You just received a call from one of your customers. Your driver, Tim, hit a light pole on your customer’s property while making a tight turn.

This is the second time Tim has hit an object while turning in the past month. Other than this issue, Tim is an outstanding driver and a reliable member of your transport team.

So, how should you address this issue? Corrective action training may be the answer.

What is corrective action training?

Corrective action training, sometimes referred to as remedial training, is a brief, targeted training session focused on an individual driver in response to an accident, violation, or complaint.

The goal of corrective action training is to address and correct a minor issue, problem, or bad habit when it first occurs – before it escalates into something major that could lead to a serious accident and/or violation.

Implementing a program

How do you successfully implement and administer a corrective action training program?

First, you need to have an active monitoring program that identifies candidates who would benefit from this type of training and the areas of safety and compliance that need attention. Citations, accidents, and insurance claims are all ways to identify drivers and the areas that may need reinforcement or correction.

Once you have identified an issue, you need to select a means of instruction. The instruction should be relatively brief (no more that 5 to 10 minutes in duration) and focused on the specific problem area. Instruction should occur as soon as possible following the incident that triggered the need for training.

The goal is to send a message to your drivers that you are serious about safety and compliance and that correction is necessary.

Once training is completed, continue to monitor the driver to verify that the corrective action training is working. This lets the driver know you are serious and provides you with proof that there is a change in behavior. This could prove vital if the driver is involved in a related accident or incident later on.

Corrective action training and your company policy

In many cases, training can correct an issue that a driver is dealing with. Keep in mind, though, in some cases, there is more to an issue than corrective action training can solve.

Because of this, corrective action training should be linked to your company’s disciplinary policy. How you use corrective action training within your disciplinary policy is a business decision. It should work hand-in-hand with your other policies, any state labor laws, and contracts or agreements you have with your employees that may apply.

Learn more about how J. J. Keller can help with Corrective Action Training or call 888.473.4638 for more information.