nacsonline.com Phase Two: This is the organizational phase of fleet safety and is inclusive of the following four aspects of fleet safety:

1. Management System - Unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, or accidents can be symptoms of problems in management.

2. Multiple Cause Accidents - When many contributing factors rather than single incidents lead to accidents, several safety measures may be needed.

3. Managed Safety Efforts - Safety should be managed like all other company functions.

4. Safety Accountability - Safety performance is generally more effective when the line supervisor is made accountable for safety. (Source: Your Fleet Reflects Your Image... How Do You Manage It?, 1998 Online available at http://www.nacsonline.com

Phase Three: During this phase the following are given consideration:

Reviewing or clarifying policies or procedures

Improving employee selection programs

Evaluating employee fitness for the job

Training employees for specific job functions

Providing and posting written instructions

Providing necessary safeguards

Improving employee and supervisor safety awareness

Initiating or improving vehicle inspection and maintenance programs.

Reviewing operational procedures (Source: Your Fleet Reflects Your Image... How Do You Manage It?, 1998 Online available at http://www.nacsonline.com

Phase Four: This phase is the maintenance phase which deals with policies, procedures, hiring and retaining of drivers and the maintenance of fleet safety and equipment maintenance. This is necessary is assuring reliability and safety and eliminates costs and losses as well as preventing accidents. (Source: Your Fleet Reflects Your Image... How Do You Manage It?, 1998 Online available at (http://www.nacsonline.com)

Criteria for Selection of Employees

Driver recruiting and selection is stated in SafeReturns (ATAF 1999a) as "starting with the right people is key to overall safety performance." Those who use the 80-20 rule in hiring and who rarely or never hire from...

Guidelines for recruiting methods for hiring safe drivers are laid out in the Truck Driver Risk Assessment Guide (ATAF 1996b) Included in these recruiting ads are (a) company practices relevant to safety (b) specific safety-related criteria for employment - specific "do and don'ts" for employment applications forms and structured interviews, and (d) federal regulations on required background checks as well as additional recommend background checks. Further used is a detailed driving road checklist that is used for screening drivers by fleets as well as commercial services that provide databases related to employment and personal inventories and psychological tests that are stated to be able to predict the safety of a commercial driver.
Summary and Conclusion

It is necessary that none of the four critical elements to fleet safety be neglected if the proper implementation of a fleet safety program is assured and the associated prevention of risks, costs, expenses and fleet accidents and incidents. Furthermore, proper screening of potential employees is a crucial step in fleet safety program success.

References

Della-Guistina, Daniel (2005) Motor Fleet Safety and Security Management Online available at http://print.google.com/print?id=lEH4LetE5p8C&lpg=PA1&pg=PA1&sig=l-vnTHPTKUnuVaQd8lXqmuvCqXY

Murray, Will et al. (2003) Evaluating and Improving Fleet Safety In Australia Department of Transport and Regional Services: Australian Transport Safety Bureau - Road Safety Research Grant Report - April 2003 Online available at: https://www.atsb.gov.au/road/pdf/fleet_safety_012003.pdf

Your Fleet Reflects Your Image... How Do You Manage It?, 1998 Online available at (http://www.nacsonline.com)

Your Fleet Reflects Your Image....How Do You Manage It? (1998) NACS Online available at http://www.nasconline.com/NR/exeres/0000615ekahlbk kqgbosantrc / GenUseWithOneCallO

Gangnon, Timothy (2004) Motor Fleet Safety Online available at http://www.geaps.com/proceedings/2004/T_Gangnon.cfm.

Fleet Safety