Tag: Fleet Safety Tips

Coffee: The Long Haul Driver’s Friend for Safety

Coffee: Your New Best Friend
Coffee: Your New Best Friend

Sleep has no substitute, but coffee really does help you drive safely. Long-haul drivers can focus better and reduce errors with the help of caffeine. Those prone to swerving out of lane should consider a caffeinated chewing gum or cup of joe every few hours.

Worker safety in warehousing and transportation has become a publicized issue lately. Distribution companies should consider all their options for improvement, including motorized trailer dollies for the shunting yard and driver education to reduce accidents.

Coffee Fights Cognitive Fatigue

In addition to keeping you awake, caffeine also produces an adrenaline response that helps with focus. Brain fatigue makes hours of driving feel so tedious. Coffee counteracts that feeling so truckers can have an easier time maintaining a consistent speed, checking their mirrors, and staying in control of the vehicle.

Hit the Road with Caffeinated Chewing Gum

Studies have found the best results with caffeinated gum. The effect kicks in faster and lasts for a predictable 90 minutes. Drinking coffee has less reliable effects (not to mention the associated pit stops).

Trailer Dollies Also Improve Safety

With so much emphasis on driver fatigue and safety protocols, it’s easy to forget that safety starts at the terminal. Drivers and warehouse workers often get injured at the dock while loading or moving trailers.

Replace your shunt trucks with motorized trailer dollies for better sight lines and more precise steering. Any worker can operate a TrailerCaddy, so your truck drivers can save their physical and mental energy for the road—after they’ve caffeinated of course.

Read up on the safety features of our motorized trailer dollies and call 800-686-2651 to speak with a sales engineer about how DJ Products yard trucks can make it very inexpensive to increase workplace safety.

Five Important Fleet Safety Tips All Managers Need to Embrace

Fleet Safety for Managers
Fleet Safety for Managers

Fleet safety protects more than just cargo. It’s about keeping your drivers safe even when they feel rushed or pressured to meet the demands of the job. You can control some things at your location, such as by using terminal tractors to safely tow trailers around the lot. Managers should also be hands-on when it comes to safe dock areas and safe driving.

Time to conduct an in-house safety audit? Implement these five tips for fleet safety.

Safety orientations: Teach new hires and refresh veteran employees annually with a little classroom training. Everybody should know the best safety practices for their job as well as the workers they interact with so that everyone is on the same page.

Regular feedback: On at least a monthly basis, review your drivers’ and warehouse employees’ safety and performance records. This takes away the feeling of confrontation when you need to address things like customer complaints or aggressive driving.

Technology and equipment: Make use of fleet trackers, telematics, and boots-on-the-ground equipment like electric terminal tractors. Focus on solutions that are easy to use and which your employees will actually want to use.

Team effort: Ask top employees to host those safety orientations or conduct ride-alongs. Make safety a team effort. Offer prizes for clean safety records or other goals.

Corrective action: Make your policies well-understood, and follow through with corrective training for bad driving or reckless behavior.

Easier, Safer Trucking with Terminal Tractors

A disproportionate amount of worker injuries occur around the dock. The Electric Yard Truck’s safety features streamline the task of backing up trailers to the dock and towing them around the lot. They can be operated by non-CDL workers with easy speed control, braking, and steering.

To learn more about the safety benefits of electric terminal tractors, contact DJ Products.