How to Create an Effective Driver Policy and Company Handbook

A lot goes into managing a fleet. Operators need to ensure the safety and security of their vehicles and drivers, comply with regulations, and maintain operational efficiency. 

Learn what goes into putting together a thorough driver policy and company handbook that ensures overall fleet compliance and safety management. 

Putting together a driver policy and company handbook: The basics 

Understanding Compliance 

Compliance is a pillar of a successful fleet. Failure to adhere to these guidelines can have a knock-on effect on the safety and efficiency of your operations. 

Maintaining compliance is crucial in the transportation industry because it helps keep drivers, vehicles, and assets safe by ensuring vehicles are roadworthy and reducing the likelihood of incidents on the road. As driver fatigue is responsible for one in five crashes, avoiding this not only safeguards your fleet but also protects other road users. 

As much as compliance is a priority for fleet managers, it can be challenging to keep up with regulatory changes and the complex administrative work that comes with them. There are many moving parts to focus on, including monitoring a driver's hours and fatigue, refining the driver identification process, ensuring accurate electronic logging, and preventing device tampering. This is where telematics solutions like Hours of Service, Vehicle Tracking, and Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) come in handy. 

Being compliant can benefit your operations in multiple ways, such as: 

• Improved asset utilisation 
• Reduced timesheet fraud 
• Accurate customer billing 
• Lower maintenance costs 

What makes up a compliant fleet? 

Comprehensive fleet compliance has many moving parts that you need to take note of. Key variables to take note of include: 

Fleet Managers 

Fleet managers are integral to your fleet's operations and play a key role in ensuring its compliance. Management is responsible for implementing the company's rules and regulations and ensuring that all vehicles and drivers adhere to these policies. They also monitor and evaluate performance to prevent any violations of company policies. 

Drivers 

Fleet Drivers, regardless of how frequently they work, need to be fully trained to operate the vehicle they're working with. They also need to hold a valid driver's licence and be aware of safety policies and compliance regulations. 

Vehicles 

If your vehicles aren't in tip-top shape, your fleet won't operate efficiently. Ensuring that vehicles are fit for use is crucial. This means having them serviced on time, ensuring they meet safety guidelines, and inspecting them regularly. 

Daily Operations 

Being compliant in your business' operations helps you mitigate risk and safeguard your fleet. To ensure compliance in this regard means that your employees should work realistic hours, have fair working conditions and take regular breaks. 

From a management perspective, operators need to ensure routes are planned in advance and that they consider any unanticipated variables that may impact operations. 

Policy Writing Tips: Where to Start 

Do thorough research 

When implementing new policies for your fleet, researching your industry and considering all aspects of your business is essential. Look for information anywhere you can find it to enrich your documentation. 

As changes in policy affect everyone who works for you, you should enquire with your employees to see how current policies impact them. 

In the same breath, take note of your peers' policies. Find out what they learned when implementing these guidelines and how it impacted their operations. Being informed from all angles will guide you when assembling your own documentation, helping you put together more comprehensive and inclusive policies. 

Ask around for input 

As you gather insight from your employees during the research process, ensure that you have input from all departments as you compile your documentation. 

As you develop a clearer outline of your policy and handbook, ensure that you keep executive management in the loop. Getting company-wide input will help you ensure that you cover all challenges and opinions specific to your business. 

Refine your documentation 

Your driver policy and company handbook should be all-inclusive but not repetitive. As you flesh out your framework, ensure you're not repeating yourself and that all the information you include adds value. 

As you edit, it will become clear which areas you need to elaborate on or which you should eliminate completely. Also, pay attention to the clarity of your policies. Avoid convoluted language and stick to simple language. Remember, all employees need to read and understand these documents, so the information needs to be as clear as possible. 

Carefully review your policies 

To add another notch to the refinement process, it is crucial that your policies are carefully reviewed before it's distributed. 

This documentation should pass through the following parties before being finalised: 

• Supervisors 
• Managers 
• Legal representatives 
• Union officials 

The more eyes you have on this documentation, the better. This will help you catch any last snags before you submit it to senior-level management for approval. 

Futureproof your policies 

Whether you do it annually or whenever regulations change, ensure your policies are up to date. You can do this by staying current on industry news and obtaining further employee feedback once the policies are implemented. Stipulate who employees can contact if they have any queries or suggestions regarding documentation, and use this to bolster your documentation. 

Aspects of a Driver Policy and Company Handbook 

Introduction 

The introduction of your driver policy and company handbook should begin by explaining its purpose and who it applies to and delving into the terms and conditions. Start with unpacking your company's mission statement so the reader has context on why your business provides fleets. 

From there, you can define industry terms and explain the roles and responsibilities of different departments. It is essential to define the duties of key business players like fleet managers, executive management, vehicle users/drivers, heads of departments, and managers. Your policy should also define industry-related terms. It would also be useful to outline your code of conduct, the different types of employment contracts offered, the recruitment process, attendance mandates, and governmental policies in this section of your manual. 

Beginning with contextualisation will give the reader a solid understanding of your core business practices and goals. 

Fleet Administration 

This section of your manual should explain all fleet-related admin activities. Outlining them will give the reader further information on your operations and how they fit into the manual's structure. 

This includes information regarding: 

• The overall responsibilities of the fleet department 
• How your business selects, allocates, and acquires vehicles 
• Training on safe driving practices 
• Mandates for communication between drivers and fleet managers 
• Your business' recordkeeping and database systems 
• Grounds for loss of eligibility/employment 

This section should also detail any telematics solutions your company is using, such as fleet tracking software. The driver policy needs to outline these solutions so all employees are aware of them and to avoid privacy breaches. 

Driver Eligibility 

Driver eligibility expands on the driver's permit requirements for any employees operating company-owned vehicles. 

Your policy must stipulate that the driver provide a motor vehicle record (MVR), a document detailing an individual's driving history. This record will indicate traffic violations, crashes, and vehicular crimes. It is mandatory that all prospective drivers submit this information to ensure they meet employment requirements. Additionally, disability guidelines and the minimum age for employment should be included. 

Driver Safety 

Ensuring driver safety is integral to the well-being of your fleet. If your drivers are harmed, it will have a domino effect on other aspects of your operations. 

In this section of your policy, you must define which behaviours could put your drivers at risk and the steps they need to implement to protect themselves while driving. Rules to mention here include: 

• Disallowing driving while intoxicated and stipulating the repercussions of doing so, like the termination of the employment contract if found guilty 
• Cell phone use while driving should be avoided 
• No driver should operate a company vehicle while fatigued, ill or medicated 
• All drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt when in a company vehicle 
• All laws and rules of the road must be followed 
• Drivers must ensure that the engine is turned off, the doors are locked, and the keys are taken out of the vehicle if it is left unattended 
• Headlights must be used at night or in moments of low visibility 

Vehicle Use 

This section of your manual will likely be the most substantial, as it covers a great deal regarding vehicle use for your fleet. Here, your policy should explain driver behaviour guidelines and restrictions. 

From a personal use perspective, your driver policy should cover the basics—only authorised personnel may operate company vehicles, passengers are limited to those who need to ride in the vehicle to complete a job, and any restrictions, such as smoking, should be clearly stated. If your fleet utilises personal vehicles or rental vehicles, usage guidelines pertaining to this should be stipulated as well. 

This just scratches the surface regarding what you need to detail in the vehicle use section of your manual. Including an explanation of fuel purchasing and administration, processes to follow for accident reporting and outlines for vehicle care and security is key. 

Vehicle Maintenance 

If your fleet is not functioning optimally, it won't be efficient. First and foremost, your vehicle needs to be roadworthy, and second, poor maintenance will lead to vehicle downtime and costly repairs. For this reason, it is key to have comprehensive documentation regarding vehicle maintenance. This includes outlining guidelines regarding vehicle operation, lifecycle, fuel management, risk management procedures, and data collection. 

A great place to start is outlining the vehicle inspections and safety checks that drivers should conduct before every trip. These should include checking vital aspects of the vehicle, such as brakes, tyres, lights, and wipers. Clearly stipulate how often these checks should be done. From there, you must specify how often oil changes, tyre rotations, and other servicing must be done. 

Drivers and fleet managers must be aware of all the nitty gritty details regarding vehicle operation, including: 

• Vehicle's maintenance program 
• Software used for vehicle operations 
• Systems in place to reduce fuel consumption 
• Which suppliers are used, and more 

For record-keeping purposes, all maintenance done on the vehicle must be recorded in mileage reports. 

Accident Procedures 

Accidents happen, and in the unlikely event that they do, your drivers need to know the processes to follow after the fact to prevent any further damage or injury and to report the incident correctly. 

Drivers must not argue or discuss the accident with external parties; it must be discussed solely with the police and fleet/security officers. 

Procedures to outline in this section of your manual include: 

• Reporting the accident to the police, regardless of its severity 
• Calling for medical aid if required 
• Taking down the names and details of anyone involved in the collision, as well as any witnesses 
• Giving the other party their name, details and insurance information 
• Informing fleet managers and security officers of the collision 
• Providing a comprehensive written report of the accident to fleet operators 

On the business side, you need to ensure you have a form ready for drivers to complete in the event of an accident that records details on the other party's vehicle and insurance, as well as the date and time the collision occurred and the conditions when it happened. Following this, an investigation must be done to review the incident to determine the cause. This information can help prevent this from happening again in the future.