Use Driver Safety Evaluations to Reduce Risk & Improve Efficiency This Season
Featured in LP Gas Magazine, November 2020
Propane marketers across the country are gearing up for the busiest time of the year. As colder weather approaches, your propane drivers will be making more deliveries and dealing with poor driving conditions. It is critical to ensure that your propane delivery drivers have the training they need to complete their routes safely and efficiently. Ride-along driver evaluations are an invaluable training tool that propane companies can use to evaluate individual driver skills, maintain compliance protocols, and protect the company from expensive accidents and unnecessary safety hazards.
If you are looking for ways to maximize the value of your propane safety training, driver safety evaluations are a great way to ensure your team members get the training they need without losing billable hours.
Ride-along driver evaluations offer a unique opportunity for your employees to receive critical training during regular business hours. The training professional will come to your business location and ride along with the trainee during their regular route. Drivers benefit from one-on-one training and receive real-time feedback, and the management team is provided with valuable insight on employee performance and future training opportunities.
Here are the four main reasons to prioritize ride-along driver safety evaluations this fall or winter:
Make the most of your propane training budget.
Unlike other training that can take employees away from daily operations, ride-along driver evaluations are conducted while drivers are performing their regular duties on their scheduled delivery routes. No need to rearrange your drivers’ schedules or worry about losing out on productivity. Plus, any identified improvements or issues will help your team increase future efficiencies.
Evaluate employee performance and identify training needs.
Ride-along propane driver evaluations are designed to benefit your delivery drivers and your management personnel. Ride-alongs allow trainers to see how delivery drivers operate on a day-to-day basis. They can evaluate where each driver is excelling and where there could be room for improvement. After the training session, management receives a detailed report of each driver’s performance conducting their daily tasks and any recommendations for training as needed.
Complete risk management review of propane installations.
An additional, yet greatly significant benefit of ride-along driver evaluations is that during the training you can also have your trainer complete on-site propane customer audits. Trainers can audit each installation visited along the delivery route based on NFPA 58 code requirements and identify any installations with compliance issues.
Protect your drivers and your propane company.
Bobtail accidents are extremely dangerous. They can put the driver and your company at risk. Just one accident could cost your company upwards of thousands of dollars in equipment damage and potential personal injury costs. During a ride-along driver evaluation, your drivers can learn best practices to help avoid accidents.
If you are weighing cost and efficiency as deciding factors for your fall and winter training program, consider how ride-along driver evaluations can return your investment on both. Make the most of your busy season and use this time to your advantage by giving your drivers critical training without sacrificing billable hours or productivity. It’s a win-win for your team and your company. Visit p3propane.com to learn more about ride-along driver evaluations offered by P3 Propane Safety.
Author Brent Cammett, senior consultant of safety and training at P3 Propane Safety, has 20 years of industry experience. He has led multistate safety programs, conducted and instructed safety training, completed safety audits, and investigated incidents across New England. He is a CETP/PEP instructor, proctor, and skills evaluator and a licensed Smith Systems driver trainer.