I have to investigate a driver for excessive accidents this afternoon. He has had 3 accidents since October in a brand new unit!
First was accident involving a car joining carriageway from Slip road, traffic was slow moving
Second was driving through a pot hole, took the front quarter panel clean off, broke the headlight lense and scuffed the front wing… Amazing thing to do in a pot hole…
Third was last week, clattered some bollards while reversing on the services damaging front step, wing and quarterpanel again. The unit is a brand spanking new MAN so looks like having whole front panel replaced as it is one giant piece of plastic.
What I am posting here for is I would like your guys opinions on this? is 3 accidents like this excessive?
First was accident involving a car joining carriageway from Slip road, traffic was slow moving
then that would be the cars problem for not stopping
Second was driving through a pot hole, took the front quarter panel clean off, broke the headlight lense and scuffed the front wing… Amazing thing to do in a pot hole…
who did the pothole belong to the council then sue them for damages
Third was last week, clattered some bollards while reversing on the services damaging front step, wing and quarterpanel again.
this one could have been driver abuse or just a ■■■■’up by the driver…
None look to me to deliberate acts of damage old or new truck does not stop accidents happening…
First was accident involving a car joining carriageway from Slip road, traffic was slow moving
then that would be the cars problem for not stopping
Second was driving through a pot hole, took the front quarter panel clean off, broke the headlight lense and scuffed the front wing… Amazing thing to do in a pot hole…
who did the pothole belong to the council then sue them for damages
Third was last week, clattered some bollards while reversing on the services damaging front step, wing and quarterpanel again.
this one could have been driver abuse or just a ■■■■’up by the driver…
None look to me to deliberate acts of damage old or new truck does not stop accidents happening…
I know that accidents will happen, it is enevitable with the number of miles driven each year, my point was do you think the number of accidents is excessive? The vehicle only travels an average of 1000miles a week, which I wouldnt have thought was a high as some truckers out there?
The accident with the car on the slip road… yes car driver took liability, but I have to ask was the accident avoidable? If travelling at 30mph could the driver of slowed to avoid the car hitting him? I know the answers will come back as ‘why should he’, but this driver has had more accidents in 6 months than most in their entire employment.
The accident with the pot hole baffles me. I dont understand how the wing was damaged by a pot hole?
I would never say any accident was deliberate or that the driver has gone out of his was to damage the vehicle. I just wanted some opinions from you guys as fellow drivers!
Firstly, were any really ‘accidents’ ? - a happening by chance? - where the driver could not do anything to avoid it happening - lets see…
First was accident involving a car joining carriageway from Slip road, traffic was slow moving
Not an accident - car intentionally drove towards truck - driver error by car driver.
Could the trucker have helped to avoid it? - dunno, was not there.
Second was driving through a pot hole, took the front quarter panel clean off, broke the headlight lense and scuffed the front wing… Amazing thing to do in a pot hole…
This could be an accident - depends whether the trucker could see the hole and avoided it.
Might be unavoidable and/or the depth of it hidden as it was filled with water
Third was last week, clattered some bollards while reversing on the services damaging front step, wing and quarterpanel again.
Not an accident, nor a deliberate act by the driver.
Best GUESS - driver was concentrating on something else, such as not hitting other parked vehicle(s), and the bollards took a low down priority.
The accident with the pot hole baffles me. I dont understand how the wing was damaged by a pot hole?
would depend on how deep the pothole was or is,what is the ground clearance of the truck truck drops into hole,front spoiler hits the ground and pushes up the body work …
Driver Discipline
Is the title of this thread,to me it looks like the driver could be looking at getting the sack over this .No i dont think this is an excuse to discipline the driver,as they say ■■■■ happens…
but this driver has had more accidents in 6 months than most in their entire employment.
This does not make the other drivers any better than the lad who has had three in six months…You may find this driver will go the next 10 years without another claim …A word in his lughole would be far better than putting up before the gastapo and giving him the third degree…No i dont think it is excessive the amount of accidents he has had.
Sorry, it is a Disciplinary Investigation, I should have named the topic that! I dont know if the driver will end up disciplined or not, I just have to investigate and then pass information on to another manager for them to decide if the driver should have a warning or not.
My money would be on the driver having to do a driver re assesment with one of our driver trainers, but as before I cant say as I wont be the manager responsible for the disciplinary hearing should there be one.
Well i hope all that has been posted on here is taken into account at the hearing,perhaps a rollicking about the bollards,fine,but to discipline him over the accidents when somebody has taken the blame would be wrong,also has the pothole been investigated ,or have you taken his word for it as to how it happened sounds to me as if you or your management dont agree on how it was done did the pot hole get looked into )excuse the pun) …the lad is problily thinking there goes my job.
The driver wont be sacked as this will be the first time he has been spoken too formally about anything.
All I have to do is investigate the latest accident, it is only being investigated formally because of the other accidents. Hopefully being interviewed formally will be enough for the driver to be a little more careful, and take him off the radar
I would have thought that an informal chat about these incidents first would be a good way to go without a formal type of meeting and then take it further if needed.
If there are still concerns after an informal chat then do a driving assessment.
From the assessment and the informal chat, a picture could then be formed as to the competancy of the driver.
Then, and only then, might formal procedures be invoked.
Oh yeah I do like the guy, but I am now in catch 22. I have done the freindly chat thing before about his performance (he has had issues with driving infringements), but now if I dont formalise things I risk getting it in the neck from my superiors.
I dont want the guy to be sacked, and I honestly dont think he will be as this will be the first formal talking too he will have had, but at the same time I need to be seen to be following company proceedure.
welltin:
The driver wont be sacked as this will be the first time he has been spoken too formally about anything.
All I have to do is investigate the latest accident, it is only being investigated formally because of the other accidents. Hopefully being interviewed formally will be enough for the driver to be a little more careful, and take him off the radar
you are going to investigate the other incidents as well, because that is in the past, you have had a chance of taking to the driver for the first one but as you say its the first time, IMO you must disregard the first two and try and ask the driver what does he think the prob is it could be a simple thing, and that can be sorted out with an informal chat, ask the driver if he think he has a problem with is driving once you have had a chat with him let him know that if it doe’s happen again that there will be a full investigation,
Sorry, I dont think I am explaining myself very well.
The driver had nothing for the first accident as the car driver took liability, for the second it was a friendly please be more careful. The third is the only accident being investigated formally, but only because he has had 3 accidents within 6 months. If it was just the 3rd accident on its own, it would have been a freindly please be more careful, but its not.
welltin:
Sorry, I dont think I am explaining myself very well.
The driver had nothing for the first accident as the car driver took liability, for the second it was a friendly please be more careful. The third is the only accident being investigated formally, but only because he has had 3 accidents within 6 months. If it was just the 3rd accident on its own, it would have been a freindly please be more careful, but its not.
Does that make sense?
1st accident - Car drivers fault - end of story!
2nd Accident - probably just a misjudgment of the pothole depth
thinking about the third accident, it is very easy to do the bollard would have been in the drivers blindspot and if you’re concentrating on the back of the truck it’s very easy to not see it until you hear the sickening crunch !
In your position I’d go for a written warning and a day with a driver assessor. After that hopefully the driver will be more careful and you’ve covered your arse if it keeps happening again.
Denis F:
In your position I’d go for a written warning and a day with a driver assessor. After that hopefully the driver will be more careful and you’ve covered your arse if it keeps happening again.
ive said that in the pm as well denis.
the reason for the pm ive had similar incident in 2 months but i dont want to go into them on the forum…
I don’t suppose any of your management team have considered the driver’s welfare have they? Has he been asked if everything’s OK? Does he have personal problems? Is he happy at work or is something bothering him so much that he can’t concentrate properly? Is there anything the company can do to help him? It sounds like quite a big firm, do you have an occupational health dept or have you thought of making him a referral to an organisation that can help him? Just a thought.
Of course, he may just be a gloit who can’t drive a wagon properly, in which case he should be executed in the yard in front of the men.
the bollard would have been in the drivers blindspot and if you’re concentrating on the back of the truck it’s very easy to not see it until you hear the sickening crunch !