You got into the commercial trucking for a lot of reasons, but the main one is to build a successful and profitable business. Maintaining a safe fleet is the first step in reducing your overhead costs and increasing your profits. With the help of a fleet management system, like Gorilla Safety, you can reach your goals and build a solid business.
Hire the Right Drivers
You don’t just need a driver with a CDL and a little bit of experience. You need safe drivers who care about doing a good job. Before hiring a new driver, give them a driving test. This will help you determine if they’re an aggressive or unsafe driver before they get on the highway. Hard-braking, not paying attention, and other unsafe practices will help you eliminate the driver who’s going to cause an accident or raise your service costs.
Make sure to check their motor vehicle record (MVR) for violations and problems. No one is perfect, but you don’t need a driver who consistently gets tickets, fails inspections, or doesn’t follow the rules of the road. Hiring the right driver is the first step in having a safe fleet and higher profits.
Make Your Policy Manual Available
Every driver should have a copy of your company’s policy manual. At weekly or monthly meetings, highlight parts that detail safety and expectations as part of ongoing safety training. With the Gorilla Safety app, you can upload the policy manual into the Documents section and everyone in your fleet with have easy access to it. None of your drivers will ever have the excuse that you didn’t tell them how to stay safe or that they lost their manual.
Make Maintenance and Service Communication Easy
A big problem for many fleet managers is keeping up with necessary service and required maintenance on their trucks. No one wants a truck off the road any longer than it has to be. But no one wants to get behind the wheel of a truck that’s held together with duct tape and hope, either. A well-maintained and serviced vehicle is a safe vehicle. With the Gorilla Safety app, you can schedule regular maintenance and receive notifications. Your service crew and drivers will also have an easy way to communicate about problems with the truck and schedule service.
Take Care of Business When a Crash Happens
Unfortunately, no matter how safe you and your drivers are, accidents can and will happen. Insurance claims can skyrocket depending on the amount of damage and the other drivers involved. Your drivers will be able to use the Gorilla Safety app to take pictures, send you information, take notes, and get you witness statements about the crash much quicker. When someone sees an opportunity to sue your business, you’ll already have the information you need to fight it. Lower claim costs keep your insurance premiums from going through the roof.
Knowing what your drivers are doing and the condition of your vehicles is part of managing a safe and profitable fleet. A fleet management system like Gorilla Safety can make sure you have the information you need at your fingertips to keep you organized, and take some of the stress off of your shoulders.
Ready to take your fleet to a new level? Schedule a demo, today.
