This document outlines a fleet safety program with the goal of reducing traffic accidents. It discusses that truck drivers have the highest fatality rate of any occupation and identifies the top contributing factors for accidents involving large trucks and passenger vehicles. These include speeding, improper lane usage, running off the road, inattention, and failure to yield. The program also provides policies on license status, identifying high risk drivers, seatbelt usage, impaired driving, cellular phone use, and establishing an accident review board to classify incidents.

1. Fleet Safety Program

4. Safety is our #1 Priority
 Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death across
all age groups.
 Between 1992-2000 46.5% of persons killed in
automobile accidents were transportation and
materials movers.
 Trucks with a GWVR of 26,000 lbs made up 87.4% of
fatal truck crashes in 2000.
 Truck drivers have the highest fatality rate among any
occupation.

5. 5 Contributing Factors
for passenger vehicle
and large truck drivers
Driving too fast for conditions or
speeding.
Improper lane usage; failure to stay
in the proper lane.
Running off the road.
Inattention (Talking, eating etc.).
Failure to yield the right of way.

6. 5 Contributing
factors for drivers
on the road
Inattention (Talking, Eating, etc.).
Merging improperly (Causing the
truck to maneuver or brake
quickly).
Failure to stop at a traffic signal
(Stopping too early, too late).
Failure to slow down in a
construction zone.
Unsafe speed (Approaching too
fast from the rear or misjudging
truck speed).
Following too closely.

7. License Status
 Drivers must notify the Vehicle Safety Coordinator
within 30 days of a conviction for any traffic violation
other than parking. Drivers must notify the Vehicle
Safety Coordinator if their license is suspended or
revoked or if they are disqualified from driving under
any other provision within 1 day.
 This is required by law in 49 CFR 383.31 and 49 CFR
383.33 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act

8. High Risk Driver
If your MVR indicates a conviction in one of these areas within the past 12
months you will be considered a high risk driver and may be subject to
additional action by management.
 Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
 Hit and run.
 Failure to report an accident.
 Negligent homicide arising out of the use of a motor vehicle.
 Operating during a period of suspension or revocation.
 Using a motor vehicle for the commission of a felony.
 Operating a motor vehicle without the owner's authority.
 Permitting an unlicensed person to drive.
 Reckless driving.
 Speeding (3 or more in a 3 year period).
 Two preventable accidents within a 12 month period.

9. Seat Belts Save Lives
 Seat belts are required while operating a company
vehicle.
 Seat belts reduce the risk of fatality by 60% in trucks
and 45% in passenger vehicles.

10. Impaired Driving
 Do not operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs; including
prescription medication or over the counter medication that may impair your ability to
drive.
 If a commercial driver’s license holder is convicted of any of the following major
offenses, he or she will be disqualified from driving a CMV for a period of 1 year to life:
leaving the scene of an accident; committing a felony using a CMV; driving a CMV under
the influence of a controlled substance or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04% or
higher; refusing to take an alcohol test; driving a CMV under a revoked, suspended, or
canceled commercial driver’s license, or while disqualified; or causing a fatality through
negligent operation of a CMV [49 CFR 383.51, as amended in 67 Fed. Reg.* 49742 (2002)].
Serious traffic violations, violations of out-of-service orders, and railroad-highway grade
crossing offenses result in disqualification for periods of 60 days to 1 year [49 CFR
383.51, as amended in 67 Fed. Reg. 49742 (2002)].
A commercial driver’s license holder will be disqualified from driving a CMV if convicted
of any of the major or serious offenses cited above, regardless of whether the offense was
committed while driving a CMV [49 CFR 383.51, as amended in 67 Fed. Reg. 49742
(2002)].

11. Cellular Phone Usage
 External speaker and microphone must be included to allow
hands-free operation.
 Phone number memory and programming capabilities are to be
included.
 Drivers are to refrain from using these devices while on a jobsite
and in motion.
 Incoming calls should be limited.
 For any vehicle equipped with cellular telephone that does not
meet the above equipment specifications, use of the
telephone/pager is authorized when the vehicle is safely parked.
 Employees are prohibited from using a Walkman or similar
device while operating a motor vehicle

12. Company Accident Review Board
 The company is instituting an accident review board to
evaluate preventable and non-preventable accidents
that occur in all company vehicles.
 The board will be made up of 4 members; 2
management and 2 employees and overseen by the
Vehicle Safety Coordinator.
 Upon reviewing the internal accident report and the
police report (if applicable) the board will classify the
crash based on a point system.

13. Company Accident Review Board
 Discussions by the board with regard to an accident
review are considered confidential.
 The board does not make determinations or
suggestions to the application of disciplinary
procedures.

14. Accident Classification Point
System
 1. Non Preventable — resulted from causes beyond
the control of the driver
0
 2. Preventable — driver failed to do everything
reasonable to prevent the accident
3

15. Classification Point System
Preventable Factors — From the listing below, add all applicable points to the 3 base points for a preventable accident and record the point total. Use these
preventable factors when either they are the cause of the accident or contribute to the severity of the accident.

 1. Driving aggressively or discourteously 1
 2. Failing to reduce speed and/or be alert when approaching a an intersection at which the driver was not required to yield 1
 3. Failing to make proper allowance for an adverse light, road, weather, vehicle load or traffic conditions 1
 4. Operating a vehicle with defective equipment 1
 5. Failing to properly adjust vehicle mirrors, seat, headrest or sun visor 1
 6. Failing to secure loose objects inside the vehicle 1
 7. Failing to heed warning labels of medications 1
 8. Fatigue, falling asleep at the wheel 2
 9. Exceeding posted speed limit 2
 10. Lack of valid license, or failing to comply with license restriction 2
 11. Failing to maintain sufficient clearance when operating vehicle 2
 12. Following too closely (tailgating) 2
 13. Failing to signal intentions 2
 14. Overloading vehicle, failure to secure load 2
 15. Operating vehicle in an unsafe manner or in violation of company policy 2
 16. Improperly backing the vehicle 2
 17. Disregarding stop signs or signals 3
 18. Making an improper turn, lane change or other movement errors 3
 19. Driving on the wrong side of the road 3
 20. Failing to yield the right-of-way or other failure to yield error 3
 21. Committing involuntary manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide 12
 22. Attempting to elude a law officer, or hit/run 12
 23. Operating a vehicle while operator’s license is suspended or revoked 12
 24. Operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs 12

TOTAL PREVENTABILITY POINTS ____

16. Facts
• Your speed is essentially the amount of ground you are
covering per second and can be determined by:
mph x 1.466 ft/sec
Therefore:
30 mph = 43.98 feet per second
40 mph = 58.64 feet per second
50 mph = 73.30 feet per second

17. Facts
 The distance it would take you to stop at a certain
speed is dependent on many factors, one being the
surface you are traveling upon.
D = S2 / 30 x f (adjusted deceleration factor)
D = 302/30x.69
Therefore at 30 mph traveling over a dry asphalt road it
would take you approximately 43.47 feet to stop but
add an additional 1 second for each 10 feet of vehicle
you are driving - meaning a 40 ft truck would need
about 83.47 feet of available space to stop.

18. Facts
 Perception/Response Time
An alert driver has a PRT of approximately 1.6 seconds.
A distracted or impaired driver has a PRT of about 2.5
seconds.
Age of the driver is not a significant factor.
Stopping a 40 foot truck traveling 30 mph on dry
asphalt while distracted would take 193.42 feet
of open space.

19. Leave Plenty of Space