Safety Features in 1996 Domestic Car Rental Fleets

<H1>Safety Features in 1996 Domestic Car Rental Fleets</H1><H2>How To Make Sure Your Cars Are Safe</H2> Because the ground transportation industry is not regulated, corporate travel managers should take no chances when they sign a contract with a limo or car service company.

According to Mark Becker, managing editor of Limousine & Chauffeur magazine, state and local laws do exist, but they vary widely from region to region.

For example, drug testing of chauffeured drivers is required in Chicago, but not in New York City, according to Perry Solomon, president of Boston Coach, a limo company based in Everett, Mass.

And because limousines are built by "coach builders" who modify cars obtained from the manufacturers, not all have proper certification.

To be on the safe side, find out the amount of insurance the limousine company carries on each vehicle. Boston Coach and Chelsea, Mass.-based Dav El Transportation Network carry from $5 to $120 million on each car. Less than $1 million "is cause for concern," according to Dav El president and CEO Scott Solombrino.

Solombrino suggested travel managers ask whether the vehicles are "QVM," a term that means the car has been properly certified by a manufacturer. An on-site inspection of the fleet should be mandatory because "certain operators blatantly ignore routine maintenance," Becker said.

Find out if the limousine company carries workman's compensation for its employees, and ask about the hiring and training process for drivers. Are driver's license, motor vehicle and criminal records checked in states that allow it? Also find out how many hours of driver training are required and what the training involves.