Here’s a safety tip for winter: make sure your drivers are ready for the cold weather. Raise these simple ideas at your next driver meeting:

Instruct your drivers to carry warm clothing, including a heavy jacket, water-resistant pants, and heavy gloves. Proper footware is critical: steel-toed work boots protect feet while providing stable traction while loading and unloading.

You probably don’t have to tell them to be sure their CB radios and cellphones work, but you should remind drivers to check in with their dispatcher regularly and report their exact location. Contact prior to an emergency can be as critical
as a call during one.

Make sure your dispatchers arm drivers with the latest information about road and weather conditions.

Prepare a survival kit for each driver, including a flashlight with fresh batteries, a thermal blanket, small hand tools, thick paraffin candles and plenty of matches, non-perishable high-energy food, fire starter, and water in a shatterproof container. Some extra oil, fuel filters, and fuel de-icer are good ideas, too.