No one expects to be in an accident. But delivery drivers are on the road for eight or more hours a day, in traffic, in weather, on unfamiliar streets — the statistical reality is that incidents happen. Knowing what to do before it happens means you handle it correctly when it does.
Step One: Safety First, Immediately
If you're involved in an accident, the immediate priority is safety — yours, any passengers, the other driver, and any bystanders. Check for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 911 before anything else.
Move your vehicle out of active traffic if it's safe to do so and if the vehicle is drivable. Turn on hazard lights. Don't leave the scene.
Step Two: Document Before You Talk to Anyone
Before you speak to the other driver beyond the basics of checking if they're okay, take photographs. Document: all vehicles involved and their positions, all visible damage to each vehicle, the road conditions, any traffic controls (signs, lights), skid marks or debris, and any witnesses present.
Use your phone to photograph everything systematically. This documentation is critical for any insurance or liability process — and it takes less than five minutes to do properly.
Step Three: Call Dispatch Immediately
Your company needs to know about any on-route incident immediately. This is not optional. Call dispatch (or your designated incident line) and report: what happened, where, whether there are injuries, and current vehicle status.
The company has insurance and incident protocols that need to be activated. The sooner you call, the sooner those resources are working for you.
Know Your Coverage
Understand before any incident happens: does your company's insurance cover accidents that occur on the job? If you're using your own vehicle, does your personal auto insurance cover commercial driving use? These questions matter enormously and the answers vary by company and policy.
If you're classified as an employee, workers' compensation typically covers injury on the job. If you're a contractor using your own vehicle, coverage depends entirely on your personal policy and any supplemental coverage the company provides. Get clarity on this from HR before your first day.
Don't Admit Fault at the Scene
Even if you believe the accident was your fault, do not say so at the scene. Accident reconstruction isn't something you can do in the first five minutes after a collision — facts often look different in review. Admitting fault prematurely can create legal complications.
Exchange information, document thoroughly, call dispatch, and let the insurance and investigation process determine what happened.
JWA Logistics has incident protocols for exactly these situations. We'd rather walk a driver through a proper process than have them improvise under stress. Know who to call and call them immediately.