Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the US. From 2011 to 2022, more than 21,000 US workers died in a work-related motor vehicle crash, which is 35% of all work-related deaths (NIOSH: Motor vehicle safety). If your people drive for work, a fleet safety program is how you act on that number.
This guide walks through the 10 elements of a fleet safety program, in 2 sets of 5. Each one says what to put in place and gives a training prompt you can use with drivers. After that comes a simple training plan, a 10-question self-check and ways to run it all with a group.
The 10 elements are the guide's 10-Step Program (from the NETS Traffic Safety Primer), which this post calls elements. It is in Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes, published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is advisory guidance, not an OSHA standard. Operations regulated by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) have separate rules, which the training plan points to.
Set 1: Elements 1 to 5 (the foundations)
Senior management commitment and employee involvement. The guide says driving safety needs the attention of top-level management, who can set policy, allocate staff and budget and build a safety culture. It also says workers and their representatives must be involved in the planning.
- Put in place: a named senior owner and a way for drivers to shape the programme.
- Training prompt: "What is one thing leadership could change that would make your driving safer?"
Written policies and procedures. The guide calls a written statement of commitment essential, backed by clear, enforceable traffic safety policies that are communicated to everyone. Its sample policies cover alcohol and drug use and seat belts.
- Put in place: a short policy set, posted, handed out and revisited at meetings.
- Training prompt: "Which policy do you find hardest to follow on a busy day, and why?"
Driver agreements. Everyone who drives for work, in a company vehicle or their own, signs an agreement. By signing, the driver confirms they understand the policies, the expectations for performance and vehicle maintenance, and the duty to report moving violations.
- Put in place: one signed agreement per driver, kept on file.
- Training prompt: "What does the agreement ask of you that you did not know before you signed?"
Motor vehicle record (MVR) checks. An MVR is a driver's official driving record. The guide says to check the records of everyone who drives for work, review them periodically, define how many violations a driver can have before losing the privilege of driving for work and provide training where it is needed.
- Put in place: a check at hiring, a review schedule and a written violation limit.
- Training prompt: "How would you want us to tell you if your record put your driving duties at risk?"
Crash reporting and investigation. The guide says every crash, whatever its severity, should be reported to a supervisor as soon as feasible. Each one is then reviewed to find the cause and whether it was preventable, because understanding root causes "regardless of fault" is the basis for stopping repeats.
- Put in place: a simple report form and a named person who runs the review.
- Training prompt: "You scrape a bollard in a car park and nobody saw it. What do you do, and what stops you?"
Our pick: element 5, crash reporting and investigation. It is the only element that turns every crash into something the whole fleet learns from, and it depends on drivers feeling safe to speak up. The guide asks for reports on all crashes, so a minor one is a lesson, not a secret. We suggest treating near misses the same way, which is our recommendation, not the guide's wording.
Set 2: Elements 6 to 10 (keeping it running)
Vehicle selection, maintenance and inspection. The guide suggests choosing vehicles with strong crash-test and safety ratings, keeping them on a preventive maintenance schedule and having a mechanic inspect each vehicle at least annually, with the results documented in the vehicle's file.
- Put in place: a vehicle file, a service schedule and a pre-trip check.
- Training prompt: "What is the first thing you check before you drive off, and what would make you refuse a vehicle?"
Disciplinary action system. The guide asks for a plan for what happens after a moving violation or a preventable crash. Many systems assign points, and the guide says a good one provides progressive discipline for repeated violations or preventable crashes in a set period.
- Put in place: written steps that are the same for every driver.
- Training prompt: "Does the system feel fair? What would make it clearer?"
Reward and incentive programme. The guide wants safe driving to be part of the business culture, with driving performance included in the overall job evaluation. Rewards can be recognition, money, special privileges or other incentives.
- Put in place: a recognition scheme tied to safe-driving behaviour.
- Training prompt: "What kind of recognition would you actually value?"
Driver training and communication. The guide asks for continuous training and reminders, because even experienced drivers can become complacent about their habits.
- Put in place: a training plan with a calendar (see the next section).
- Training prompt: "Which driving habit of yours would you most like a refresher on?"
Regulatory compliance. The guide says to work out which local, state and federal rules apply to your vehicles and drivers, and lists the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), US DOT, NHTSA, the Federal Highway Administration and the Employment Standards Administration as examples.
- Put in place: a list of the rules that apply to each vehicle type and driver group.
- Training prompt: "Which rules apply to the vehicle you drive, and where do you find them?"
Our pick: element 9, driver training and communication. Every other element is a document or a process, and this is the one drivers experience first-hand. It is also where your quiz results and discussions show whether the policies have been understood.
Building the training plan
Recall the NIOSH figure: more than 21,000 deaths between 2011 and 2022, 35% of all work-related deaths. Training is the part of the programme that is yours to schedule, so build it in three stages. This three-stage shape is our suggestion, not the guide's.
- Induction. Before a new driver takes a vehicle: the policies, the signed agreement, the vehicle check and how to report a crash.
- Annual refresher. A short session each year on the same topics, plus whatever your crash reviews turned up. The guide says even experienced drivers benefit from periodic training.
- After-incident coaching. A short, non-punitive conversation after a crash or near miss, using the review from element 5.
If you run DOT-regulated operations, two federal rules set minimums:
- Supervisors of commercial drivers. 49 CFR 382.603 says anyone designated to supervise drivers must receive at least 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse and at least an additional 60 minutes on controlled substances use. The same section says recurrent training for supervisory personnel is not required.
- Hazmat employees. 49 CFR 172.704 requires a hazmat employee to be trained at least once every three years. Training covers general awareness, function-specific, safety and security awareness topics.
These two rules apply only to DOT-regulated operations. Check which rules cover your own fleet.
A 10-question programme self-check
Ask your team to answer yes or no to each question, one per element. Every "no" is the next thing to work on.
- Does a named senior leader own driver safety, and do drivers have a way to give input?
- Are your traffic safety policies written, current and shared with every driver?
- Has every person who drives for work signed a driver agreement?
- Do you check driving records at hiring and review them on a schedule?
- Is every crash reported and reviewed, however minor?
- Does every vehicle have a service schedule and a documented inspection?
- Is the disciplinary system written down and applied the same way to everyone?
- Do you recognise safe driving in a way drivers value?
- Does every driver get training at induction and at least once a year?
- Do you know which DOT or state rules apply to each vehicle and driver?
Ways to host fleet safety training with a group
A group session works best when every driver answers for themselves. Build the slides from the elements and prompts above.
- Pick Answer: turn each element into a question, such as "How soon after a crash should it be reported to a supervisor?", and use the team leaderboard to make it a quick quiz.
- Word Cloud: "Which element is weakest in our fleet?" The biggest word shows where to start.
- Rating Scale: "How well do we do this?" for each of the 10 elements, then discuss the lowest scores.
- Open Ended, anonymous: suggestions for the safety lead that drivers might not say aloud.
Swap in your own vehicles, routes and policy numbers so the slides match what drivers see on the road. For more ideas see workplace safety topics, defensive driving tips, winter driving safety tips, how to track employee training completion and how to measure training beyond course completion.
To run the training, start from the Defensive driving & fleet safety template. If you run DOT-regulated work there are also templates for DOT hazmat general awareness and DOT reasonable suspicion training for supervisors.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fleet safety program?
A set of policies and practices that reduce crashes involving company vehicles. The OSHA, NETS and NHTSA guide lists a 10-step program, from management commitment to regulatory compliance.
Is a fleet safety program required?
Not by the OSHA, NETS and NHTSA guide, which is advisory and not a standard. Operations regulated by DOT have separate rules, such as driver and supervisor training.
How often should drivers be trained?
No single interval applies to every fleet. The guide asks for continuous training, and hazmat employees need recurrent training at least every three years under 49 CFR 172.704.
What training do supervisors of commercial drivers need?
At least 60 minutes on alcohol misuse and at least an additional 60 minutes on controlled substances use, under 49 CFR 382.603. Recurrent training for these supervisors is not required.
What is an MVR check?
A review of a driver's motor vehicle record. It is element 4 of the guide, and the guide says to review records periodically.
Where to start
Run the self-check at your next team meeting and pick the element with the most "no" answers. Put a date on one change, and use the training plan to make sure drivers hear about it.
