Tool Kit
Journey Management and Trip Planning
Driving for work may be one of the most dangerous things your employees do. Journey management is one of the most effective strategies drivers and employers can use to reduce the risks. Learn the steps involved, then use our TripCheck online tool and our trip plan form to prepare for a safer trip. They’ll help you document your route, destination, travel time, and check-in system.
What is journey management?
Journey management is a 2-part process that aims to prevent collisions and injuries by minimizing exposure to driving hazards.
The first part involves finding ways for employees to avoid unnecessary driving. Keeping employees off the road eliminates the risks they might experience during a trip. Using options such as public transit rather than driving can reduce risk too.
The second part of journey management is trip planning. When driving is necessary, employees and supervisors cooperate to:
- Identify hazards the driver and their passengers may encounter during the trip
- Build a trip plan with measures to reduce risks
- Conscientiously apply the measures
Why it’s an essential road safety tool
Journey management helps minimize the risks of your employees being involved in a vehicle incident. It also provides several other powerful benefits:
Using journey management
Employers, supervisors, and drivers all have a role to play in an effective journey management process.
Step 1: Decide if driving is necessary
The first stage of journey management is finding ways to avoid needless driving. Start by deciding whether it really is necessary for employees to make a trip. Alternatives to driving include:
- Working from home
- Phoning or emailing
- Hosting an online meeting
- Using a delivery service
When it’s necessary to be there in person, there may be safer ways to get there than driving. These include:
- The bus or other public transit
- Taxi and ride-hailing services (PDF)
- Walking or cycling
- Flying to avoid long, tiring drives
Each of these options has its own risks. For example, there’s some risk an employee could be injured while taking the bus or a taxi. But the risks are usually lower thanks to the skills of professional drivers and the safety measures taken by their employers.
Step 2: Build a safe trip plan
For many workplaces, driving can’t easily be eliminated. When driving is necessary, apply the second stage of journey management, which is trip planning. It requires anticipating the likely hazards and finding ways to reduce the risks. It should be used whenever an employee drives their employer’s vehicle or their personal vehicle for work.
If drivers have made the trip before, they can probably recall the hazards they encountered. These could include poor road conditions, distractions, fatigue, dangerous intersections, etc. If the route is new to them, drivers should talk with a supervisor.
Download and review our Inventory of Driving-Related Hazards (Excel) to help identify potential hazards.
Next, think about how to reduce exposure to the hazards. What is the safest route? Are the driver and their vehicle prepared for the road conditions? Does the driver need more time to safely make the drive?
To help understand and apply this risk reduction approach to every trip, download How Scoring Hazards Can Make Work Travel Safer (PDF).
Have drivers use our TripCheck online tool to quickly review key safety considerations for a work trip.
Download our Basic Trip Plan Form (PDF) and use it to document important the trip details, such destination, expected hazards, and check-in arrangements.
You can also download our Journey Management Policy Template (Word) and customize it to explain your organization’s requirements.
Create a check-in system
A check-in system is a reliable way for drivers to let someone in their organization (the check-in contact) know they’re safe and the trip is going as planned.
Regular check-ins help employers know the location and status of their employee. They’re especially important when employees are driving alone or in situations where assistance is not readily available if there’s a vehicle incident or other emergency. Review employer requirements in Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 4.21.
A check-in system has regular, scheduled communication between the driver and their check-in contact. If the driver does not call in as scheduled, the check-in contact will take steps to locate the driver and send assistance if necessary.
What to include in a check-in system
A check-in system outlines:
Check-in examples
Your check-in procedure needs to fit your employees, the driving they do, and the risks they encounter. Here are examples that show how some employers use check-ins.
Download and edit our Check-in Procedures Template (Word) and use ideas from these examples to help create a system for your organization.
TripCheck
TripCheck is an interactive tool that helps drivers prepare for trips, minimize exposure to common driving hazards, and flag concerns they may need to discuss with a supervisor.
It takes a few minutes to complete on a phone or computer and generates a summary that can be used to create a trip plan. It’s a proactive way to show your organization’s due diligence.
Using TripCheck
Have drivers complete TripCheck before they set out. It takes just a few minutes and asks them about the route, driving conditions, their readiness to drive, and the vehicle.
When they’re finished, drivers can review their answers and send the TripCheck summary to a supervisor or check-in contact, and keep a copy for themselves.