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October 18th Safety Bulletin – Preparing for the Fall Season


Our weekly Safety Bulletin, brought to you by Idealease Truck Leasing and Rental, details important reminders about preparing for fall as well as information on safety regulations.

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD this October 18th Edition "Preparing for the Fall Season" below and/or SIGN UP to receive these weekly fleet safety tips via email. 

In this week's bulletin, find information on the following:

  1. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME! Get ready to 'fall back' at 2am on Sunday, November 3rd. Remind your drivers! An one-hour time difference can present unique changes to a driver who is on a route.
  2. REGULATIONS - Alcohol Consumption and Driving a Commercial Vehicle :  make sure your drivers are aware of the regulations in place as well as the penalties for violation.
  3. DRUNK DRIVERS :  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established 4 categories to identify if a person is operating a vehicle under the influence.  Review these categories to help be a better defensive driver and call the police if you see 2 or more of the following:
  1.  Problems in maintaining lane position - look for erratic steering or the inability to keep a vehicle in a lane (ie weaving across lanes)
  2. Speed and braking problems - look for jerkiness, short stops or abrupt stops. Quick acceleration and deceleration as well.
  3. Vigilance Problems - simply a driver that is unable to pay attention. Impaired drivers often forget or overlook simple things such as driving at night without their headlights on.
  4. Judgment Problems - following too closely, making unsafe lane changes, etc
  • NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg: Safe Trucking is Good Business : Most trucking companies make safety their top priority; however, there are some that intentionally operate vehicles with out-of-service brakes, bad tires, too much load, or other issues, or they knowingly use drivers with poor safety records. These deliberate decisions affect the safety of everyone on the road. Review these tips to ensure a safe trip each time you drive:
  1.  Set reasonable hours of service - Tired drivers are unsafe!
  2. Complete pre-trip inspections  - Critical practice!
  3. Ensure drivers are fit for duty - illnesses or impairment interfere with your driver's abilities.
  4. Embrace automation and driver-assist technology - speed control, adaptive braking, stability control, lane departure, etc are all increasing safety
  5. End distraction - cell phone use should be prohibited while in motion!
  6. Develop a safety management system and strong safety culture - in almost every accident or crash investigated, there was also management failure. Make safety a part of your company DNA.
  7. Verify that your drivers are being safe - install inward and outward facing cameras and review the recordings with an eye toward improving driver education and training!
  • Driver Shortage continues to Top ATRI List of Industry Concerns - the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) reports based on responses from more than 2,000 motor carriers and commercial drivers. Driver shortage continues as the top-ranked issue. Driver compensation and detention/delay at customer facilities appeared on the list for the 1st time in 15 years.



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