Construction safety programs are built around the hazards workers face on the jobsite, fall protection, struck-by, electrical, confined space. Those hazards are real, and OSHA's 29 CFR 1926 standards are built around them.
But when your crew gets in a truck and drives to the site, the OSHA standards stop and a different set of risks begins. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of occupational fatalities across all industries and consistently rank among the top causes of construction worker deaths, yet most construction safety programs have nothing written about what happens on public roads.
The Data Behind Fleet Risk
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, transportation incidents have been the single leading cause of occupational fatalities in the United States for over a decade, accounting for roughly 37–40% of all workplace deaths annually. That number includes workers killed in crashes while driving to or from jobsites, workers struck by vehicles on public roads, and equipment operators transitioning between work zones and public traffic.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that distracted driving alone claimed 3,275 lives in 2023. For construction companies whose crews drive company trucks on public roads every day, that exposure is real and ongoing, and OSHA's construction standards say nothing about it.
What a Fleet Safety Program Actually Covers
A fleet safety program isn't just a no-texting policy and a reminder to buckle up. A complete program addresses the full chain of exposures your drivers face:
Driver qualification and screening. Not every employee should be behind the wheel of a company vehicle. A motor vehicle record (MVR) check at hire and annually thereafter identifies high-risk driving histories before an incident occurs. Written eligibility criteria, point thresholds, license class requirements, recent violation standards, give supervisors a defensible framework for driver selection and remove discretion from individual managers who may not want a difficult conversation.
Distracted driving controls. Cell phone use remains the highest-risk distraction behind the wheel. A written policy paired with technology controls, phone-blocking apps, hands-free-only requirements, reduces exposure measurably. A policy without enforcement is a liability document, not a safety program. When OSHA investigates a fatality under the General Duty Clause, the first question is whether you had a policy; the second is whether you enforced it.
Fatigue management. Long shifts and early mobilization times create fatigued drivers. Workers who have been on a jobsite since 6:00 AM and are driving home at 5:00 PM after a physically demanding day are impaired in ways that mirror alcohol intoxication. Fatigue management policies, shift length limits, drive-time restrictions after extended periods of physically demanding work, address this directly.
Pre-trip inspection protocols. A two-minute pre-trip inspection identifies brake, tire, and lighting failures before they become incidents. A written checklist, a process for reporting deficiencies, and a policy that prohibits operating a vehicle with known safety defects are the foundation. Commercial motor vehicle operators are required to complete pre-trip inspections under 49 CFR 396.13; for non-CDL drivers the same discipline applies as a best practice.
Near-miss and incident reporting. Minor collisions and close calls should be reported and investigated with the same rigor as jobsite incidents. Patterns in your fleet incident data, time of day, route, driver, vehicle type, point to specific controls that can reduce frequency before a serious injury or fatality occurs.
Technology as a Force Multiplier
Telematics platforms extend the safety program into the cab. By monitoring driver behavior continuously, harsh braking, rapid acceleration, sharp cornering, speed, systems like GreenRoad Technologies provide performance data that supervisors can use to coach drivers before an incident occurs rather than after.
The value isn't the technology itself. It's what you do with the data. Organizations that deploy telematics without a coaching program, without performance accountability, and without integrating the data into their overall safety program don't see meaningful results. The platform works when it's part of a system: written policy, driver standards, supervisor training, and accountability built around the data it generates.
What OSHA Expects
OSHA doesn't have a specific standard governing driving on public roads, that falls under DOT jurisdiction for commercial vehicles and state traffic law for personal and company vehicles. But OSHA's General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires employers to protect workers from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Motor vehicle crashes are a recognized hazard for any worker who drives as part of the job. If a worker is killed or seriously injured in a vehicle crash during work hours, OSHA will investigate. The question they'll ask is whether you had a program to address the risk. An MVR policy, a written distracted driving standard, pre-trip inspection procedures, and documented supervisor training are the foundational evidence that you did.
The absence of that documentation is not a defensible position when a family is filing a wrongful death claim.
Where to Start
If your safety program ends at the parking lot, the most important first step is a written fleet safety policy that addresses driver eligibility, distracted driving, pre-trip inspections, and incident reporting. That document doesn't need to be long, it needs to be specific, consistently enforced, and reviewed annually.
From there, layering in MVR checks, supervisor training, and technology tools like telematics platforms builds a program that reduces incidents, supports insurance positioning, and demonstrates due diligence to OSHA, clients, and courts.
Contact Greenberg Safety to discuss how fleet safety fits into your overall EHS program.