There are a lot of dangers involved in trucking. The highways are filled with 18-wheelers hurtling down with much smaller vehicles alongside them. Even a small truck, like a box truck or tow truck, is still heavier than a normal car. For towing and trucking businesses, there are a few things they can do to improve their safety and protect themselves.
Why Safety is Essential for Towing Companies
In the towing or trucking industry, safety is everything. In the first place, truck insurance claims can be prevented if safety is employed. Being committed to safety can help you protect the drivers and others on the road. In addition, ensuring the safety of your employees and customers can make a great impression on those in the know about your company. Therefore, you cannot ignore the importance of safety in the towing and trucking industry.
How to Improve Safety
What are ways that you can make your business safer? Here are some ways you can step up your safety.
Trucks are operated by your drivers. Your commercial vehicles should therefore be driven by trustworthy drivers. Rather than focusing on speed, you need to encourage your drivers to focus on safety. You should therefore make sure you screen your drivers carefully so that you can be sure they are qualified and have good judgment. Ensure your drivers have clean driving records that are free of tickets or accidents.
Take a moment to picture yourself driving down the highway next to a semi-truck in a sedan. What would you prefer to see when looking over the driving record of the truck driver: one with a few citations and accidents, or one without them? It’s only natural for you to feel safer in your car if the driver has a clean record. Your first instinct would probably be to get out of dodge as soon as possible if their record isn’t good.
It’s also important to maintain your vehicles properly. This is to ensure your driver’s safety and the safety of other drivers. When a vehicle is poorly maintained, its safety can be severely compromised. As part of doing vehicle maintenance, daily checks must be conducted to ensure the vehicle’s safety. You drivers must ensure they are inspecting their vehicles before they head out. For example, they should check their tires.
Cameras can Prove to be Useful for Tow Truck Drivers
Cameras can improve visions and awareness of drivers on the road. Imagine that a car jumps in front of a truck, causing an accident. If you have front-facing cameras in the truck, you’ll be able to see what happened. Other drivers often don’t understand the amount of space a commercial vehicle needs. This can reveal fault and can show that the driver wasn’t necessarily doing anything wrong, like not paying attention enough to the road. In addition to protecting the driver, it can also protect their reputation.
If someone accuses you of damaging someone’s car, a camera can help defend your business. If their car is damaged, the client could complain of problems caused by your driver. You can prove that your driver didn’t scratch or scuff your vehicle by using event recorders. These devices can record exactly what happened and how it occurred.
The footage captured by event recorders can also be useful when investigating an accident. Although the towing drivers are always very careful and you train them well, accidents do happen. Having a camera system present during an accident may allow you to reconstruct a clear picture. The driver might find it difficult to recall exactly what just took place after a wreck.
Tow truck insurance rates have also been increasing in recent years. In this industry there are many risks involved; from driving to having employees work along the side of the road next to traffic. Insurers have been reluctant to take on that risk. The rise in rates has made it imperative for towing companies to commit to safety. When businesses take steps to keep their workers safe and reduce their risks, insurance companies appreciate it.
