Employers & Employees Must Have A Driver Handbook
Sunday, 9. October 2011
As a consultant I have often advised companies on their car policies and driver handbooks. With more stringent health and safety laws it is important that even with just one or two employees that drive on company business you have a driver handbook or incorporate certain items within the employee’s contract of employment. If you are an employer you will want to make sure that your employees know the following. If you are an employee and drive a company car or your own car on company business you will also need to know the rules covering some of the following and if you simply drive your car for pleasure it may be as well to check out the following rather than leave it till after the event, eg. when the car has broken down. What a driver needs to know:
- What to do in the event of a breakdown or accident (don’t forget plenty of photographs in the event of an accident, preferably with a non digital camera).
- Breakdown assistance and recovery information and advice. The policy regarding changing flat tyres – do it yourself or call out the breakdown service.
- Instructions/rules regarding towing caravans and trailers
- Information on insurance – any special conditions in the policy that must be met.
- How/when to hire a replacement vehicle, type of vehicle and authority needed.
- What to do when the car requires service or maintenance, who to use, who to authorise.
- Advice/rules regarding batteries, tyres, exhausts and broken glass
- Advice on European travel, if allowed, authority, notice and forms required. Travel instructions, the carrying of goods (overloading in particular), road regulations in the countries to be visited and essential items (spare bulbs, fluorescent jacket etc.).
- Fuel card information.
- Smoking regulations.
- Mobile phone policy.
- How to take care of the vehicle, expected condition when returned.
- Advice on minimising costs, planning, driving style, driver maintenance etc.
Do you have all this? Do you have the emergency breakdown company number stored in your phone? Do you have a torch in the car? If your car breaks down at night in the middle of nowhere and the electrics die it could be a Godsend. By Graham Hill
