PACIF has developed Safety Briefs to help municipal highway supervisors maintain a high level of safety and hazard awareness among employees. We recommend using these short “tailgate trainings” on a regular basis – but no less once a month. If you need a particular safety topic, please contact us at losscontrol@vlct.org.
Information for Supervisors
Although municipalities are not required by federal or state law to conduct pre-trip or post-trip inspections for commercial motor vehicles, federal and state enforcement agencies highly recommend that municipalities regularly perform and document inspections. PACIF agrees and considers these to be a risk management best practice.
Completing daily inspections of your commercial motor vehicles is the best way to ensure that they are safe to operate and it increases the likelihood that they will be ready when they are needed and reduces the potential for break down. If you would like a simple form to use for this purpose, contact your loss control consultant or email us at: losscontrol@vlct.org.
Talking Points for Training
Remind your operators about the importance of completing thorough daily inspections and your expectations as a supervisor. If you plan on adopting the PACIF form, this would be a good time to introduce it and discuss how you will use it in your operation.
Whether you’re using your own inspection form or the PACIF form, place them in an easily accessible, central location. Review the actual form with your drivers and consider completing an inspection together so you can review your expectations on how to complete them. As part of any hands-on training session, make sure that you touch on these areas:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Each of these items should be inspected daily. If any one of these is found defective during the inspection, the operator must notify the road foreman or mechanic, and all necessary repairs must be made before operating the vehicle. If you do not have ready access to a mechanic, you’ll need to stock the most common “wear” items so you can replace/repair them.
A good inspection program will ensure that the vehicle is ready for operation, reduce vehicle breakdowns and better protect general public. We’ve had more than one municipal dump truck lose a tire and narrowly miss an oncoming motor vehicle. You don’t want this to be your truck!