A vehicle safety program is an employer's written system of policies, driver qualification, training, vehicle maintenance and incident review designed to prevent crashes and injuries when employees drive for work.
A vehicle safety program, often called a fleet safety program or driver safety program, is an organized set of policies and practices an employer uses to prevent motor vehicle crashes and injuries involving employees who drive for work. It covers who is allowed to drive, how drivers are trained and monitored, how vehicles are selected and maintained, and how crashes are reported and investigated.
These programs matter because driving is one of the most dangerous things many employees do on the job. In its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that transportation incidents were the most frequent type of fatal work event, accounting for 1,937 of 5,070 work-related deaths, or 38.2 percent.
A vehicle safety program applies to company-owned fleets, leased and rented vehicles, and personal vehicles used for work. It is usually part of a wider occupational health and safety management system.
OSHA has no general standard covering employees who drive on public roads. Its motor vehicle requirements apply to specific settings, such as construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart O, Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations), agricultural tractors (29 CFR 1928.51, rollover protective structures) and marine terminals (29 CFR 1917.44). Powered industrial trucks are covered by 29 CFR 1910.178. See forklift safety.
To fill the gap, OSHA worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) to publish Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes, which sets out a 10-step program for employers.
Commercial motor vehicles used in interstate commerce are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) under 49 CFR Parts 350 to 399. Key rules include:
ANSI/ASSP Z15.1, Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations, is a voluntary consensus standard that sets out the elements of a fleet safety program. In Great Britain, HSE guidance on driving at work explains that employers must manage work-related road risk under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Where employees drive alone to remote sites, check-ins or lone worker monitoring can help confirm they have arrived safely.
A regional utility had several crashes involving service trucks in one year, including two rear-end collisions. A review found no consistent driving record checks, no phone policy and inspections that were rarely completed.
The utility wrote a vehicle safety program based on the OSHA guidelines and ANSI/ASSP Z15.1. It began annual driving record checks, banned phone use while driving, added defensive driver training, required daily pre-trip inspections and set up crash reporting with root cause reviews. Supervisors reviewed crash and inspection data each quarter, and the number of preventable crashes fell over the following year.
OSHA has no general standard that requires one for driving on public roads. However, OSHA encourages employers to adopt one, and FMCSA rules apply to many commercial vehicle operations.
Any employee who drives for work, including those using personal vehicles, rental cars or company vehicles, not just commercial drivers.
FMCSA requires motor carriers to review each commercial driver's record at least once every 12 months. Many employers apply the same annual check to all employees who drive for work.
Seat belt use, impaired driving and distracted driving are core policies in nearly every program. The right priorities depend on the crash and violation history of the workforce.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
> Keep learning
> See it in action
Capture hazards, run inspections, track training and close out corrective actions in one platform built for high-risk, field-heavy work.
Book my free demo
Get a demo built around your sites, your teams, and the way your people work.
EHS, journey, and fatigue management software for field-heavy teams.
.png){kind=logo}
.png)