As many as 80 percent of car-truck crashes are caused by cars – not trucks.1 Unfortunately, though, trucks often get blamed. While a crash will catch drivers and fleet operators off guard, they don’t have to be caught unprepared. Being ready before a crash occurs – even a minor one – can help facilitate better outcomes on post-crash accident investigation and insurance claims. Consider the following best practices: 

  1. Driver training. Your drivers need to know what to do when an accident occurs.  Educate them on what information they need to collect at the site of an accident, who they should or shouldn’t talk to and what they should or shouldn’t say, including admitting guilt. Encourage the driver to be as honest as possible and only disclose facts, not opinions at the scene of the accident. Accident response training should be a part of the onboarding process and occur annually thereafter, conducted either in house or by a third party specialist. 
  2. Have the right documents ready. Whether it’s an online app or a printed document in the glove compartment, drivers need to have accident reporting instructions readily available. They need to know how to complete an accident report that details the facts of the crash - who, what, when, where – including names and contact information of witnesses and a diagram of the crash. 
  3. Know the protocol and how to escalate. Make sure the driver knows who to contact immediately post-crash. While it might be the driver’s instinct to call their dispatcher, the dispatchers are primarily concerned with moving loads and may not be trained in how to respond when a crash occurs.  Set up a protocol for accident mitigation internally then with your insurance broker and carrier and train drivers on it. This will include who the drivers should call immediately post-crash, what circumstances warrant an attorney being notified, who will initiate a claim and more. Often times, fleet carriers only realize the importance of this step at the time they renew their insurance policy when they are dropped or their premium increases due to an unreported or underreported accident. 
    When a crash turns fatal, make sure the driver and the company contact knows what to do, as this situation often necessitates getting an attorney involved immediately to invoke privilege and a PR firm to handle the communications process both internally and with the general public. 
  4. Employ in-truck cameras. Oftentimes, it’s the truck driver who gets blamed when an accident occurs. Cameras can reduce frivolous and questionable crash claims, especially when it comes to intersection mishaps.  In-truck cameras can also help fleet owners earn better insurance rates or a lower deductible. 

Doing the best you can to protect your drivers and ensure that they aren’t unfairly blamed for accidents means taking necessary precautions and training drivers on them. Contact your HUB risk services transportation specialist to find out how we can help you establish these best practices across your fleet in the event of a truck driver accident. 

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[1] https://www.ccjdigital.com/80-percent-of-car-truck-crashes-caused-by-car-drivers-ata-report-says/