6 Tips to Ensure Haulier Operational Safety

Often, hauliers are in charge of moving high-priced or valuable goods to various destinations, and their delivery trucks spend long hours on the road, virtually unprotected. From the warehouse to the road, a responsible company ensures the safety and security not only of their cargo, but also the people who work together to provide a top-notch service. The following are six important safety and security tips to protect your company from risks and unwanted complications.

Ensure Your People Are Thoroughly Vetted

There’s a good reason businesses require job applicants to provide police clearances and other verifiable identity and character documents: to be sure they’re not unwittingly hiring a person who might expose the company or other employees to a certain risk. As a haulier, you must thoroughly check the character of your drivers, sub-managers, and anyone in your fleet.

Be Security Conscious - Even In the Office

A responsible haulage company cannot afford to let sensitive operations-related information leak out to parties that could undermine their business. That’s why security must be implemented from top to bottom, from the highest management position to those in the front lines. There are many aspects to ensuring security, and can be as simple as ensuring that employees are instructed never to open spam or suspicious emails, that they regularly change their passwords, and store vital proprietary information (such as negotiation positions and pricing strategy) in secure locations.

Structure Operations to Avoid Risk

If you can afford it, work your schedule in such a way that you have minimal operation during times of the week when it is considered risky. For instance, security agencies have identified certain ‘hot times’ when thefts occur, such as on the weekends or during holiday periods. Either avoid operating during such times or focus your security efforts in such high-risk places and times.

Engage in Defensive Driving

A haulier spends long hours driving from depot to destination, and those long lonely stretches are the most high-risk aspects of the entire operation. Because there are so many things that can go wrong, it is important that your drivers are well-trained in defensive manoeuvres, especially in inclement weather.

Use Technology to Boost Your Fleet’s Security

Telecommunication technologies and gadgets that allow you to monitor your fleet’s compliance to road regulations and speed limits in real time are readily available, and many are cost effective from an investment standpoint.

Identify and Manage High-risk Aspects in Your Supply Chain

Studies have shown that the longer a loaded truck sits idle and unattended, the greater is the risk for theft. A responsible haulier must therefore collect the necessary data that shows when and where in the supply chain trucks are most vulnerable to theft, and implement a proactive management procedure to mitigate, if not eliminate, such a risk.