# Make service-vehicle safety a written program, including how dispatch apps distract technicians > OSHA says transportation incidents average 39% of occupational fatalities and asks employers to run written vehicle-safety policies. It specifically warns that dispatching and rerouting systems can cause distracted driving, which matters for every field-service team that sends jobs to phones. - Canonical URL: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/service-fleet-motor-vehicle-safety-distracted-dispatch/ - Publisher: Detection Systems & Engineering (DSE Security) - Author: DSE Security Editorial Team - Published: 2026-10-18T21:00:33+00:00 - Modified: 2026-10-18T22:22:07+00:00 - Last reviewed by DSE: 2026-10-18 - Resource type: Playbook - DSE priority: Advisory - Topics: Business Continuity, IT - Reading time: 2 minutes ## What you need to know OSHA says transportation incidents average 39% of occupational fatalities and asks employers to run written vehicle-safety policies. It specifically warns that dispatching and rerouting systems can cause distracted driving, which matters for every field-service team that sends jobs to phones. ## Potentially affected Security, fire, IT and cabling companies with technicians who drive service vehicles, and the dispatchers, fleet managers and supervisors who direct them. ## DSE recommendation DSE recommends writing a vehicle-safety policy that covers dispatch practices as well as driver behavior. ## Article OSHA says transportation incidents average 39% of occupational fatalities and asks employers to run written vehicle-safety policies. It specifically warns that dispatching and rerouting systems can cause distracted driving, which matters for every field-service team that sends jobs to phones. ## Source facts OSHA’s [motor vehicle safety page](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety) says that on average 39% of all occupational fatalities are due to transportation incidents. Its [guidance for employers](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety/employers) calls for a risk assessment and written policies covering driver training, vehicle maintenance, safe operation, seat belt use, distracted, drowsy and impaired driving, accident reporting and mechanical failure procedures. OSHA says employers should review operational procedures to ensure they are not causing distracted driving, noting that systems for dispatching and rerouting vehicles can cause cognitive, visual and manual distractions. Workloads and schedules should allow employees to drive at a safe speed, and employers should track driver license expiration dates and enforce mandatory seat belt use. The [distracted driving page](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety/distracted-driving) calls texting while driving especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. For in-vehicle monitoring systems, OSHA cites a NIOSH study in which driver feedback plus supervisory coaching using driver- and outward-facing video significantly reduced risky driving, and says to explain to workers why the system is used and how it works. ## Applicability Use this for any organization whose employees drive for work, whether in company, rented or personal vehicles. Federal motor carrier rules may also apply depending on vehicle type and cargo. ## DSE recommendation DSE recommends writing a vehicle-safety policy that covers dispatch practices as well as driver behavior. Set the rule that technicians accept and read new jobs only when parked, configure dispatch and navigation apps to support that, build travel time into schedules so nobody has to speed to make an appointment, and report every crash for root-cause review. If dash cameras are used, publish what they record, who can view it and how long it is kept. ## Verification Audit dispatch logs for jobs pushed to moving vehicles, check license-expiration tracking and vehicle maintenance records quarterly, and review crash reports for root causes and policy changes. Ask technicians annually whether schedules or apps push them to drive distracted. ## Official references [OSHA — Motor Vehicle Safety: Employers](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety/employers). [OSHA — Motor Vehicle Safety](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety). [OSHA — Distracted Driving](https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety/distracted-driving). Reviewed October 18, 2026. ## Primary reference - Name: OSHA — Motor Vehicle Safety: Employers - Authority: Occupational Safety and Health Administration - URL: https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety/employers - Source publication date: Not stated by the source ## Citation and use Preferred citation: “Make service-vehicle safety a written program, including how dispatch apps distract technicians,” DSE Security, https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/service-fleet-motor-vehicle-safety-distracted-dispatch/ Publishing principles: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-updates-editorial-methodology/ Usage and citation policy: https://update.dsesecurity.com/usage/ Copyright © 2026 Detection Systems & Engineering. All rights reserved.