Building A Solid Fleet Management Program: Four “Must-have” Policies

To be competitive, profitable, and provide a desirable place for drivers to work, a carrier’s culture and fleet management process must work together to form the backbone of a safe company.

Published On: 02/27/2024
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J. J. Keller Senior Editor Mark Schedler

Written by:

Mark Schedler

Sr. Transportation Management Editor — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

To be competitive, profitable, and provide a desirable place for drivers to work, a carrier’s culture and fleet management process must work together to form the backbone of a safe company.

To assist in these pursuits, top fleet management professionals integrate the Safety Management Cycle (SMC) into fleet management processes to maintain a Satisfactory safety rating, the best rating possible. The SMC is a six-part model that systematically assesses a company's safety management practices and identifies the root causes of issues. Such an assessment allows motor carriers to develop or refine their policies and procedures.

Let's look broadly at four of the most impactful carrier policies and what auditors want to find.

Driver Qualification and Hiring

Anyone needing to review a motor carrier’s operation, such as a DOT investigator, should see formal standards that guide the carrier through the qualifying, interviewing, and hiring process. Even if a background investigation is completed, including drug and alcohol testing information, accident history, and Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) requests, the investigator should see that a quality standard exists, roles and responsibilities are clear, and the hiring process is monitored and tracked.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

Motor carriers with Commercial Driver's License (CDL) drivers operating CDL vehicles must have a policy outlining their alcohol and drug testing program. Most importantly, a negative pre-employment drug test must be in hand for each driver, and each must also sign a receipt that they have received a copy of the drug and alcohol policy before operating your CMV in commerce. The only exception is that a driver may participate in a road test that does not involve activities to support the business, such as hauling a load or dropping off a trailer for maintenance.

Preventative Maintenance

Whether a carrier has maintenance technicians or works with a local vendor, it is a best practice to annually review the maintenance program and policies for ways to lower costs, improve the quality of repairs, and increase driver satisfaction. Maintenance program improvements lead to lower CSA scores, greater driver satisfaction, and higher vehicle utilization.

Hours of Service and Electronic Logs

Hours of service is most carriers' greatest compliance challenge, so it's essential that your related policies and requirements incorporate thorough new hire training. Make clear that falsification may be grounds for termination — no “high performer” is worth increasing potential liability. It’s also imperative to have a system for tracking violations and falsification trends to focus on meaningful corrective action of unsafe behaviors.

The FMCSA uses the SMC to gauge the effectiveness of a carrier’s safety program and prioritizes carriers for interventions based on the violations and crashes that are attributed to them in the Safety Measurement System (SMS). Are your policies and procedures ready?

Fill out the form below for a free whitepaper download — Top Fleet Management Practices for Streamlining Your Operations. A J. J. Keller compliance specialist will help you create a personalized policy of your choice and provide you with a free 30-day FleetMentor trial. Or call 877-595-1157 to speak to a specialist now.

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