Driver Safety Meetings

@ZVar might know better, but as far as I'm aware there is no regulation requiring regular safety meetings or ongoing training once a driver is deemed 'qualified'.

From a legal perspective, however, every company should have a some sort of "continuing development" program which includes communicating to drivers safety trends within the company, particularly after incidents to demonstrate they are 'mitigating' the behaviors which led to the incident.

 

I always used to make that joke when a bunch of us drivers were standing around talking, and if one of the bosses asked what we were doing i’d say, “Having a safety meeting.”

 

Back when I was coaching, after meets we would have a "coaches meeting" - at the bar.

 

There is nothing in the FMCSA about any required meetings, safety or otherwise. As far as my memory goes, the only mention of meetings is in the guidance for HOS, as in if it's required it has to be on-duty. Otherwise I'd have to see the regulation to verify.

Actually this is more a @brian991219 as he seems to be more conversant on the company side (I think he's in compliance) than I am.

 

Thanks for the tag. The FMCSA is deliberately obtuse with their training requirements for periodic safety meetings. There isn't one specific regulation that says "thou shall have a safety meeting every XX days". Where FMCSA leans to in the regs to require periodic safety meetings is 390.3 and a few other obtuse references that say a driver must be trained in the regulations, so really as the rules are updated, equipment is updated or a new driver is hired is all that is really required to satisfy training requirements for the average driver.



If you get into LCV and hazmat the training requirements are spelled out better, but the short answer is periodic safety meetings are more an industry best practice than a hard and fast regulatory compliance issue.

 

I know in my area mandatory safety meeting monthly but Ive never attended. Since Covid I don't even see the monthly safety meeting posted.

 

I'm in Alberta, but for us the requirements for safety meetings are in the applicable federal or Provincial Occupational Health and Safety legislation.

Maybe it's covered by state laws?

We require 11 meetings over a 12 month period. Drivers not in attendance get a nice email on what was covered.its good to have an urgent delivery some times lol

 

They still have them, but the requirement have changed. Now? Flexibility allowed. My last company did computer-based annual refreshers. Sometimes there was a safety guy in the room giving out the answers. No joke. It's almost as if they just don't really care... Go figure

 

We have safety meetings monthly, if you don't attend in person they must be made up. Watch the videos and do the test.
We do mega meetings biannually that are mandatory and a two day training course every other year to recertify our hazmat company credentials and retake Smith system. If not completed you can't work.

Also have special meetings depending on issues addressed and a once a year hearing test done over 2 days on site.

We are fond of saying the only thing that actually come out of our monthly safety meetings are empty pizza boxes.