Plumb Safety: Fleet Safety – Enforcing a Culture of Safety on the Road

Fleet Safety: How Lumber Businesses Can Enforce a Culture of Safety on the Road

Distracted driving awareness month may be behind us, but fleet safety continues to serve as a leading threat to lumber businesses nationwide. As recently as 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 3,308 deaths related to distracted driving accidents. At PLM, we continue to see frequent and high severity auto claims from our insureds and encourage producers to work with insureds to implement risk mitigation strategies.

In addition to distracted driving, our leading claim drivers are rear-end accidents, changing lanes or sideswiping and right-of-way violations. For business owners in the lumber space, the majority of the damage often comes after the accident, as they navigate repair or replacement costs for vehicles, potential downtime and injuries of company drivers, workers’ compensation claims and more.

How can producers support their customers and help enforce a culture of driving safety and limit auto claims? Here are a few best practices to discuss with their insureds:

• Hiring the right drivers: The lumber industry is facing a driver shortage, but that is no reason to settle on hiring. Strong drivers are critical for fleet safety. Producers should recommend thorough screening before insureds make any new hires. The addition of continuous motor vehicle record (MVR) monitoring can also help managers track driver performance and incidents rather than the one look at the time of hire.
• Investing in the latest technology: There are several technological advancements that can significantly improve fleet safety. Telematics data can inform fleet managers of poor driving behaviors. Driver-facing cameras can reduce the risk of collisions and help exonerate drivers in not-at-fault accidents. And automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems can help eliminate highway accidents. Producers should recommend their insureds invest in these technologies to reduce auto risk.
• Building a fleet safety program: All lumber businesses with fleets should have a written fleet safety plan that thoroughly outlines best practices. This plan should outline specific safety goals, provide regular training and educational opportunities and resources and highlight the common risks drivers need to keep in mind. Producers can support business owners in the development of this plan.

Commercial auto claims may be rising, but producers can help lumber businesses take control of their fleets and limit incidents with the right investment in hiring, training and technology. But having written plans or investing in technologies is only one part. Making sure that policies are enforced and actively using the technology is imperative in building the culture of safety in their organization. Before approaching your insureds, consult with PLM to help understand how to suggest they integrate these advancements into their workflows and ensure their drivers are properly practicing safety measures. For more information on fleet safety, please consult PLM’s loss control guides here: https://www.plmins.com/loss-control/loss-control-guides/auto-fleet/.