Defensive Driving and Fleet Safety

What you'll learn

• Explain why driving is among the highest risks for workers who drive, who counts as a work driver, and how speed affects crash energy.
• Analyze collisions as chains of human, vehicle, environment and organizational factors, and distinguish errors from violations.
• Calculate stopping and following distances for different speeds and road surfaces, and apply space, speed and visibility techniques.
• Apply defensive techniques at intersections, when merging and passing, and when backing, parking and stopping at the roadside.
• Describe how distraction, alcohol, cannabis and medications impair driving, and summarize state impaired and distracted driving laws and FMCSA rules for commercial drivers.
• Recognize and manage driver fatigue, and interpret the FMCSA hours-of-service rules and electronic logging device requirements.
• Prepare for and drive safely in winter, rain, fog, wind and darkness, and explain winter tire and chain rules.
• Carry out pre-trip inspections, explain FMCSA inspection, DVIR and cargo securement requirements, and describe a fleet maintenance program.
• Share the road safely with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, large trucks, school buses, emergency vehicles and work zones.
• Respond safely at a collision scene, meet reporting obligations, and investigate collisions to find and fix contributing factors.
• Explain employers' legal duties for work driving and carrier regulation under FMCSA and CSA, and describe the elements of a fleet safety program.
• Prepare a fleet safety and journey management plan for a service company and test it against a realistic scenario.