If transportation is an important part of your small business, then finding the right drivers will be critical to your long-term success. Requiring that someone simply have a valid driver’s license may not be quite enough to ensure that your business maintains a safe, reputable driving record. Here are a few tips which can help you to better screen potential drivers.
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Start With A Driving Record Check
The best place to start will be by running a driving record check on potential drivers. This should be an essential part of your hiring process. The driving record check will reveal to you if the individual has struggled with safe driving in the past. Be cautious of anyone who is hesitant to have a driving record check run. It is also important not to get into too big of a rush in your efforts to simply fill a position. When employers get in a rush to fill a position they may not be as thorough as they need to be. Cutting corners could cost you later on.
Have Your Own Testing Process
It is a great idea to develop your own driver testing process. Each business will be unique in its driving needs. Your drivers need to be well trained and well tested concerning the type of driving you are specifically expecting. For instance, if you are transporting dangerous materials, you will want to ensure that your drivers transport those materials at a certain speed and with as little movement inside the vehicle as possible. This could be very different from the type of safe driving they are already accustomed to.
Other Considerations
The way a person drives may not be your only consideration if your company is involved with transporting people. When people are being transported it is essential that drivers are screened and vetted for safety ahead of time. This could include performing a criminal background check as well. Individuals who have had predatory tendencies in the past do not need to be put in a position of transporting people, especially vulnerable individuals such as children or the elderly.
Use Probationary Periods
Another great option may be to utilize probationary periods. During a probationary period, you can observe new drivers with a different type of intensity than you would during a regular work shift. It can also be a good idea to utilize technology that will track how the individual is driving. Today there is technology available that can help you monitor if the person is driving too fast, how hard they are braking and if there have been any other issues.
After The Hire
Even after you have hired someone, you will need to continue to monitor their driving behavior. Just because there was not a problem before you hired them does not mean a problem could not develop. You can continue to monitor your drivers by performing intermittent driving record checks as well as to continue to use driving monitoring technology.
Another important way you can monitor your drivers is to pay attention to complaints. Your company vehicles should have a phone number plainly visible on the vehicles. Other drivers, pedestrians, or anyone in the community should be able to use this phone number to call your business and notify you of any unsafe driving behavior they have seen. This type of feedback can be very beneficial to your company.
Using drivers is a great way to increase your reach in the community. Whether you are delivering goods or services or transporting people, ensuring that those drivers are safe will be the key to your company’s long-term success.