Tips to Keep Your Commercial Auto Insurance Rates Low

Of all of your business expenses, none can be as necessary as commercial auto insurance for your fleet of business vehicles. Unfortunately, automobile accidents involving a commercial vehicle place your business as the primary person of responsibility rather than the individual driver, your employee, of the vehicle. As such, when determining the best ways to approach your commercial auto insurance, you need to take some special considerations for your drivers and vehicles.

Driver Responsibility

All of your employees need to exhibit the responsibility and care in driving your commercial vehicles as they literally have the future of your business in their hands. Prior to allowing employees to drive a commercial vehicle, have them complete the following strict set of criteria.

• Pass a standardized drug screen to check for the presence mind-altering substances. In addition, you may need to conduct a questionnaire about each employee’s alcohol use. If you ever suspected an employee of coming to work while under the influence of alcohol, you cannot allow that employee to drive your commercial vehicles.

• Complete a defensive driving course. All of your drivers need to be extraordinarily aware of their surroundings when driving during the course of business. Furthermore, you may consider continuing education for monthly updates on changes to existing traffic laws.

Commercial Vehicle Responsibility

• Do not allow commercial vehicles to be used outside of the course of work. The more time you or your employees spend driving work-related vehicles, your risk for having an accident increases.

• Ensure your commercial vehicles receive proper, routine maintenance. Check the brakes, tire pressure, turn signals, headlights, taillights, and license plate visibility of your commercial vehicles once per week if not every day prior to use.

Although you may have already purchased a commercial auto insurance policy, you have a duty to actively work to prevent auto accidents. In addition to keeping your employees and other drivers safe on the road through driver diligence and vehicle maintenance, you need to make sure your investment will be protected against disasters.