You have to keep things running when it comes to business. And if you operate a vehicle as part of your business, there are some specific administrative tasks you should never forget. Here are four tips that will help ensure your business stays on the road, pun intended.
Ensure Drivers Know The Company's Safety Policies And Procedures
Your drivers must know the company's rules and are expected to behave. What is more, you should ensure they understand the importance of safety when operating a vehicle for business purposes. Ensure that all employees know how to proceed in case of an accident. There should be some documentation that gives them guidance or information on what steps to take. It will include reporting any accidents immediately, taking photographs, and completing detailed reports if necessary.
More importantly, ensure drivers are well aware of what you expect of them. Make it abundantly clear what the consequences will be if they violate your policy or any laws regarding vehicle use. It would be best to ensure that drivers know the risks involved with their jobs. You should also pay for registration renewal with the local DMV. The renewal deadline is either 6 or 12 months before your registration expires in most states. If you don't renew on time, you may face fines and other penalties.
Ensure You Follow The Rules And Follow-Up With Any Violations Immediately
Your drivers must follow the rules at all times, including adhering to regulations on maximum driving hours and ensuring they have a break during long journeys. If you know a particular driver has been breaking the rules, take steps immediately to address this issue. All employees must understand safety standards and performance expectations. Many companies hire managers specifically to oversee fleet management as part of their overall responsibilities, but if that's not an option, talk with them about what is expected from everyone involved.
Keep Track Of Mileage
Have a mileage log for each vehicle and keep the records up to date. It is good that you change them as often as possible, i.e., every single time somebody drives the car. Be sure to follow any required procedures for submitting reports or making claims regarding mileage if necessary. Some companies might ask their employee's complete forms or submit documentation every month/quarter/year depending on the company specifications. These records may come into play later regarding insurance claims or tax deductions, so keep all paperwork to hand just in case.
You can monitor your fleet’s mileage by putting a tracker on each car or installing fleet management software like Cameramatics to help keep track of your drivers and mileage.
When you monitor your fleet's mileage, you can get an accurate idea of how much gas they are using, when maintenance is needed, and how safe the vehicles are on average. You can also monitor mileage for individual trips or routes to see which ones use the most gas, so you know where you might need to save money in terms of your fleet's efficiency.
Buy The Right Insurance
Regular insurance for your company isn't enough to cover all damages caused by a vehicle during business use. If somebody is hurt or property is damaged, having a company car insurance policy will not be enough. Many people now take out what's called "fleet insurance." Fleet insurance covers one business and all of its vehicles as if they were one unit, ensuring both the car itself and any damages it might cause.
This comes with various benefits. First, it's much cheaper to get fleet insurance over regular business insurance. Second, since you are essentially insuring one large group of vehicles together, the cost will never suddenly go up because you've added another car to your company. You'll also want to purchase business liability policies for any harm your employees may cause while they're on company time. It can even include harm done to people involved in accidents with company-owned vehicles if it's determined that the driver was acting on behalf of the company at the time of injury.
There are four tips to keep your business on the road. Ensure drivers know the company's safety policies and procedures, buy the right insurance, keep track of mileage and ensure You follow the rules and follow-up with any violations immediately. These steps may seem like common sense, but they're often overlooked, leading to disaster down the road. Your business can stay safe behind the wheel by keeping these guidelines in mind.
