving differences for different types of vehicles (passenger, van, pickup, tractor/trailer, utility).

Improvements in driver training, awareness and performance can lower maintenance costs as well as the costs associated with accidents.  To increase fleet safety, track employees' driving performance and report throughout all levels of the organization.

Driver Training

Driver training should provide instruction in the proper, safe and efficient operation of Government owned and leased vehicles. Training should include written examinations and hands-on exercises to ensure driver proficiency.   According to the National Safety Council, the most effective time for extensive, systematic training is right after the driver is hired but before the driver is assigned to a vehicle.  Besides initial training, refresher, remedial and ongoing training in an effort to expose drivers continuously to safety ideas and information and to stress that safety matters. Driver training should emphasize improvement in hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management and speed management.

How does your driver training program measure up in training your drivers in these key areas?

• Scope, direct and indirect costs and safety performance measures currently in use in your organization
• Organization's fleet safety policies and rules.
• Appropriate Hazardous Materials training (the third most frequent OSHA citation is failure to train)
• Causes of Accidents to include the driver's physical, mental and emotional condition, the vehicle's mechanical condition, acts of pedestrians and driers of other vehicles, road surface, lighting and weather conditions
• Personal traits affecting driving to include the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the driver
• Specific defensive driving training for cars, vans, emergency vehicles, buses and medium to large trucks
• Accident preventability
• Two vehicle collision prevention - vehicles can collide from six positions and there are defensive measures applicable in each situation
• Backing accident prevention - the cumulative costs of accidents occurring while the driver is backing up can mount up; backing around corners or out of driveways is especially dangerous and should be avoided
• Stopping Distance - the importance of maintaining a safe distance
• Mechanical Defects - Drivers should be able to recognize mechanical problems
• Basic driving maneuvers
• Driving in traffic
• Boarding and deboarding procedures for vans and buses
• Handling freight
• Procedures in case of accident
• Operating procedures and requirements of the Federal Agency's current motor vehicle safety program.

Commercial Drivers License Training

Known as CDL, there are Commercial Drivers Licenses in the following categories: Air Brakes, Cargo Vehicles, Combination Vehicles, General, Hazardous Materials and Passengers.

State and Federal regulations govern the qualifications and standards for truck drivers.  All drivers must comply with Federal regulations and any State regulations that are stricter than Federal requirements.  Truck drivers must have a driver's license issued by the State in which they live and most employers require a clean driving record.  

Drivers of trucks designed to carry at least 26,000 pounds, including most tractor-trailers, as well as bigger straight trucks, must obtain a commercial driver's license (CDL) from the State in which they live. Federal regulations governing the CDL exempt certain groups, including farmers, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, some military drivers, and snow and ice removers.  In many States, a regular driver's license is sufficient for driving light trucks and vans.

All truck drivers who operate trucks transporting hazardous materials must obtain a CDL, regardless of truck size. Training for drivers who transport hazardous materials is required within 90 days of employment with recurrent training to be done semiannually. Drivers may also be trained as first responders in the event of a spill with separate training requirements.

To qualify for a commercial driver's license, applicants must pass a written test on rules and regulations and then demonstrate that they can operate a commercial truck safely.  A national databank permanently records all driving violations incurred by persons who hold commercial licenses.  A State will check these records and deny a commercial driver's license to a driver who already has a license suspended or revoked in another State. Licensed drivers must accompany trainees until the trainees get their own CDL.  Information on how to apply for a commercial driver's license may be obtained from State motor vehicle administrations.

Fleet Managers should assure that all drivers have correct and current licensing for the type of commercial vehicle they drive.

Special Emergency Vehicles Training

Additional training shall be provided to all operators of police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, crash rescue vehicles, motor cycles and all Federal vehicles used principally to convey groups of passengers.

Drivers of police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks and crash rescue vehicles must also complete the National Highway Safety Administration's Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC).  An EVOC refresher course training must be accomplished very three years to retain a license for operating these emergency vehicles.

Fleet Managers should assure that all drivers of Federal emergency vehicles meet these licensing requirements.

Maintenance Shop Safety
  

Inadequate mechanic training, poor housekeeping, negligence and inadequate shop design are the primary causes of a poor safety record in the shop.

Shop Safety Committees

One of the most effective techniques to improve shop safety is to set up a Shop Safety Committee to emphasize the importance of shop safety, exchange effective safety improvement ideas and to solve problems.  Shop safety meetings are generally held monthly and safety inspections of the shop should be scheduled on a regular basis in order to catch problems before they become bad habits and accidents.

Shop safety inspections should inspect the worker, the workplace and the interaction between the worker and the workplace to identify unsafe work practices as well as unsafe work areas:

• Check the quality of the housekeeping in the shop
• If the housekeeping quality is poor, check workload to make sure employees have the time necessary to perform this job properly
• Provide employees with the right tools to perform the job properly
• Keep employee workloads at reasonable levels and rotate jobs between mechanics at the same grade level
• Tools should be properly maintained and repaired or disposed of when necessary
• The right tool for the job should be available as improvising with tools often leads to injury
• Keep tools clean; keep edged tools sharp; check wiring on electrical tools daily for cracked tool housings and grounding plugs that have the grounding blade removed; do not wrap cracked housings with electrical tape
• Inspect extension cords and work lights regularly; use only hazardous service work-light bulbs and make sure all extension cords are grounded
• Operation of electrical tools near standing water is never to be allowed
• Inspect air tools, hoses and couplings daily
• Inspect air compressor drive belts regularly
• Safety gear must be provided for employees and they must use it when required.

Note the employee, the situation and the action taken. Monitor corrective actions and discuss the status of the latest safety inspection at each Shop Safety Committee meeting.

Employees' Right to Know About Hazardous Materials

Fleet Managers must know the "right-to-know" regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Both health hazards (chemicals that may cause acute or chronic ill-health in exposed employees) and physical hazards (chemicals that are combustible liquids, compressed gases, oxidizers, pyrophorics, flammables, unstable materials or water-reactive materials) are two classes of hazardous materials about which shop personnel have a right to know. 

Inform all employees who handle hazardous materials about the potential risks involved with the substances.

Employees should know about the operations in their work area where hazardous materials are used or stored, the location of the lists of hazardous chemicals and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and safe use and storage of hazardous materials.  A hazard communication package should be prepared, should include an explanation of the organization's labeling system and the MSDSs supplied by the manufacturers and should be available to all employees. Safety information should be available in dressing rooms, near the time-clock, in the rest area and in the work area.

Fleet Managers should provide training to shop personnel in the methods and observations that can be used to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in the work area and how to take measures to protect themselves from hazardous substances through the use of protective gear, safe work practices and emergency procedures.

The Fleet Manager's Responsibility

Fleet managers should enforce the use of protective gear, assure adequate ventilation and provide washing facilities.  Fleet managers should also forbid the storage of hazardous substances in the work area, keep flammables separate from other substances in a storage area conforming to fire code, never re-use containers for the storage of other substances, make sure labels are not removed from containers, provide airtight containers to store oily rags and store small quantities of gasoline only in approved containers.

Safety Inspections of Vehicles
 

Each vehicle should be inspected at 12 months or 12,000 miles whichever comes first.  Perform safety inspections at the same time as scheduled reliability inspection in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. Deficiencies should be corrected before returning the vehicle to operating status

Accident Reports

Accident reporting procedures and forms provide the information necessary to manage the accident, analyze its cause(s) and determine appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action.

Company-Owned or Leased Vehicles

Company policy should provide for the reporting of motor vehicle accidents involving any company-owned or leased vehicles.  In addition, there may be specific accident reporting procedures to be followed for company-owned or leased vehicles.  Fleet Managers should also have procedures in place to assure there is an accident packet in the glove box of all company-owned-or-leased vehicles.

Operator Responsibilities

In general, operators of company-owned or leased vehicles involved in an accident should:

• Check for injured persons
• Check for witnesses and get the name and address of anyone observing any portion of the accident.
• Notify his/her immediate supervisor
• Call the police and obtain and on-site local police report if such report is required by local law for the type of accident involved (Note: On-site police reports are not always required for minor accidents without personal injury). 
• When no on-site report is written, inform the local police of the accident immediately after the fact
• Get information from the other driver(s), if appropriate, to include name, address, phone, insurance carrier, policy number for all non-Federal vehicles involved
• Secure the vehicle and its contents if the vehicle is towed
• Ensure that the vehicle will be stored in a secure area
• Report the accident

In addition, operators or their supervisors may be required to:

• Obtain estimates of the costs of repairs to all non-Federal vehicles and property
• Obtain estimates for damages to all vehicles involved in the accident
• Obtain photos of the damage to all vehicles involved in the accident
• Complete required injury reports

Supervisors should review the on-duty driving record of the employee involved in the accident in terms of frequency and accident patterns to determine whether any corrective action should be taken.

Fleet Vehicles

In accordance with company policy, the operator of a fleet vehicle may be required to notify the following persons immediately, either in person, by telephone, or by fax, of any accident or fire in which the vehicle is involved:

• The vehicle maintenance center
• The employee's official supervisor
• State or local authorities, as required by law.

When local/state or federal police are at the scene of the incident or accident, copies of their report(s) should be provided to the fleet safety manager. Copies of Police Reports are of particular importance where third parties are involved; they greatly assist in recoveries and assignment of fault. 

When fire results from a motor vehicle accident, the total extent of damage from fire and collision shall be reported on the investigation report.

Accident Investigation

Accidents should be investigated by an independent accident investigator.

Statements of witnesses police reports, photographs, interviews with witnesses to include drivers and passengers in all vehicles involved and by-standers, pedestrians or other motorists who witnessed any portion of the accident and physician's statements should be gathered and used by the independent accident investigator. 

These reports often play an important role in claims for compensation or in cases where litigation results.

A properly documented accident investigation may serve to support or refute such claims.

It should be possible to reconstruct an accident situation long after the occurrence because the details have been accurately recorded

Accident Responsibility and Claims

Claims by the Company

Whenever there is any indication that a party other than the company's operator of the vehicle is at fault and that party can be reasonably identified, the fleet manager should submit all original documents and data pertaining to the accident and its investigation to its legal staff unless company procedures require otherwise.  The legal staff will initiate the necessary action to effect recovery of the company's claim.

Claims Against the Company

When the company operator of the vehicle is at fault, the person responsible for investigating the accident should submit all original documents and data pertaining to the accident and its investigation to its legal staff unless company procedures require otherwise.

Whenever an company vehicle is involved in an accident resulting in damage to the property of, or injury to, a third party, and the third party asserts a claim against the company based on the alleged negligence of the vehicle operator (acting within the scope of his or her duties), it shall be the responsibility of the company to make every effort to settle the claim administratively to the extent that the it is able.  

Accident Analysis
  

Fleet Managers should assure that there is an effective accident analysis programs in place.

Effective accident analysis programs provide:

• A system which assures accurate and timely reporting of all accidents and injuries
• Personnel to analyze accident reports to ascertain trends and areas in need of corrective action
• Requirements for responsible staff to institute appropriate corrective action to prevent future accidents
• Data to calculate the fleet's accident frequency rate (number of accidents in year multiplied by 1,000,000 divided by total fleet mileage)
• Data to identify preventable accidents
• Data to calculate accident costs.

Common Accident Factors in Accident Analysis

The National Safety Council has identified these accident factors which are usually selected for accident analysis:

• Date of accident
• Date reported
• Name of driver
• Age of driver
• Length of service of driver
• Hours on duty
• Driver's home terminal or usual work location
• Weather conditions
• Light conditions
• Road conditions
• Accident location
• Direction traveling
• Type of accident
• Vehicle type
• Vehicle number
• Time of day of accident
• Traffic violation
• Other vehicle type
• Vehicle speed versus posted speed limit
• Pedestrian(s) involved
• Property damage
• Vehicle or object struck
• Driver striking vehicle or object
• Responsibility for accident
• Failure by driver
• Cost of accident.

After analysis, the Fleet Manager knows the who, what, why, when , where of the accident - key information, if applied property, for future accident prevention.