The True Cost of Hiring Inexperienced Drivers

Labor shortages have pushed many pest control companies to widen the hiring net, often bringing in younger or first-time commercial drivers to keep routes covered. In the short term, it allows companies to fully staff routes and maintain growth, but when it comes to fleet risk, novice drivers can quietly introduce costs that far exceed payroll savings.

For pest control business owners and managers, understanding how inexperience impacts claims, losses, training demands, and long-term insurability is critical to protecting both people and profits.

Why Inexperience Matters More Than Age

It’s easy to assume risk is tied primarily to age, but research from the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, consistently shows that experience is the stronger predictor of crashes.

Here’s what pest control owners and managers should understand.

1. Hazard Recognition Takes Time to Develop

Experienced drivers anticipate problems. Novice drivers react to them. New drivers often struggle with:

• Scanning intersections effectively
• Identifying developing hazards
• Managing blind spots
• Monitoring multiple risk points at once

In a pest control setting, this commonly leads to:

• Intersection collisions
• Rear-end crashes
• Sideswipes in residential neighborhoods
• Fender-benders in parking lots

The ability to anticipate risk improves with time - but early-stage drivers have not yet built that instinct.

2. Distraction Is a Significant Exposure

Today’s technicians increasingly rely on mobile tools to do their job:

• GPS routing
• Dispatch software
• Digital service tickets
• Customer communication

Novice drivers are especially vulnerable to distraction because they have not yet automated basic driving behaviors. When attention shifts to a device, hazard awareness drops dramatically.

Distracted driving remains one of the most common contributors to severe liability claims and that is why PestSure has implemented a cell phone free policy with its insureds.

3. Fleet Vehicles Are Different from Personal Cars

Most new hires have experience driving passenger vehicles, not fully loaded service trucks. Commercial vehicles commonly used in pest control include:

• Larger vehicle dimensions
• Higher center of gravity
• Limited rear visibility
• Frequent backing
• Equipment load shifting

Backing incidents, especially in parking lots, remain one of the most frequent and preventable losses in pest control fleets. Mailbox strikes, driveway damage, garage door impacts and parking lot collisions add up quickly - both in claims and deductibles.

4. Time Pressure Increases Risk

Technicians operate under:

• Full route schedules
• Customer time windows
• Seasonal surges
• Production expectations

Novice drivers may feel pressure to “make up time,” leading to:

• Speeding
• Rolling stops
• Aggressive lane changes
• Incomplete vehicle checks

Even small shortcuts can lead to significant claims. From a risk management perspective, productivity pressure is a known behavioral trigger.

5. Overconfidence and Behavioral Risk

A common pattern with novice drivers is early overconfidence. After several incident-free months, risk tolerance can increase. Speeding, distraction and rolling through intersections often follow. This behavioral shift is frequently observed before a preventable loss occurs.

The Operational Impact on Pest Control Fleets

The early months behind the wheel are the most dangerous. Industry and federal data show crash rates are highest shortly after licensure or job entry, regardless of whether the driver is 21 or 41. This learning curve creates real operational exposure.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) research underscores the risk. Novice commercial motor vehicle drivers, particularly new ones, experience roughly two times more total crashes per 100 power units than experienced peers. Fatal crash rates follow a similar pattern.

For pest control companies, this translates into:

• Increased auto liability and physical damage claims
• Higher deductible payouts and uninsured losses
• Greater vehicle downtime and route disruptions
• Elevated scrutiny from insurers during renewals
• Long-term impacts on loss ratios and insurability

Training Gaps that Increase Exposure

Traditional onboarding often focuses on rules, policies, and route efficiency. What’s frequently missing is training that addresses how drivers recognize and respond to hazards in real time.

FMCSA studies highlight that standard training often fails to adequately develop hazard recognition skills. New drivers may know the rules but struggle to anticipate hidden risks, such as sudden stops, aggressive motorists, or complex urban driving environments common in pest control routes.

Crash data also shows a steep improvement curve after the first six months or approximately 1,000 miles driven. This means early intervention is essential.

Practical Strategies to Reduce Risk

Reducing novice-driver risk doesn’t require eliminating younger hires - it requires structuring support around experience. Best practices include:

• Experience-based training programs that go beyond age-based assumptions and focus on real-world driving scenarios.
• Graduated driver approaches, limiting nighttime driving or complex routes during the first months of employment.
• Targeted hazard perception training, including simulator-based or video coaching that improves scanning and decision-making.
• Clear expectations around distraction, fatigue management, and mobile device use from day one.
• Ongoing monitoring and coaching during the first six months, when risk is highest.

 Seeing the Full Picture

The most dangerous combination is not youth alone - it’s limited experience. Without proper safeguards, novice drivers can drive up claims frequency, put employees at risk, and increase long-term operating costs.

By recognizing the hidden risks and investing in structured, experience-focused training, pest control companies can protect their teams, stabilize risk, and turn new hires into safer, more reliable drivers over time.

PestSure – Your Partner in Safety

Founded in 1980, PestSure is the only insurance and risk management provider that is 100 percent dedicated to the pest management industry. It offers industry professionals a full suite of insurance, risk management, and safety training and education offerings.

PestSure provides insurance, safety, and risk management consulting to pest management companies representing $2 billion in revenue, $400 million in payroll, and more than 13,000 service vehicles. The program is administered by Alliant Insurance Services.

To learn more, call 888.984.3813 or visit our contact page.