In the moving and storage industry, you and your drivers sure are behind the wheel a lot. Depending on the amount of time spent in the vehicle, the risk of an accident increases.  When you and your employees are behind the wheel, are they sure to be wearing a seatbelt?

Considering the personal safety aspect is important, but of course, you have a business to think of as well. Did you know that if a commercial driver is pulled over and found to not be wearing a seatbelt there are serious consequences not just for the individual, but also for your moving company?  Each company is assessed based on the Safety Methodology System (SMS) from the FMSCA—violations of important regulations such as seatbelt laws do have an impact.

For commercial drivers, wearing a seatbelt is not an option.

Title 49, Section 392.16 of the Code of Federal Regulations states:

“A commercial motor vehicle that has a seat belt assembly installed at the driver’s seat shall not be driven unless the driver has properly restrained himself/herself with the seat belt assembly.”

Here are the facts:

• The majority of commercial vehicles use the 3-point safety belt system: a lap belt and a shoulder belt is used in this assembly.
• FMSCA states that: any commercial motor vehicle which has a seat belt assembly installed at the driver’s seat is not to be operated unless the driver has properly utilized the seat belt.

Violation of seatbelt requirements carries a fine that is counted against the moving company as a part of their Safety and Fitness Scores.

• Under the Code of Federal Regulations section. 392.16, it states that: Failing to use seat belt while operating a CMV carries a violation Severity weight of 7.
• CMV operators who are penalized this way have to worry about more than just the personal ramifications.
• This type of violation impacts the carrier’s BASIC Unsafe Driving Score for a period of 24 months and 36 months for the individual driver’s score.
• Depending on Safety and Fitness Scores, the impact could span to loss of business and refusal of movers insurance.

At Wolpert Insurance, we want you to be safe on the road, and we want you to be able to obtain insurance! Remember, driving safe is beneficial for every part of your company: from personal safety, to your business’s well-being, all the way to claims on your movers insurance policy.

In the next two weeks, we will delve into seatbelts and their impact on your company as it relates to safety scores, insurance, and costs – starting next week with the costs you could face.