A new training program from the National Safety Council (NSC) seeks to address the leading cause of work-related deaths in the U.S. every year: driving.
Federal data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that more than 2,000 people died from occupational transportation incidents in 2022 – that’s 37.7% of the total occupational fatalities for that year.
To make matters worse, delivery truck drivers and sales employees who spend a lot of their work time on the road have the highest rates of injuries and fatalities among all occupations. Both types of employees aren’t required to get commercial driver’s licenses.
The NSC feels that “drivers who do not have their commercial driver’s license but are required to drive any vehicle for work may not be considered fleet or professional drivers by their employers and could therefore lack formal training.”
Courses cover various types of vehicles
That’s where the NSC’s new Fleet Essentials training program comes in. The program includes courses on:
- passenger vehicles
- delivery vans, and
- medium-duty trucks.
It also addresses:
- vehicle dynamics
- driving professionally, and
- distraction awareness unique to work-related driving.
More information about the program can be found here.
