Writer’s Block
(published in the September 2011 issue of Business People Magazine)
IF YOUR COMPANY or organization (including school systems) has vehicles with your name on them, please read this.
Vehicles with company and organization names are everywhere. And, why not; it’s inexpensive mobile advertising. It appears that most drivers have been well trained on the right and wrong things to do when behind the wheel of a company vehicle.
However, on an all-to-regular basis I see company vehicles being driven by people who have no regard for the reputation of the company they work for. Landscape vehicles, semis on I-69, construction vehicles, delivery vehicles, hotel shuttles and, yes, even Fort Wayne Community School buses are being driven by people who appear to have no training. If they have been trained, they have conveniently forgotten what they learned. What a waste. And, it can be downright dangerous.
I regularly see company drivers speeding, turning and changing lanes without using turn signals, tailgating and not moving over as other vehicles attempt to merge onto the expressway. And they do all this while broadcasting the name of the company they work for.
From a public relations perspective, this isn’t good. From a liability standpoint, it’s absolutely frightening. It may be only a matter of time before one of your drivers harms someone, or worse. You may already have experienced the trouble a poor driver can cause your business. If so, I hope you’ve taken the steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
Please train your drivers---for your sake, as well as the safety of all drivers and their passengers.
DAN COPELAND
President/Publisher
(This article was reprinted with the consent of Dan Copeland
President and Publisher of Business People Magazine)