Transportation safety and training

By: Patrick Smith

Date: 1996-09-09

Patrick Smith, COHS, CSSE, is with the Hamilton-Niagara Chapter of the Transportation Safety Association of Ontario Council of Driver Trainers.

The time: 5:10 p.m., Friday, rush hour. It's been snowing, traffic is building heavily. The delivery schedule is behind. Cars are darting about, changing lanes unsignalled. Suddenly, a small car swerves in front, brake lights... Unfortunately an all too common occurrence on our overly congested highways. Is your driver prepared? Are you? Have you, as a manager or safety manager, prepared your driver and your company for what might very well come next?

Remember, you technically sit in the cab with your driver. Your driver's actions impact directly on your company's reputation, image, and profitability. Your firm's name is on the side of the vehicle and you are directly responsible for both the driver and the load!

It is imperative to realize that if your driver is injured, it is a compensable injury, just as any in your industrial process. Also, if liability is proven against your driver, your insurance rates are adversely affected. In other words, a double jeopardy to your bottom line! If this is a frequent occurrence, the various ministries of Transportation, under the Commercial Vehicle Operators Registration, will suspend your company's motor fleet operation for up to 30 days. Not too many companies, in these recessionary times, can afford not to ship their product for that length of time. Financial disaster!

Few managers or safety managers realize that the occupational health and safety policy and program that they introduce to their firm must also cover the operation of their drivers and motor fleet. Few realize or are aware that the licence issued to the driver is the basic minimum required to operate that class of vehicle.

We, as a society, will not allow untrained or hazardous operation of aircraft, trains or ships. But, we allow, on a regular basis, untrained operation of trucks, heavy equipment, and automobiles. As a manager, your corporate training programs must include an on-going system of education that will raise your drivers skill and competence well above the minimum standards set by law.

Occupational health and safety professionals, who work closely with the transportation industry in conjunction with organizations such as the Transportation Safety Association of Ontario Council of Driver Trainers, an organization of transportation safety professionals, recommend that firms adopt a series of safety and training programs that are implemented by qualified driver trainers to ensure that your drivers and motor fleet achieve the highest possible safety standard.

Step 1

Develop a driver profile which will contain the driver's application for employment, driving record abstract dated within the last 12 months (obtainable from the MTO), due date for driver medical report, convictions for moving violations and overloads or insecure loads and other infractions, reportable accidents, and records of professional driver improvement such as defensive driving, air brake endorsement and transportation of dangerous goods (if applicable). An essential part of this file is a system of recall to analyze, update and evaluate the driver and profile. Many systems are computerized and easy to use.

Step 2

Develop, with the services of a qualified driver trainer, a training program that includes defensive driving, transportation of dangerous goods (if applicable), WHMIS, work place hazard recognition, load security procedures, vehicle operation, safety equipment, pre-trip inspections, road skills, relevant legislation, hours of work legislation, first aid and any other safety related subjects. This program must have a recall and evaluation system for both the driver and the training program. It also, must have provisions for the identification of drivers requiring further training and retraining.

Step 3

Step 3 must be a vehicle maintenance program that has as its basic premise a systematic inspection and repair procedure consistent with the MTO's Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspections legislation and manufacturers' specifications. All pre-trip inspection reports must be kept for a period of at least three months. Also, in circumstances where defects are noted on the pre-trip report, the person responsible for the work or repair must sign and date the report. This program requires a system of recall and evaluation to upgrade or modify the maintenance standards of the program. There are several excellent and user friendly computerized programs.

Step 4

In cases where the " Hours of Work " legislation apply, the company and its drivers must be aware of the ramifications of this legislation, therefore, a program for monitoring the "on duty" hours of the driver and ensuring adequate rest time is established. Retention of all drivers' logs and corroborating documents, such as shipping documents, bills of lading, dispatch sheets, for a six-month period is required. Also, a system of recording hours of work for drivers driving within 160 km of the home terminal, such as employee time cards or records must also be kept for a six-month period.

Step 5

The final step must be a thorough and systematic hiring procedure that must include a pre-employment screening process of interviews, investigation of prior driving records, medical, validity of driver's licence, road testing and evaluations.

To ensure the success of this safety and training program, an overall evaluation must be done at least yearly to ensure that the program is up to date and relevant, or when any new equipment is introduced to your firm. But, above all, it must have the commitment of the senior management!

It can't be too strongly emphasised that this program for training, safety and compliance is a complex and ongoing process. It would be wise to secure the services of a qualified driver trainer to design and implement any motor vehicle training and safety program.

The operation of a large, heavy vehicle through congested roadways draws heavily on the skills and experience of the driver, often with little or no margin for error. Is your driver prepared with the necessary tools and skills? Are you?

If you think training and safety is expensive ... try an accident!