PCOs Benefit from Putting Distracted Driving Policies in Place

CLEVELAND – PCOs understand that keeping service professionals safe on the job begins before they ever step foot in account. It’s not surprising then that 85% of those who participated in PCT’s recent reader poll question responded that they have a distracted driving policy in place, while 15% do not.

LaJaunie’s Pest Control, Thibodaux, La., has a distracted driving policy that requires technicians to use hands-free operation for their mobile phones while driving. The company provides each vehicle with a phone holder, and technicians are required to keep their phones in the holder while the vehicle is in motion. 

Skye LaJaunie, CFO of LaJaunie’s, said the company’s recent switch to an AI -powered internal dash camera has been a gamechanger. “It sends a notification to managers if a driver’s eyes shift away from the road, or if it senses that a driver is using a mobile device in their hand,” she said. “By receiving an instant notification, we are able to coach and redirect around it and have accountability. It’s been huge!”

Arrow Exterminators, Atlanta, Ga., has several policies that tie into distracted driving, but its main one is vehicle responsibility agreements (VRAs). The focus is on teaching team members to recognize and mitigate various distractions while driving. Training encourages behavior such as avoiding left-hand turns (not as a strict rule but as a safety measure) and managing distractions in the vehicle such as cell phones, temperature controls, eating/drinking, radio and GPS. This includes team members taking care of as many of these functions in the car before driving.

Brooke Freeman, fleet manager, Arrow Exterminators, said the company makes safety a priority through its weekly Friday morning meetings. Each meeting focuses on a safety message, covering topics like rear-end collisions, hydration, and slips and falls. 

“We’ll also discuss past auto incidents and share details about what happened, what was said, and how the incidents occurred,” Freeman said. “This helps team members learn from real-life situations and encourages open discussions. One of the things we strive for at Arrow is getting employees to buy into our culture and core values. Safety is one our core values.”

Andrew de la Chappelle is president and founder of ReportCellPhoneUse.com, which works with pest control companies to help them monitor and modify distracted driving. He said distracted driving is a leading cause of on-the-job accidents (74%) and that these accidents are causing insurance rates to skyrocket for PCOs.

One of the main issues with distracted driving, de la Chappelle said, is company owners, managers and other leaders not leading by example. “What do technicians see when they're waiting to start their Monday morning shift, or when they return to work on a Tuesday afternoon? They watch the owner leave while talking on the phone. This sends a powerful message: if the owner can do it, why can't I? That is the biggest challenge I see working with PCOs. You just can't make [employees] sign something and expect them to follow if you yourself do not.”

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