7 Trucking Risks Your Business Needs To Know About

7 Trucking Risks Your Business Needs To Know About A variety of businesses rely on trucks to maintain their activities. Indeed, whether they’re in charge of deliveries or whether they provide the room professionals on the go need to store their equipment or resources, trucks play a significant role in many sectors. Without them, there could be no one-day delivery offers â€" a truck can transport a large volume of items and make them available to your end-customers and your lines of production in record time, while small vehicles would require more time to perform the same service. Small trucks also enable mobile experts to be effective and productive wherever they are â€" a plumber or a gas engineer can keep their tools inside, for instance. In other words, trucks are an essential part of a country’s economy. However, trucks are large and heavy vehicles that can prove deadly on the road. Their sheer size makes them dangerous to other drivers. But the list of risks the trucking industry can bring to your business doesn’t stop here. As it’s virtually impossible to maintain a stable business presence without relying on trucking storage volume, transport function, and visibility, business owners need to become aware of their potential dangers. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. Can you trust your drivers? Parcel logistics is a top priority for retailers. Consequently, managing inventory becomes a factor of performance and success in a sector where you need to deliver orders in record time. However, most companies continue to waste precious time at various levels in the delivery chain. Indeed, a disorganized warehouse can affect the loading time of your delivery trucks, as well as the volume of each charge â€" indeed, parcels that are incorrectly managed can appear under false measurements, labels, and weight input. In the long term, this affects the quality of your delivery service, without mentioning that drivers are more at risk of accidentally damaging items that have not been properly secured or stored. Additionally, parcels that are not organized are more likely to disappear without getting noticed, which can lead to customer complaints and painful resolution processes. Amazon trials its drivers by placing fake parcels in the delivery van. The packages are labeled with an incorre ct address â€" an address or a recipient that doesn’t exist. The aim is to ensure that drivers can be trusted to bring the parcels back to the warehouse for further investigations. Transporting highly valuable items attracts criminals Computerware. High quality furniture. Luxury vehicles. Live animals. Some items are more valuable than others. A truck that carries books and stationery is less likely to get ambushed than a truck that transports high value goods. As a result, it can be tricky for businesses to find the appropriate high risk commercial truck insurance cover for their needs. Ultimately, while you need to provide your vehicle with all the necessary security system â€" your truck must have a tracking system on board as well as sturdy and secure locks on all doors, for instance â€", you can’t avoid experienced burglars trying to break in. Road accidents can happen without warning Let’s mention the elephant in the room without delaying it any further. When your business drives a vehicle, there is the risk that this very vehicle becomes involved in a road accident. Questions of liability, compensation, and costs regarding the lost items are likely to affect your company. Consequently, it’s essential to take all the possible precautions to protect your drivers. Regular truck maintenance and servicing appointments need to run appropriately â€" based on the on traveled distance and not the age of the vehicle. Besides, your trip schedule has to leave enough time for your drivers to rest and recover from previous trips. When your truck causes an accident that can be traced back to a company’s fault, your business can suffer from a backlash. Is your schedule too competitive for your own good? Your drivers need to be on the road if you’re going to run a profitable business. However, there is such a thing as pushing your drivers too far, and throwing impossible schedules at them. Overworked drivers are a high risk on the road, not only for other drivers but also for the reputation of your company. As a rule of the thumb, truck drivers can work 50% more hours than other employees, despite US regulations designed to limit commercial driver work hours. Unfortunately, low wages force drivers to accumulate trips in order to make ends meet. Is competition coming from unexpected areas? While the current legislation doesn’t yet allow for self-driving vehicles to replace truck drivers, it’s fair to say that automated truck delivery is only a matter of time. Companies such as Daimler â€" parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Trucks â€", Waymo and even Tesla are investigating the potential of self-driving trucks. As technology progresses and tests are becoming more and more reliable, it’s likely that your truck drivers could soon be replaced by automated trucks. The transitional phase could become tricky to manage, as many drivers are expected to protest against the change. The truck needs to work for your brand How visible is your brand? While most trucks display the logo of their company, many show signs of wear and tears as the consequence of many trips. Trucks can be vandalized as they stop â€" which can affect your branding display even if it doesn’t damage any of the items you’re transporting. Additionally, the combination of fuel, changing weather and humidity can partially erase your brand name and info. When you put a truck on the road, you need to maintain regular wrapping appointments to keep your brand visible. A truck that shows a new display boosts your brand reputation. Truck drivers are at risk of illnesses and early death Truck drivers spend extended hours in the same position. Sitting 6 hours or more per day can increase your risks of dying early by 40%. Additionally, the risk of cardiovascular disease and cholesterol issues spikes significantly for prolonged sitting occupations. Drivers are especially affected and require regular breaks and adapted schedules to maintain their health. From accidents to brand visibility, the trucking sector exposes your company to a variety of risks and obstacles that you need to manage. You can’t afford to ignore the impact that a bad trucking day could have on your business, and that’s precisely why you need to take preventive measures as soon as possible.