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There are many reasons why a business that is primarily fleet based would want to implement a prudent driver management program. Most importantly of course is to protect the large investment that the business makes in the vehicles and equipment. But another reason is to minimize the effect that poor drivers have on insurance premiums.

Remember that one of the few tools an insurance company has in underwriting and managing "wheels based risks" is to underwrite and help manage the operators that are assigned the responsibility of using those vehicles on a daily basis.

The purpose of this article is to outline some of the underwriting procedures that the insurance companies use when reviewing accounts for acceptability and pricing. We will also demonstrate some practical approaches to driver review and training.

Access driver history
All things begin with the operator interview process. The most important issue to be aware of is that all businesses must adhere to the Federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act.

This federal mandate dictates in general that a state department of motor vehicles, and any officer, employee, or contractor working for the state department of motor vehicles, shall not knowingly disclose or otherwise make available to any person or entity, various personal information, or highly restricted information, unless in compliance with the permissible uses as defined within the act, (MV-15DPPA (5/02).