If you are thinking about starting a restaurant delivery service to diversify your restaurant operations, there are important controls that should be implemented. According to the National Safety Council, in 2018 alone, there were 4.5 million medically-consulted driver injuries that cost $445.6 billion in the United States. Transportation incidents were the fourth leading cause of injuries to workers, so it is clear that steps must be taken to lower your risk and put your employees on the road safely.
Read, ‘24 Tips for Delivery Driver Safety’ for more information on how to operate your restaurant delivery service safely and successfully.
7 Tips to Follow When Starting a Restaurant Delivery Service
1. You will need to check Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) for all delivery drivers, upon hire/assignment and at least annually.
It is important to know the driving safety history of those on the road representing your operation. You should only select drivers with a current and valid driver’s license; and have very limited or no moving violations, and no severe moving violations (DUI, Reckless Driving, etc.). There are a number of ways to quickly access official driving records online for review. Your Society Insurance agent may be able to run MVR’s for you. Most States have an online portal where employees can access their own MVR for a small fee. Society Insurance policyholders receive discounted rates on Verisk employment screening products and services.
Read more about checking motor vehicle records on delivery employees.
2. Evidence of personal automobile insurance should be obtained from all drivers that will use their personal vehicles for company business.
These drivers should have sufficient automobile liability coverage limits and appropriate business use endorsements. Discuss this with your Society Insurance agent.
3. Drivers should be reminded that seatbelts must be worn, cell phone use is prohibited, allowing others to ride in the vehicle is not allowed, and to obey all traffic laws during all delivery operations.
These, along with other elements, should be included in a driver safety program going forward.
4. Do not overwhelm the delivery staff with too many orders.
Pushing drivers to complete too many orders may result in unsafe driving practices, which could lead to an accident that would ultimately slow your operation drastically. Do not make delivery time guarantees or commitments.
5. Encourage customers to prepay using credit or debit cards.
Prepayment allows you to limit the number of cash transactions that must be made off-site. Always limit the amount of cash carried by drivers.
6. Deliveries to hotels should only be made to the front desk.
Communicate to drivers that they should never deliver to specific hotel rooms. This is for their safety.
7. Late night deliveries and deliveries to locations that do not have a valid address are not safe and should be avoided.
A person requesting a delivery to a park or parking lot is also unsafe.
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