Rather than relying on the larger suppliers to make their deliveries for them, a bigger and bigger percentage of small companies are looking into making their own deliveries. However, if you are going to take a step such as this one, you need to be prepared to ensure that each and every delivery is made in the safest way possible. A big part of this comes down to putting in place some safety policies and procedures and following them as closely as possible. So, here are a few hints and tips that can help you to do this.
Put Driver Safety at the Top of Your Priority List
First of all, you need to make sure that you are hiring safe drivers who know what they are doing. Of course, personal driving can be an entirely different ball game to driving in a professional capacity, so it is certainly worth looking into fleet driving training providers. Keeping track of your drivers using technology is not only a useful business management practice, but it also helps you to ensure that they are safe as you can check up on them whenever you like. You should also look at the way that orders are received, ensuring that they all come from verified sources. At the same time, you do not want to overload your drivers as if they are inundated with orders, they are going to feel a lot more pressure to rush, and safety can end up suffering as a result.
Educate About Personal Safety
The next step that you can practically take is to ensure that your drivers are properly educated about personal safety. This means teaching them how to monitor for any suspicious activity that may occur when they are out and about. If they do not feel safe when they arrive at a location, they should avoid making the delivery. Poorly lit areas in secluded places should be avoided as much as possible. If payment has not already been made, doing so electronically will help to eliminate any cash transactions.
Ensure Safe Driving Practices Are Followed
Next up, we have the actual driving practices themselves, which obviously need to be standardised and made as safe as they possibly can be. Having a number of years of driving experience can help as a starting point. If employees are using their own vehicle, it needs to have been regularly serviced and should be safely drivable. Technology can be easily distracting when out on the road, so there needs to be a clear policy of when smartphones can and cannot be used. Drivers should fully understand how to use defensive driving techniques rather than being too aggressive on the road. If you make safe driving a priority rather than making deliveries on time, this is certainly going to set the tone right straight away.
If you are going to start your own delivery service, putting in place these policies is highly important. Remember, safety comes first.
