Online Driver Safety Programs for Delivery Drivers

You’ve just opened your sandwich shop, business is good and you are growing.  The next step logical step is to compete with the bigger stores your area is to offer delivery, but you are not sure if your grinder store really needs to go down that road and your are unsure if you want the additional grind.   How do you offer delivery service, make it profitable and stay safe at the same time?  How do you compete safely and profitably?

These are three tips to help you deliver profitability when it comes to employees driving for you.

As always, please consult your attorney or a qualified attorney regarding state laws and individual situations, the information contained in this article is intended as a guide.

First, hire the right driver or drivers, it is critical.   Obviously, you want the best employees as drivers and the individual representative of your shop to the customers, to represent themselves in a manner and professionalism, that appropriately represents your brand.   Remember, they might have your logo on or on top of their car, how do you want to be remembered?   As an owner, you need to make sure you know who is representing you on the road, delivering your product to your customers homes.

One simple but very effective tool, the background check.   Running a driving record and background check could prevent you from hiring an individual who has a history of unsafe or unlawful behavior.   Employers should take care in hiring and understand the laws and rules related to hiring an employee, and from a legal perspective, employers need to understand the legal concept of “respondeat superior” which in essence says an employer is legally responsible for the actions of its employees if the employee is acting within the scope or course of employment.

If there is an incident involving one of your drivers, you will generally be liable if the driver or employee was doing their job, carrying out company business or acting on your behalf.

Essentially, respondeat superior holds employers responsible for the costs of doing business, including the costs of employee misconduct or carelessness.   If the injury caused by the driver is is one of the risks of doing business, the employer or owner bears that responsibility.

Secondly, make sure you are properly insured.   Consult your insurance professional before purchasing any kind of insurance policy and make sure all of the details are spelled out with respect to what is covered, liabilities and policy limitations.   If your company owns the car, the drivers need to be on the policy, which can increase cost and liability, as more drivers represent increased risk to the underwriter.   That said, insurance companies on the whole prefer company-owned vehicles used for deliveries because they know exactly how many cars are out delivering at any given time, they know their exposure.

Driver owned vehicles do not mean you the owner are off the hook.   Most standard auto policies do not cover accidents if the vehicle is being used for business purposes; businesses must have hired-auto or non-owned automobile coverage, a liability policy that covers accidents which occur when an employee is driving the car for delivery purposes.   Read the fine print, there are clauses specifically dealing with food delivery insurance.

Finally, offer an online driver safety course, like the ones provided by DefensiveDriving.com.   Not only do you benefit by providing the driver with refresher driver training before they go out and represent your brand, you will most likely receive a savings on your auto insurance premiums, anywhere from 1 to 10 percent discount on your insurance premiums.   As the say, an ounce of prevention can go a long way.   Not only are you saving money via an online driver safety program like the programs offered by DefensiveDriving.com, you are protecting your brand, as an educated driver tends to be a safer driver.   Expenditures on safety programs have the potential to save thousands on insurance premiums and payouts in case of an accident.