Having Clearly Defined Vehicle Policies and Procedures is Necessary for Keeping Employees and Customers Safe

RCS Influencer Mark Holencik says his company puts safety first and vehicle maintenance second in their vehicle policies.

One of the first policies I started was if there are two employees in the vehicle, one gets out when you back up. From the time you load something on the truck and start the truck some kid could be playing behind the truck that you cannot see.  Very few people will watch what you are doing, they will pull in right behind you while you are backing up.  Backing into a customer’s driveway, the ladder goes through the garage door. This actually happened.

Every Tuesday, the employees have a checklist that they must complete before they leave the shop. This consists of lights, turn signals, oil, transmission fluid, tire pressure, etc. This allows us to get the most mileage without down time out of our vehicle investment.

Once a week the truck must be washed. This lets the employees take pride in the company they work for. The customer is not embarrassed to have us parked in front of their house

We are a drug-free company. Any accident and you go for a drug test.

The driver is always responsible for the load being strapped down. No finger pointing.

We use Fleetmatics for vehicle tracking and maintenance. The driver will get a text when they are speeding or driving erratic. They can take the truck home at night. Fleetmatics lets you put in the time and area where the vehicle needs to be at night. If it moves we get a text telling us the truck is moving.

When you log in to Fleetmatics you can enter alerts for oil changes and inspections. The driver and the office will get the alert and the driver can schedule the service.  There are many services you can setup – even to get an alert when the vehicle is idling too long.

In real time you can look at where your truck is. You can see every stop your truck makes and how long it was there.

All of these policies make for a more professional-looking company. The more professional you look, the more you can command for the service you provide.

Mark Holencik is the owner of Holencik Exteriors, Holencik Gutters and Holencik Insulation. See his full bio here.