Ep. 595 Fleet Maintenance: An Overlooked Pillar of Jobsite Safety for Electrical Contractors

Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley sits down with Account Executive Kyle Dunlap to talk about fleet maintenance as an often overlooked aspect of jobsite safety for electrical contractors.

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Director/Host: ⁠⁠Alyssa Burley⁠⁠

Guest: Kyle Dunlap

Producer/Editor: Megan Lockhart

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “Breaking News Intro” by nem0production

© Copyright 2025. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Alyssa Burley: You’re listening to Rancho Mesa’s StudioOne™ podcast, where each week we break down complex insurance and safety topics to help your business thrive.

I’m your host, Alyssa Burley, and I’m joined by Kyle Dunlap, Account Executive with Rancho Mesa. Today, we’re going to talk about fleet maintenance as an often overlooked aspect of jobsite safety for electrical contractors.

Kyle, welcome to the show.

Kyle Dunlap: Thanks for having me really looking forward to discussing this topic.

AB: Well we’re glad you’re here to talk about this.

Now, a lot of people think that safety starts once crews hit the jobsite, but in an article you recently wrote, you argue that safety starts in the vehicle. Will you talk about why fleet maintenance plays such a big role before the workday even begins?

KD: Absolutely. When we talk about safety, most people picture PPE or slip, trip, and fall protection.  But the reality is that for many crews, the most dangerous part of the day happens before they ever arrive to the jobsite.

The oh so infamous commute to work, whether that be a shop, job site or office building just to name a few.  That’s why I argue that safety really starts in the vehicle, and fleet maintenance is a foundational piece of that equation.

Vehicles are essentially mobile job sites.  Crews depend on them to transport people, tools, and materials often in traffic, at early hours of the morning, and sometimes over long distances.  If a truck has worn brakes, underinflated tires, faulty lights, or even steering issues, you’ve already introduced serious risk before the work even begins.  Preventive fleet maintenance reduces the chance of breakdowns and accidents that can lead to injuries, delays, or much worse.

Second, maintenance directly affects driver behavior and decision-making.  When employees trust that their vehicle is in good condition, they’re less likely to rush, improvise, or ignore warning signs.  On the flip side of that, if a truck routinely has issues, drivers may normalize unsafe conditions thinking, “It’s always been like that, I’m not going to worry about it,” which is a dangerous mindset in any safety culture.

This reminds me of a quote from Rear Admiral Daniel Martin of the United States Navy, Safety Command “When the misuse of tools becomes routine, it sends the wrong message that shortcuts are acceptable and risk is secondary. Maintain a culture where precision and safety comes first.”

From an organizational standpoint, fleet maintenance is one of the clearest signals leadership can send that safety is a priority. When companies invest in routine inspections, timely repairs, and clear vehicle-reporting processes, employees notice.  It reinforces the idea that safety isn’t just a slogan it’s built into daily operations. there’s accountability and consistency. A strong fleet maintenance program creates structure: pre-trip inspections, documented repairs, and clear standards for taking vehicles out of service.

So when I say safety starts in the vehicle, what I really mean is the workday begins the moment the key fob unlocks the door or that engine turns over. If we want crews to work safely, we have to make sure that the first tool they use, their vehicle, is safe, reliable, and well maintained. That’s not just good fleet management; it’s good safety leadership.

AB: Absolutely. So from your perspective, what are some of the small maintenance issues like tires, brakes, or clutter, that tend to turn into bigger problems if contractors don’t stay on top of them?

KD: Yeah that’s really a good one. It’s honestly a trickledown effect of overlooked maintenance issues. You can have a driver that is attentive, doesn’t have their cellphone in their hand, knows where they’re going, right?

But if, let's say, the tires are bald and you have a little bit of inclement weather, you're not going to have the best traction and that can cause a serious accident. Or if you have brakes that haven't been serviced and your tires are good even, you're not going to be able to stop in time, may cause a little fender bender. For instance, if you haven't provided an oil change to that vehicle and 10,000 to 15,000 miles and there's not a drop of oil left in that engine. The driver could break down on the side of the road, isn't going to get to the job site, and then you're out that service call, whatever it may be.

AB: Yeah absolutely. So insurance isn’t always top of mind for contractors on a day to day basis, but you connect fleet maintenance directly to renewals and premiums. How does a contractor’s vehicle history really show up when insurers are evaluating risk?

KD: Just like all lines of insurance, in auto frequency and severity plays a large part when insurance carriers are evaluating risk. A great example would be if your fleet has continued blowouts on the freeway the insurers will absolutely see that trend come renewal time. It’s not a matter of if, it’s only a matter of when those preventative maintenance issues turn into something much larger.

Same goes for the other side of the coin. If your company and your fleet has best practice in mind when it comes to preventative maintenance and daily vehicle walk abounds. Carriers will recognize this during renewal periods as we will convey that safety really does come first in your company.

There is no better ammunition come renewal time when your company has zero claims to report on the matter.

AB: Yeah, absolutely. So just make sure that your vehicles, they're well maintained, they're clean, they're not full of clutter, that you're making sure that everything is well maintained so that your employees don't have to worry about, are my brakes going to actually stop the vehicle when they're sitting in traffic? So great topic, Kyle, if listeners have questions about their fleet or risk management, what’s the best way to get in touch with you?

KD: My office phone is (619) 798-2822 or you can reach me at kdunlap@ranchomesa.com

AB: Alright, well Kyle, thanks for joining me in StudioOne™.

KD: Thank you very much, Alyssa, for having me. I really appreciate everything you do here with StudioOne.

AB: Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. If you enjoyed what you heard, please share this episode and subscribe. For more insights like this, visit us at RanchoMesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.