How do you know that your trucking business isn’t ready for a major accident? In many cases, people get the answer to this question when it’s already too late. The police call you and the driver involved, ask you to show some documents and shoots endless questions. It is then that you realize how crucial it is to protect your trucking business. Even the smallest mistake may result in a catastrophe, leading you to shut down the business once and for all. But you wouldn’t want to do that. Therefore, you need to know the different ways to protect your trucking business. From talking to the police to handling insurance matters, you need to do everything step by step. Here’s a guide that can help protect your business.
1. Take care of the driver
It’s crucial to save your employee first. Don’t go into the legal complications as soon as you find out that one of your trucks met with an accident. Reach the accident scene and make sure your driver is safe. Call paramedics for immediate medical help. Also, don’t forget to secure the cargo in the truck. It’s best if you already keep an accident kit in each truck to stay prepared for such unforeseen events. The kit should include the following:
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Identification cards
• Vehicle registration
• Road flares
• Basic tool kit
• Dashcam
• Pen and paper
Train your drivers beforehand on how to react if they meet with an accident. They should know how to use the above things in emergency cases. Also be sure to have adequate truck insurance in place to reduce unforeseen expenses due to vehicle accident
2. Don’t say anything that can go against the driver in court
Remember, you are the manager. It’s your responsibility to keep calm in the situation and not say anything that the opposing lawyer may use in court. You and the driver should insist on talking to your lawyer instead of talking to the police. Make sure you train all your drivers to keep a calm head when the police interrogate. They shouldn’t say things like “I’m sorry,” “I wish I would fix the wiper (or any part of the car), or “If only I did this and that, I could have avoided the accident.” These are strict no-nos. Prepare mock situations to prepare the drivers about what questions they can expect and how to answer them tactfully until the lawyer arrives.
3. Maintain your trucks
Precaution is better than cure. Why take the risk of meeting with an accident when you can avoid it in the first place? One of the best ways to save your trucks and your trucking business is to maintain the trucks every month. Take them to the nearest service center. Service centers usually provide 20 or 25-point checks to inspect various parts of the vehicle to rule out problems. This would eliminate the risks of your trucks being the cause of an accident. You can’t control the reckless driving of other motorists on the road. But you can certainly maintain your trucks so that they don’t malfunction during a trip and cause an accident.
4. Contact the insurance company
Don’t wait for days to call the insurance company. Remember, your business is at stake, and you wouldn’t want to go bankrupt because of an accident. Sometimes, insurance companies guide you with what to do after an accident so that the incident doesn’t tarnish your company’s reputation. They will cooperate with you to reduce your financial impact on your trucking company.
Apart from dealing with car insurance, you should also check the cargo in the truck. You should take a look at whether the cargo was damaged or not. If it was, you should talk to the insurance company about the possible coverage you can get. Every trucking business should have accident damage coverage to protect against such significant losses. Imagine carrying a truck full of medicines, and there was an accident. It resulted in a fire that destroyed the entire cargo. Imagine how much money you would lose if you don’t have insurance coverage. You may end up liquidating your assets or your business to make up for the lost money of your client.
5. Talk to your clients
Apart from insurance and truck maintenance, your clients can also help protect your trucking business. If you have offered top-notch services so far and the accident was a genuine mistake, you can ask your clients to speak about your quality of service on your behalf. They can vouch for your company to the judge or the police to save your business. But make sure you keep a good rapport with your clients even when they don’t hire your services. Small things matter, like calling and asking their whereabouts, whether they need to shift anything in the next few days or not, and requesting them to provide reviews about your services on social media.
6. Gather records
Always try to keep your records ready before the police interrogate. It becomes easier for you to answer the questions and your lawyer to set up the case. These records act as supporting documents while defending a case against one of your drivers. Keep the following records ready before you talk to your lawyer or the police:
• Disciplinary history of the driver
• Driver records
• Logbooks that mention the working date and duration
• Electronic monitoring of the trucks
• Training program documents, if any
• Proof that you had implemented the training before appointing the drivers to work
• Proof that you occasionally checked whether the drivers follow the rules discussed in the training program
It takes months of planning to start a trucking business. In fact, you also need a significant amount of money to start this type of business because you need to buy trucks, hire drivers, and keep the trucks safe. Don’t let so much hard work go to waste because of one accident. Learn to protect your trucking business by following the tips above. You can talk to a lawyer to get an idea of what you should and shouldn’t do to keep your business reputation intact.
