Ask any Fleet manager what MORR is and hopefully they’ll say “Managing Occupational Road Risk”.
Let’s also wish it’s reasonably high on their list of on-going priorities, and that they have robust policies and procedures to support it.
Yet for those who don’t have anything established, a common step is to invite a risk management company to discuss the way forward before putting something in place.
Some fleet managers we talk to have been reticent in commencing a MORR project because they are so busy they feel they simply cannot face another lengthy assignment.
This is a bit of a myth because it’s not that complex. A great deal of templates and activities are available off the shelf and it can happen quickly and with relative ease.
But one aspect of implementing MORR that a lot of fleet managers struggle with is getting buy-in and approval from their board of directors.
At most monthly board meetings there is so much to cover that those who organise the agenda have to be ruthless with what makes it onto the items for discussion and what doesn’t.
Most of us can appreciate this scenario, so let’s look at some examples of what would or would not make it onto an agenda.
Acquisition of another business – big priority. On the agenda.
Sales performance – big priority. On the agenda.
Business re-structure – big priority. On the agenda.
MORR? – not essential this time. Defer to future meetings when there is less going on.
The harsh reality is that this scenario is all too true. It can also happen several times and before you know it, six or seven months have passed and it has still not been looked at or approved, even though the fleet manager sees its importance and is keen to progress.
So life and work go on until one day you get that dreaded phone call.
“One of your drivers has been involved in a serious/fatal accident”.
As a company director, it is at this point you wished you had all the policies and procedures for MORR in place for when the police visit.
Suddenly it’s a top priority. Suddenly you call an unscheduled Board meeting. And suddenly a member of the Board is next to the fleet manager asking them to get straight on the phone to the risk management company.
You may think this sounds dramatic. It isn’t.
From our experience it actually happens, and we know of a few companies who only implemented their MORR after a serious incident.
Don’t wait. For the sake of your drivers’ safety, your company’s reputation and the liability of your directors, take action now. Because it really doesn’t take much time or investment to put something in place.
