Fleet Safety Best Practices
for Construction

In the construction industry, managing a fleet of vehicles and equipment comes with a unique set of challenges. Safety is not only a top priority—it’s a critical component of operational success and regulatory compliance. The risks are real and substantial. Transportation incidents are the leading cause of fatal work injuries, accounting for over 37% of all construction fatalities. Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that over 100,000 crashes involving large trucks result in injury annually, many of which are preventable with better fleet oversight. Beyond the human toll, the financial cost of vehicle-related incidents is staggering. According to OSHA, a single fleet accident can cost a company upwards of $70,000, with some exceeding $500,000 in cases involving injuries or litigation. These numbers highlight why a proactive and data-driven approach to fleet safety isn’t optional—it’s essential. A strong fleet safety strategy helps construction businesses protect their drivers, safeguard their equipment, maintain compliance, and reduce operational costs. In this article, I’ll break down the most essential construction fleet safety best practices as well as how modern solutions like Tenna can streamline safety management and help you stay compliant.

Why Fleet Safety Matters in Construction

Fleet safety best practices are not just about avoiding accidents—they’re about creating a culture of accountability, visibility and transparency. Vehicle and equipment-related incidents can cause serious injuries, regulatory penalties, and financial losses. A proactive safety program improves:

• Regulatory compliance (FMCSA, DOT, OSHA)
• Insurance premiums and risk mitigation
• Equipment lifespan and uptime
• Driver retention and morale
• Safety on the road and on jobsites
• Operational efficiency and project delivery

Let’s explore the main parts of a successful fleet safety program and how to put them into action.

IFTA and ELD Compliance: Staying Compliant to Stay Safe

What Is IFTA and ELD Compliance?

Several compliance requirements exist that fleets need to follow, from hours of service (HOS) to fuel tax reporting. Non-compliance is a non-option.

The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) requires commercial motor vehicles to report their fuel use. This applies when they operate in more than one area. Staying compliant with IFTA ensures accurate fuel tax reporting and prevents costly penalties during audits.

Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict mandates around drivers’ HOS. (Learn more about those here).

Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) help track a driver’s hours of service (HOS). They make sure drivers do not exceed safe driving limits. This is important for preventing driver fatigue, which is a major cause of accidents.

The problem with compliance is that using manual systems or paper tracking makes things harder. This is especially true for managing a large mixed fleet.

Best Practice Tip: Use a fleet management system that tracks fuel use and mileage automatically. This helps reduce manual errors. It also gives you real-time insights into driving behavior and HOS violations.

How Tenna Helps: Tenna’s asset trackers help construction businesses track HOS compliance, mileage, and fuel usage. This helps fleets follow IFTA and ELD rules while improving accountability.

The Importance of Daily Vehicle Inspection Reports

Why DVIRs Matter

The FMCSA and the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) also require Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs). These are mandatory pre- and post-trip inspections to ensure vehicles are in safe working condition. These inspections also help detect early maintenance issues before they lead to breakdowns or accidents. Some fleet managers still (attempt to) collect DVIRs using paper methods. They depend on drivers to keep track of important inspection reports. Thankfully, there’s a faster, more organized way to keep track of these digitally. Best Practice Tip: Digitize the DVIR process to help drivers easily complete inspections accurately and on time. Look for platforms that allow mobile inspection submissions, automated defect alerts and notifications, and the ability to digitally pull up compliance records quickly. How Tenna Helps: Tenna’s digital inspection workflows make DVIRs easy and seamless in both the compliance and overall fleet management process. They provide quick visibility into inspection results. When someone finds issues, the system triggers maintenance requests.

Driver Scorecards: Measuring and Improving Driver Performance

What are Driver Scorecards?

Driver scorecards track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as speeding, harsh braking, acceleration, idling, and compliance violations. These metrics help fleet managers identify unsafe driving habits and reward high-performing operators. Driver scorecards help fleet managers see how well a construction business is doing with on-road safety.

Best Practice Tip: Use scorecards to develop a rewards/bonus program or driver coaching initiative. Transparency and constructive feedback can improve driver engagement and reduce risky behaviors.

How Tenna Helps: Tenna’s driver scorecards provide real-time analytics on driver behavior across your fleet. Managers can filter by driver, location, and vehicle type to spot trends and implement targeted coaching strategies. All data is stored in one equipment management system. This means you can access video footage based on triggered events, (more on this below), and link specific driver behaviors directly to fleet optimization opportunities such as reducing idling and fuel costs.

Driver Coaching: Translating Data into Safer Driving for Fleets

Why Driver Coaching Works

AI Dash Cams and Video Telematics: Seeing the Full Picture

The Role of AI Dash Cams in Fleet Safety

Integrating Fleet Safety into Your Construction Operations

Construction companies that view fleet safety as an operational pillar—not just a compliance requirement—gain a strategic advantage. Here’s how to build a cohesive safety strategy:

 1. Centralize your Fleet Data

Using a single platform like Tenna to track inspections, telematics, video footage, driver behavior, compliance records, utilization, dispatching and maintenance improves visibility and decision-making. It also helps with internal adoption and ease of use.

2. Using Automate Construction Safety Workflows

Automate inspection reports, defect notifications, and coaching triggers to minimize human error and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Platforms like Tenna offer a safety suite that helps automate your workflows, so AI dash cams feed driver scorecards, which inform driver coaching, and so on—joining safety and operations.

3. Promote a Safety-First Culture

Regularly train your crews on fleet safety policies, hold toolbox talks, share footage of near-miss incidents as well as situations handled well, and create clear accountability structures for unsafe practices. It is important for construction business leaders to educate their employees and create the right narrative.

4. Monitor Fleet Safety Performance and Adapt

Review scorecard trends, incident reports, video footage, and inspection outcomes monthly. Adjust policies and training as needed based on the data.

How Tenna Supports Fleet Safety and Compliance

Tenna is built specifically for the construction industry. It provides a single platform that connects vehicles, equipment, people, and processes in one unified view. Our safety and compliance tools help construction businesses:

• Monitor driver behavior and implement score-based coaching
• Maintain DOT compliance through integrated ELD and IFTA tracking
• Digitize and automate DVIR inspections and maintenance workflows
• Capture video evidence with integrated AI dash cams and telematics
• Improve safety outcomes while reducing risk and liability

Additionally, Tenna boasts the industry’s first heavy equipment camera with 360-degree views to eliminate blind spots for safer construction equipment operations. Contractors can keep workers safe, hazards clear and equipment operational—and supervise jobsite activities from anywhere with live video feeds. Plus, just like the fleet dash cams, these heavy equipment cameras minimize liability with video records and streamline compliance with external PTO monitoring and ELD compliance through TennaCANbus (included with TennaCAM 2.0). Construction focused, Tenna makes it easy to follow fleet safety best practices, so contractors can keep their workers, equipment, vehicles, and businesses safe—not just on the road, but also on jobsites.

Conclusion: Build a Safer, More Compliant Fleet

Fleet safety best practices are more than a checklist—they’re a comprehensive effort that combines technology, training, and culture. From DVIRs and ELDs to AI dash cams and driver coaching, each component plays a crucial role in protecting your people, assets, and bottom line. With Tenna, construction businesses can streamline fleet safety, ensure compliance, and make data-informed decisions that improve performance and operations. Start building a safer, smarter fleet today.