Many motor carriers deal with high-frequency accidents, which are unplanned incidents involving a potential loss. These may include accidents while turning or backing the truck into an object. These accidents can result in vehicle damage, property damage, damaged reputation, loss of drivers, and the potential of more severe crashes, including injuries and serious liability exposures.
Take Control of these High-Frequency Accidents
When one of these types of crashes occurs, investigate the incident. Gather information, including police reports, driver and witness statements, driver’s logs, the driver qualification file and training record, vehicle inspection and damage reports/estimates, an overhead view of the crash area, diagrams, engine ECM downloads, and so on. Review the data for any conflicting information.
The next step is to reconstruct the crash to see how it unfolded. You can look at issues such as driver visibility and actions. Determine the root cause of the accident so that you determine how to prevent it from recurring. For example, did the driver turn the vehicle short, or did he or she not get out and look or check the mirror before hitting an object? Did the company put a driver on the road before he or she was adequately trained? Was the driver operating a faulty vehicle (perhaps with a damaged mirror)?
Once you determine what is behind these accidents, implement actions to prevent them. These include:
- Ensuring drivers inspect the vehicles before hitting the road so there are no defects.
- Planning ahead of time so drivers are not in problem areas during non-peak periods, avoid roads that their vehicles should not be on, and approach docks from the correct directions. In addition, drivers should not be tired on the road.
- Holding classroom training to provide drivers with the required skills and knowledge before they hit the road. Explain your policies, procedures, practices, and expectations when it comes to the situations that are leading to high-frequency crashes.
- Setting up a training range that matches the situations your drivers encounter. Incorporate your policies, procedures, and practices into realistic scenarios that include tight right and left turns, sight-side backing, blind-side curve and offset backing, and/or straight-line backing, and providing active coaching is how you do this effectively.
- Taking the driver on the road and determining if the driver can transfer what was learned in the classroom and on the range.
About Western Truck Insurance Services
Western Truck Insurance Services is an insurance brokerage specializing in commercial truck insurance. We know this stuff and want to make sure you do, too. Our clients appreciate our dedication to finding competitive rates and offering unparalleled service beyond excellent insurance options. They also value how our state-of-the-art automation provides lightning-fast Truck insurance quotes, customer service, insurance certificates, and coverage changes. Contact us today at (800) 937-8785 to learn more.