As political and economic environments adjust, there is always a chance that people will exercise their liberties and voice their opinions via action. These times can lead to issues in the logistics/transportation industry as they can clog up transport routes, create unforeseen road closures and put drivers at risk of injury and the equipment of damage.
RSI Insurance wanted to offer some tips to those dealing with these situations to maintain operational awareness to ensure safe operations for your drivers and deliveries.
Drivers need to plan for possible closures of roads.
- With possible protesting and riot participants taking to the streets, they can become impassable with very little notice. Truck drivers should preemptively plan for alternate routes if there could be closures on their routes when there is word of possible unrest in delivery areas. Some freeways have even been closed at times. Plan ahead and understand that roads can be blocked by people who don’t let vehicles pass or create makeshift roadblocks to block all through traffic.
Contact customers to see if protests in area/inform of possible delay
- Reach out to customers and ask current conditions around their exact and surrounding area. Also confirming they are open during these times can be helpful to ensure they are present to receive the load. Considering also asking if they suspect if there will be upcoming protests as well so you can plan accordingly. This also gives an opportunity to update them that there may be a possible delay in delivery as well with all things considered.
Secure vehicle, and be ready to remove self from situation
- Make sure drivers understand anything can happen with individuals in a protest situation and they safeguard themselves inside the vehicle when traversing these areas. Locking doors, and rolling windows down slightly (as harder to smash out when slightly open vs when totally closed) are important proactive measures to ensure no one tries to enter the vehicle forcibly. And if things do spiral out of control, let the driver know that exiting the vehicle and creating distance on foot can be a safer option than being trapped in the vehicle.
Use technologies at your disposal
- Simple concepts like keeping your dashcam on and recording the situation as it on folds can help a ton for anything involving law enforcement or even insurance. Utilizing social media and other social platforms to have information about situations in real time can be helpful to deal with things as they can progress very quickly and turn violent without much notice. The more current the information, the better a driver can adjust to the situation.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
- This acts as something both drivers and dispatch need to maximize is communication. Drivers need to keep their company or supervisors updated on road conditions as they adjust and dispatch/carriers need to know where their drivers are at, what their risk level is and how they are handling everything/what hellp they may need. Each party may have additional info the others doesn’t so keep sharing what they know and collaboratively decide the best course of action. One other consideration is to contact 911 if the load could pose a hazmat risk if overturned/damaged in transport.
Insure and Protect your equipment
- One thing to understand is that some standard equipment insurance may not cover these types of incidents. There is coverage that acts as an add on to trucking physical damage where its sole intent is to provide first party cover to equipment damaged in riot and civil unrest. If you want to make sure you are covered, make sure to investigate these offers as these would be the times to make sure you are covered.
RSI Insurance Brokers wants to help as much as it can during times like these so feel free to contact us to assess your current coverage and make sure you area covered properly.Talk to an RSI Insurance Broker today by clicking here for a quote or call us at 1-800-828-5273.
