I'm just a CDL trainer with a few thoughts.
Over the many years I've been involved with training drivers - you
have to train from the beginning with the very ones with the most
to loose, the driver. They are always the ones in control of the
vehicle. The old saying, " you are always three feet from death,"
applies.
If your trainer has no real respect for the safety issues involved,
then you should consider hiring a new trainer. The training staff is
the initial ones responsible for training according to the company
policies expected to be adhered to with the new trainees hired. If the
training has no high priority involving safety training and how the
driver is progressed along during the training process then the
management level needs to get deeply involved in addressing exactly
what the company training program should cover.
There are many legal issues involved yet there are many programs
available through JJ Keller website that should more than cover any
issue your company would have. Develope a research libray of materials
for your training department. Have your company legal department review
the actual training program your company has in place. Pay attention to
your legal advice from their review of your own program.
The folks trusted to impliment the training program should also be
on a training schedule of the company policies in place that should be
documented every step of the way that the trainees were trained upon. Trainers should reserve the right to discontinue training anyone who violates company policies/safety concerns. A
training check list should be utilized based upon the requirements that
the trainee is expected to demonstrate in the company's day to day
operations. It would do no harm to make sure your program is approved
through your legal department and finally approved by your board of
directors or the CEO office level management.
If at any time there are red flags going up during back ground
checks of the trainees then that individual should be moved to an
administrative review involving the legal department as needed. Take
care of this situation by your hire in application processing that should cover
a written policy simply stating that any new hire that has unsuccessful
back ground checks or have supplied false information or not enough
information are subjected to immediate termination and possible
prosecution according to the law of the land. A legal review of your
application process should already be an automatic annual event which
simply involves a quick scan of your forms utilized. Pay attention to
any new government reporting reqirements. Also don't allow any
paper trail company forms made up on any individual without your
company legal review or company policy approval. No one should be
making up more and more paper work that only ads to record keeping.
Keep it simple.
Good safety habits relate directly to low accident rates. If your
trainers are not insisting upon safe driving habits then again, hire
new trainers or contract with a training company with very high
standards and very good references.
If you are not seeing good results from your training; people
falling through the cracks being hired in with known failed back ground
checks and very unsafe driving practices then scrap your training
procedures and start a totally new program. Again, JJ Keller materials
are a good starting point in building up your program.
Accident reviews should be conducted with the individual's training
record notations, work history and company reviews availble. If
the history of that individual progressed to the point of
having preventable accidents then what in your company policy
covers the very first preventable accident? Do not
allow the accident to go by without a company review at the
administrative level. Supervisor reviews should be followed up
immediately after any employee under that supervisors responsibilities
has had a preventable accident. Any and all supervisors should be held accountable within your company policies for preventable accidents. Follow the root cause on down until you
are satisfied your insurance liabilities and company liabilities are
protected as well as fellow employee safety concerns are also
addressed. No one likes to fire a good employee. No one likes to bury
loved ones either. The legal department won't like going to court
defending against litigation brought against the company concerning retaining
employees with bad accident history. There are searchable legal websites that cover some scenerios along this line.
If you don't look at the big picture from the initial hiring on up
to possible loss of life and company liability concerns then you have
no business being involved in this complex responsibility. Every step
from the bottom up should be covered under company policy. The safety of
everyone involved starts at the beginning hiring stage. If the training
process doesn't apply and document company safety policy issues then you
won't have much to stand on. You also won't have a procedure built in
that terminates employees for "at fault" accidents. Your insurance
premiums will be much higher and court appearances could be coming.
Insurance companies are a great help in setting up a good training
program. They also sponsor in-house training appearances to ad to
your company program. Contact your insurance company for sound advice
on exactly what would help your training program and could possibly
lower your insurance cost if they are directly involved. Insurance
companies invest large amounts of money in accident research and accident
prevention. So, in closing, stand back and look at the big picture.
Learn what liabilities are involved and what your training can do to minimize the risk that are there. Examine JJ Keller's site to see if their material works for you. Examine other large company training programs and ask them what works best for
them especially if they are a simular company to yours and the services
that you also provide. Ask what problems they have addressed over the years they've been training.
I train school bus drivers from the general public for our public
school system. I get people who have never driven anything bigger than
their compact cars. I train them to obtain their Commercial Drivers
License and train them upon our school buses to obtain their school bus
certificates required by our State of Indiana. I did not take this job
lightly nor do I expect the drivers I train to take their
responsibilities lightly. Everytime I see a school bus accident on the
News Stations I realize just how important the big picture really looks
like on T V. Hopefully your company vehicle won't be on T V.
You shouldn't have to have a "plan B" if your plan "A" was developed with safety foremost in mind. Your plan "B" will involve the legal damage control if plan "A" fails.
Now, do you understand why safety training starts with your
training programs and the trainers? People expect us in the school transportation industry to transport their
children to and from school without fail everytime they send their
children to ride our school buses. School buses are built to the highest standards involving safe construction procedures. The safest part of our school buses are the drivers. The safest procedure for our drivers involves the training they receive. You and your family trust your children to this
process. I take your trust near and dear to my heart. I have had
children of my own on board school buses. Responsibility isn't
something you just hope someone takes serious enough in order to do their job
well. Responsible people work together, not against one another.
Develope safety training programs that work without fail with built
in policies that work. Everyone's safety depends upon your program
working without fail. Now, go and do your jobs without fail. Good day.
DLL / Trainer / Senior Double ASE Cert Master Technician / NLCS Corp.,.
south-central Indiana.
Last edited @ 2/23/2008 10:19 AM
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