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Owning a car fleet for your business is a huge asset to your company. However, it can also present some serious and costly risks. 

You cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidents and other issues associated with your business’s car fleet. However, you can make efforts on your end to reduce the risk of these incidents. Therefore, make it your priority to take the necessary actions to protect your business and your employees if you haven’t already. 

1. Get Full Insurance Coverage 

One of the easiest ways to limit the risks associated with your car fleet is ensuring that you have full insurance coverage on each and every vehicle. Therefore, in addition to commercial vehicle insurance, you should consider increasing your liability limits, uninsured motorist coverage, and comprehensive coverage. This will protect you in the case of an accident as well as theft or other types of vehicle damage.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO FIND THE BEST CAR INSURANCE

2. Establish a Car Fleet Safety Program

One way to help ensure that employees follow your safety initiatives is to implement a formal car fleet safety program. Then educate all employees and let them know you expect them to uphold these policies. This can hold everyone accountable and help keep safety at top of mind. 

You may also want to remind employees of legal obligations. For example, drivers should never text while driving, and they should take all required rest breaks. Additionally, be sure to restrict employees’ driving hours. All of these can help prevent accidents on the job. 

3. Make Sure Your Team Has the Right Equipment 

There are several ways that the right equipment can help reduce risk to your car fleet, including: 

• Install cargo holders to keep items in place during transit so they do not obstruct the driver’s view or harm them 
• Provide hand trucks to bear the weight of heavy items that might otherwise cause injuries if carried long distances
• Use truck dash cams to record what’s happening on the road. These recordings can be used in legal claims 

RELATED ARTICLE: THE WISDOM OF ACCESSORIES FOR BUSINESS FLEET VEHICLES

Further, each of your vehicles should be stocked with the same equipment.  

4. Provide Training 

Driver safety training empowers your employees with the skills they need. This enables them to do their part to mitigate the risks of their job. Drivers should be trained on the proper operations of fleet cars as well as safe driving techniques. You’ll also want to make sure your employees know how to use their dash cams and any other equipment required for their job.  

5. Don’t Overschedule Drivers 

Excessive driving can lead to tired drivers. When drivers become too tired to drive, they are less aware. This makes them more prone to making mistakes, like failing to stop in time. These incidents can lead to expensive vehicle damage. Additionally, they can result in serious injuries for the driver as well as pedestrians and other drivers.

So make sure you adhere to driver scheduling requirements, even during the busiest times of the year. 

6. Stay on Top of Maintenance with Your Car Fleet

Maintaining the vehicles in your business’s car fleet is essential. Worn tires or brakes can seriously affect the operation of vehicles and increase the risk of accidents. To keep track of maintenance and ensure that it’s kept up, keep records of all work done on each car. Additionally, professional inspections should be performed on a regular basis. 

Also, you may want to educate yourself about the standards for upkeep on the type of vehicles you use in your car fleet. 

7. Hire Carefully

A significant factor in the potential for accidents is the driver. So do your due diligence to make sure you’re hiring responsible, safe drivers. Performing a background check on any potential hires can give you insight into their driving and criminal record. In the end, good hiring practices can save you a lot of headaches.

RELATED ARTICLE: BEST PRACTICES FOR HIRING NEW EMPLOYEES

8. Implement a Rewards Program for Safe Drivers

Many companies that operate car fleets have established a rewards program centered around safe driving. This gives drivers incentives to follow your fleet safety policies. Further, it shows your appreciation for employees who help make your business the best it can be.

A safe driver rewards program is a good investment and doesn’t have to cost your business a lot of money. Consider the interests of your employees when you’re planning what to give. However, a reward can be something as simple as a gift card. 

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Reduce Risk for Your Company‘s Car Fleet and Save

Take the right steps to reduce the risk associated with operating a car fleet for your business. This will protect your company from liability and save you money on repairs, legal fees, and more. In short, implementing these best practices can only benefit your business and your employees in the long run. 

The post How to Avoid Risk with Your Business’s Car Fleet appeared first on Business Opportunities.

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A survey released by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Symantec found that 77% of 1,015 small businesses think they are safe from cyber-attacks. However, 83% report that they do not have a cybersecurity plan. Instead, they rely on cloud services and social media for their online safety.

The same survey reported that 40% of the 1 billion cyberattacks in 2012 targeted companies with fewer than 500 employees. This is serious, as starting a new business has its challenges, and cyberattacks could ruin a fragile new business.

RELATED ARTICLE: THE CHALLENGES OF STARTING A NEW BUSINESS

Therefore, providing your business with online safety will not only protect your customers’ data from fraudulent attacks but could also save your business from severe loss. Notably, new stories about hackers unfold daily. In short, it is smart to secure your business for better online safety as soon as you possibly can.

Below are a few online safety tips to help:

1.   
Provide Training to Your Staff for
Online Safety

The first thing to do, even before you install the best security software you can find, is to educate your staff about online safety and cybersecurity.

Teach them to recognize phishing scams and advise them about the need for strong, unique passwords. Additionally, ensure they understand security risks and how those could affect the business. This should also apply to remote staff, as their Internet connections could expose the business to increased risks of cyberattacks if they fail to follow proper security precautions.

2. Safeguard Access to Devices and Computers

Malicious attacks by hackers, along with the risk of theft, should be reasons enough to secure your computers and all other devices for better online safety. One key action would be to install remote tracking software. Also, encrypt portable devices such as laptops and USB keys.

Other ways to safeguard your devices and computers include these measures:

• Keep up with system and software security updates
• Enable a firewall
• Adjust your browser settings
• Install antivirus and anti-spyware software
• Encrypt your data
• Use a VPN

3. Secure Your Wireless Networks

Leaving your network open invites anyone and everyone to connect. This includes hackers who could end up compromising your entire system. So secure your wireless networks for better online safety. To this end, use the following checklist:

• Use stronger encryption
• Use a secure WPA password
• Check for rogue Wi-Fi access points
• Provide a separate network for guests
• Hide your network name
• Use a firewall
• Use a VPN

4. Conduct Regular Backups

A cyberattack is a painful way to lose all your records. However, if you fail to back up your files regularly, you stand the risk of losing important financial, personal, and client records to a cyberattack.

Moreover, losing important data for your business, along with your clients’ information, is as good as losing the business itself. Additionally, you will lose company revenue, as recovering from a cyberattack can be expensive.

However, you can avoid this problem entirely by taking steps toward better online safety. This you can do by ensuring that you back up all your data regularly.

5. Monitor Accounts for Better Online Safety

For best online safety, always watch for any unusual activity as you conduct any of your online activities. This is because anything out of the ordinary could be a sign of compromise.

For better online safety, add two-factor authentication. For example, include a security question with every login. This could help reduce the risk of compromise and improve your company’s online safety.

Learn and Use Best Practices for Online Safety

Every business with an online presence must take steps to provide online safety for the company and its data. Therefore, ensure you are protected against cyberattacks by making sure that you always work and play online securely and safely.

Also, outsource expertise to ensure you are using best practices for online safety. Finally, you can’t be too careful when it comes to something that could ruin years of your hard work in a single instant.

The post Online Safety Tips for Small Businesses appeared first on Business Opportunities.

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