Fleet Safety Management Tips

The following are some tips for maintaining and implementing an effective fleet safety program, and for ensuring compliance with transportation safety regulations for any truck in your fleet registered in Ontario with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 4,500 kg or more. Whether you operate a small or large fleet of trucks, as a fleet owner, you are required to develop policies and procedures and keep records which clearly indicate that you have fulfilled your responsibilities.

Check List:

Employing qualified and licensed drivers

• Drivers have a valid licence for the class of vehicle they drive
• Previous employer background check on new applicants
• A current driver's abstract and driver's Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration (CVOR) no more that 30 days old submitted at time of hiring
• Road test with a pre-trip inspection prior to hiring

Orientation of new drivers

• Familiarize new drivers with their role and responsibilities, including all company policies and procedures

Individual files on each authorized driver, containing:

• The driver's completed application form
• Driver's abstract dated within 30 days of hiring and every 12 months thereafter
• Record of all convictions and administrative penalties for provincial and federal legislation relating to the operation of a commercial motor vehicle
• Record of all training completed e.g. Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) certificate, hours of service, load securement, etc. (if applicable)
• Ensure a system is in place to notify when records and training need to be updated (if applicable)
• Documentation of corrective action taken or retaining to reduce repetitive occurrence, e.e. driver violations, or repetitive accidents

Safety Program

• A written safety program is established that maintains documents that clearly address matters relating to the safe operation of commercial vehicles
• There is a driver disciplinary program in place to correct at-risk-drivers' attitudes/behaviors in order to prevent a loss/accident or safety-related issue on the CVOR
• Regular meetings scheduled to discuss driver safety

Driver's hours of service (if applicable)

• Maintain accurate daily logs showing: the driver's duty status, elected cycle, start and end time for each duty status and the total number of hours spent in each status. Records are kept for a minimum of 6 months after the day on which they were recorded

Incident reporting processes and procedures

• There is a committee or individual investigating all collisions, near-misses and incidents in which drivers are injured and/or equipment or goods are damaged
• There are procedures a driver must follow when involved in a collision (there is an accident reporting kit of information in all vehicles and a list of emergency contacts and photos taken at the scene)
• Accident reporting summary and analysis forms are completed for every incident
• All incidents involving motor vehicle operated by the drivers are recorded

Vehicle maintenance and record keeping

• There is a written maintenance program pertaining to all types of National Safety Code (NSC) commercial trucks, tractors and trailers registered to the company
• The written maintenance program requires a regular inspection program (a specified time and/or distance criteria between inspections)
• The preventative maintenance program requires a regular inspection program (a specified time and/or distance criteria between inspections)
• The preventative maintenance program addresses trip inspections and subsequent repair reports
• There are individual files for each vehicle registered to the company containing, at minimum, all of the required information about the vehicle: unit number or identifying marks, tire size, transmission, engine, make, model and year.,
• Documentation of all vehicle inspections (e.g. pre/post-trip), scheduled maintenance (e.g. preventative maintenance, A/B/C service), repairs, and lubrication must include the required information: date, vehicle identification, odometer reading, nature of inspection, invoices and the name of the person who performed the work

At Sturino & Associates we want you to get the most up to date information and cater to all of your insurance needs. for more information call us at 416-233-8252 or drop by locally at 7 Jopling Avenue S. Etobicoke, ON.