Chances are, if you’re a safety professional looking after your company’s driver population, you’ve had to ask them to sign something. Whether that be a driver training attestation or a required signature stating your employee will follow the company’s driver safety policy, we can also bet that you’ve been missing some signatures.
You may have even heard any one of the following from your employees when inquiring as to why they didn’t sign:
While scary to state, the harsh reality is that a single click can be the deciding factor in whether you win or lose a lawsuit. That’s why verifiable proof is so important to have on file. When you have a record of such information that showcases an employee received training or agreed to a policy, that’s valuable evidence. Without a digital or physical signature, you’re on shaky legal ground.
It’s easy to think sending an email is sufficient, but that’s not always the case. In court, it’s not enough to prove you sent information. You need evidence the employee reviewed and understood the information.
If you’re not currently using digital signatures, or if you’re having trouble tracking and organizing electronic signature data related to your fleet driver policy, there’s a simple solution.
Digital signatures, e-signatures or whatever you call them are an affirmative action taken to show agreement or accept responsibility. Many people don’t realize: a digital signature doesn’t have to be an actual signature.
Consider this – a name written in cursive doesn’t have any additional legal validity or special powers. The next time you pay for groceries with a credit card, you can sign with a smiley face if you want to.
Officially, a digital signature can be, “an electronic sound, symbol or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.” What does that mean?
Digital acknowledgements create an extra layer of legal protection you don’t get by sending an email. Requiring an electronic signature, which can truly be as simple as checking a box, proves an employee:
It’s true, a single click can really protect your company. “Click-through” software licenses have proven completely enforceable in court. Digitally signed acknowledgements can shield your company against such excuses:
In the digital age we currently live in, banks, credit card issuers and mortgage companies rely on electronic signatures to create legally-binding contracts, agreements and understandings. As a dedicated safety professional, know that you can too thanks to tools like driver training.
Unique functionalities found on an advanced driver training platform can make it easy to collect and record digital signatures that in turn help create an airtight driver safety policy, including:
A single click really can make a difference. Taking a step in improving your company’s legal protection through drivers is of the utmost importance in keeping your company safe. A check of the box or signature on the dotted line can do just that which prompts the question – are you curious as to where else you can improve your fleet driver policy?
We walk you through the ins and outs of an effective driver safety program in the checklist below. Get your copy today!