Who Is Driving Your Trucks? - FOCUS: Trucks & Trailers

Here are the keys to meeting CDL standards:

FACTS AND FINES. Any vehicle driven in commerce to transport passengers or property requires a CDL driver if it has a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds, inclusive of a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,001 pounds or more. That means that if your truck or the combination of your truck and trailer exceed 26,001 pounds, someone can drive it legally only with a CDL. That rating for any vehicle or trailer is established by the manufacturer, and your truck dealer should know the rating for the vehicle you buy.

If you or one of your employees operates a CDL vehicle without the proper license, then the entire company assumes a tremendous risk. In fact, fines for driving a vehicle without a CDL can reach $10,000. If one of these drivers has an accident, the company’s liability could be astronomical. One landscape contractor had one of its employees involved in a minor accident with one of the company’s trucks and trailers. Because that employee didn’t have a CDL and ended up suffering back injuries, the company was sued for more than $100,000.

In addition, once drivers have a CDL, follow up with all the compliance issues, such as drug testing and Department of Transportation physicals.

TESTING 1,2,3’s. The next step is the driving test, which consists of three parts. First, you will need to do a complete verbal inspection of the vehicle. During this portion of the test, the testing official will expect the test taker to verbally point out and describe more than 90 features of the vehicles and how you can tell if they are in good shape.

The other portions of the test require a demonstration of at least four different backing skills and road driving skills.

Over the course of my 30 years in the transportation industry, I have observed a number of similarities regarding various companies’ perception of transportation issues. In essence, companies don’t give this part of their businesses sufficient attention, despite the tremendous liability they are subject to every time one of their trucks heads onto the street.

The owner has a great responsibility and liability. First of all, in addition to costs associated with paying employees and purchasing the requisite lawn and landscape equipment, vehicle expense and maintenance is a major part of the landscape business. Landscape contractors are not trucking companies in the business to haul material for a fee. They need to get equipment, material and people to the job site safely and in a timely manner. However, the employee usually bears the responsibility for making sure that everything is in proper working order on the vehicle, not to mention checking to see that the truck and trailer are properly loaded.

Giving this responsibility to the employees who actually drive the truck makes sense, but these employees have to be educated about what to look for. The Federal Carrier Safety Regulation: 392.7 Equipment, Inspection and Use states: "No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven unless the driver thereof shall have satisfied himself/herself that the following parts and accessories are in good working order." These parts and accessories include:

• Lighting
• Rear vision mirror or mirrors
• Tires
• Trailer brake connections
• Coupling devices
• Steering mechanism
• Horn
• Windshield
• Parking (Hand) brake
• Service brakes

REGULAR CHECK-UPS. Besides checking these items every day before leaving the company, drivers also should check their vehicles at the end of the day.

This pre-trip and post-trip inspection can be done in less than 10 minutes. Each company should have a simple checklist for the driver to fill out after completing the inspection so they are held accountable and you have a record of these inspections. This could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars for the company by catching something simple before it turns into something major.

Drivers need to consider basic items, such as functioning turn signals and brake lights, as well as taking steps to safely operate the vehicle.

Did you know that most accidents with a commercial vehicle take place while the truck is in reverse? In fact, more than 90 percent of truck accidents in this country every year result while backing up.

When was the last time one of your employees got out of the truck and directed the truck driver while he was backing the truck up? It only takes about 11 seconds to do a pull-up and about 22 seconds to get out and check the situation. When crew members are in a hurry, those 11 seconds could cost hours and thousands of dollars.

The way we drive on the road means everything. Your employees are driving a company vehicle with your company name on it, and the public notices how they drive to the account. How are your more experienced drivers teaching new drivers? Are they teaching safe driving habits? When was the last time you evaluated your employee’s driving habits?

I know we are all very busy, but driving these vehicles safely is also important to your business.