ROAD SAFETY
BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA | April 2023
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
It is frightening and disheartening to
see how many fleet managers get away
with short cuts when recruiting drivers
to operate their expensive assets. Many
companies merely rely on the years of
driving experience reflected on a CV and
a short drive around the block accompa-
nied by a senior driver before the new
recruit is given the thumbs-up.
The high accident rate involving com-
mercial vehicles places a huge burden
on company profitability. In these tough
economic times, every effort should be
made to hire right, so that poor deci-
sions do not come back to haunt you.
There are various factors that HR
practitioners consider when hiring staff
including qualifications, skills, experience
and personality traits. When recruiting
drivers, these requirements should be
expanded to include driving competence,
legal compliance, the ability to drive
economically and customer relations.
Given the country’s poor accident
record it is obvious that there are
numerous systemic failures in the road
safety system, so an important element
that is supposed to regulate the smooth
and safe passage of transport is broken
and thus, unreliable. It is therefore left to
companies to close the gap by ensuring
that stringent recruitment and selection
takes place through effective pre-hire
screening.
Many companies do not conduct
effective pre-hire screening because it is
costly and time consuming and, in some
instances, could fall foul of privacy laws
if done incorrectly. If reputable screen-
ing companies are engaged, much of the
stress and frustration can be eliminated
from this all-important step.
Over and above the usual pre-em-
ployment screenings such as reference
checks, police clearance, identity
verification, health examinations, driving
licenses and PDPs (professional driving
permits), practical screening for new
hire drivers should include the following
minimum aspects:
Driving competency
The job description of a driver is to
transport goods or passengers from one
point to another. As such, they should be
competent in driving and operating that
particular class of vehicle. This includes
conducting pre-trip inspections, as well
as being able to drive the vehicle safely
in various road environments, weather
conditions, traffic volumes and with
varying loads.
Legal compliance
The driver is fully responsible for driver
fitness, meaning being healthy, safe,
sober, alert, well-rested, knowledgeable
and fully compliant with road rules,
regulations and road signs. They also
need to be fully conversant with the
legal prescripts of vehicle documenta-
tion and loads management, especially
with regard to abnormal loads and the
transportation of dangerous goods.
Driving safely at all times is an absolute
must. Reference checks must raise
questions about a driver’s crash history.
This will go a long way towards weeding
The importance of the
pre-hire screening of drivers
The job description of a driver is to transport goods or
passengers from one point to another. As such, they
should be competent in driving and operating that
particular class of vehicle. This includes conducting
pre-trip inspections, as well as being able to drive the
vehicle safely in various road environments, weather
conditions, traffic volumes and with varying loads.