Free Social Media Resources for Trucking Companies
Manage your company’s social media in-house? Then you know that developing your own text and graphics is a real . . . pain in the apps. Believe it or not, several government agencies provide free graphics and videos that you can share on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Whether you want statistics, stock photos, or complete PSA campaigns, you just have to know where to look!
Posting to social media helps your business stay connected with workers and the community. If your goal is outreach for recruiting, then To Exceed recommends Facebook Ads and other paid advertising to quickly reach a broader audience. In theory, "materials produced by federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission" as the U.S. Department of the Interior confirms, BUT, it's not always clear. Some images on government sites are produced by outside contractors or licensed for only certain uses. Check out these examples of free resources, and continue reading to see how copyright issues arise with other resources like the Ad Council and the CDC's MCRC.
Graphics and Resources by the NHTSA
Powered by the NHTSA, the “Traffic Safety Marketing” website has communication resources for " States, Partner Organizations and Highway Safety Professionals".
The Safety Topics include Distracted Driving, Seat Belt Safety, and Teen Driver Safety. Some topics like Drunk Driving include multiple campaigns. Seasonal graphics emphasize the risk of drunk driving on an upcoming holiday. Some campaigns include both static and animated graphics.
For relevant stock photos, the NHTSA's Image Library offers a "collection of traffic safety-related photographs and graphics for you to use to support your highway safety programs. There are no copyright, usage, or accreditation requirements on these images." You can browse through images with different types of vehicles or safety topics, including holidays, distraction, seat belts, and law enforcement.
The FMCSA has tons of information about different safety campaigns and statistics. Ever feel like a broken record with safety reminders? Then you’re probably not presenting your message effectively. Many FMCSA campaigns include suggested text and hashtags to accompany images.
Other FMCSA resources include CMV Driving Tips with 30-second videos about different real-world scenarios like Unfamiliar Roadway and Inadequate Surveillance.
Pictures of real people tend to be more relatable.
Professional drivers should be able to recognize this hand signal at truck stops and rest areas.
CVSA Campaigns and Resources for Social Media
Known for safety inspections and the International Roadcheck program, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is a non-profit association. Related programs and resources include inspections, enforcement and awareness programs, industry partners, awards, and events. More than 60 one-minute videos have been posted to Vimeo as CVSA Inspection Bits, showing real-world examples of violations found during inspections.
Human Trafficking Prevention: Resources include shareable PSAs, social media graphics, and informational videos. Does your workforce know about the hand signal for victims of trafficking and domestic violence to ask for help?
Operation Safe Driver: The annual week-long campaign focuses on education as well as enforcement. Resources include 15-second PSA videos. The page for CMV Driver Resources has printable materials and truck driver testimonials from the FMCSA "Voices of Safety" campaign.
The North American Fatigue Management Program: An Industry Partner separate from the CVSA, the NAFMP provides safety training materials and educational resources, including a free PowerPoint series that can be downloaded with or without audio voiceovers. Periodic quizzes check comprehension for drivers learning at their own pace independently.
CDC Tips from Former Smokers: Social media resources from the CDC include montage images, video testimonials, infographics, and text. Currently, the Tips From Former Smokers® campaign includes new, first-person stories from former smokers (and their loved ones) describing the effects of smoking-related diseases.
Trucker Health and Wellness Graphics for Social Media
Truck driver health is a big issue for employers and drivers. Obesity and other health issues can make it harder to pass the DOT physical, not to mention quality of life. Everyone knows the importance of diet and exercise, but it's good to find different ways to focus on specific issues like smoking, cardiovascular health, and fatigue. There's growing awareness about mental health issues, and employers are taking a more active role, sometimes offering benefits like online therapy and counseling services. Truckers can benefit from mental health resources and other health-related reminders.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): Educational campaigns from the NIH tackle a wide range of topics, including Blood Pressure, the DASH eating plan, Cholesterol, COPD, Blood Diseases, Sleep Health, and the "Aim for a Healthy Weight" program. For example, the NIH Heart Health program has state-specific statistics and graphics with inspirational quotes as part of the #OurHearts campaign. NIH Lung Health Graphics include information about inhalers, symptoms of respiratory problems, and reasons to quit smoking as part of the #BreatheBetter campaign.
CDC Health Topics: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cover a wide range of illnesses and preventative healthcare. Individual topics like Diabetes and Prediabetes have their own toolkits with infographics and other media. Not sure where to begin looking for a timely health issue? You can browse through recent CDC infographics using their search tool. Several health issues tie back to dietary choices like salt intake, and you can find different graphics and resources on pages like the Healthy Eating Communications Kit.
The North American Fatigue Management Program: An Industry Partner separate from the CVSA, the NAFMP provides safety training materials and educational resources, including a free PowerPoint series that can be downloaded with or without audio voiceovers. Periodic quizzes check comprehension for drivers learning at their own pace independently.
Mental Health Graphics for Social Media: The "Get Involved" section of the NIH Mental Health website includes text and graphics for several types of mental health issues. Depression, suicide prevention, anxiety, eating disorders, and PTSD all affect a percentage of professionals in the transportation industry. Topics like child and adolescent mental health may help workers navigate decisions as parents.
Aside from the national resources, many states have their creative teams and graphic designers at their DOT and similar agencies. Your state might have timely reminders for seasonal driving hazards. Bigger states like Texas and California tend to have larger budgets for developing sharable social media resources.
Go Safely Media Toolkits: The California Office of Traffic Safety in partnership with CalTrans offers graphics, videos, and even crossword puzzles. Topics include DUI, distracted driving, speeding, wrong way driving, and work zones.
Be Work Zone Alert: PSA videos featuring kids of CalTrans workers remind drivers that construction workers have dependants and families. On a related topic, The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse has collected links to state and federal resources about National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW). Although "move over" campaigns are targeted at the general public, they're also good reminders for truck drivers who are accustomed to frequently passing through construction zones.
Traffic Safety Campaigns in Texas: Not unlike California, Texas has a robust selection of social media graphics and similar resources. Campaigns include #EndTheStreak, "Talk. Text. Crash.", Move Over or Slow Down, Faces of Drunk Driving, Football Season, Drive a Safe Speed, Click It or Ticket, and Work Zone Safety.
⚠ Beware Copyright and Licensing Considerations ⚠
Nobody wants to run into copyright lawsuits. On social media, it's usually easy to like, share, and comment on PSA-type posts that have been posted by the organization (by using the "share" button on their Facebook post). Some resources have strict rules, however, when it comes to downloading and uploading videos and similar content. For example, videos by the Ad Council and the CDC's Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC) may come with use restrictions, expiration dates, or fees.
Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC): The CDC has images and videos about tobacco use, primarily intended for nonprofits and government agencies. For-profit companies can request permission to use images and videos produced by the CDC, and permission may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Only certain ads are free to use, and many have "use and talent fees" which vary depending on whether an ad is "in cycle". The MCRC Help page has videos that explain some of these policies, but it's safe to assume that most trucking companies can find less complicated resources, like free social media posts provided by states.
The Ad Council: PSA videos by the Ad Council come with strings attached, though the process is less complex than the MCRC. Any videos you download and post must be deleted by the expiration date. Other terms for use are covered on their FAQs page, like not modifying their videos, adding them to material you sell, or implying that your company is associated with (or endorsed by) the Ad Council. To avoid the liability of removing videos as they expire, you could "Share" posts from the Ad Council Facebook page. Many of their videos are also sorted by topic on their YouTube page.The thoughtful and compelling videos are targeted at the general public, but many campaigns would be relevant for truck drivers, including Adult Mental Health, Buzzed Driving, Distracted Driving, Lung Cancer Screening, Saving for Retirement, Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, and Veteran Crisis Prevention.
Use Restrictions, Attribution, and other Best Practices
Use restrictions vary from one resource to the next. The NHTSA's Image Library allows you to edit and modify images without attribution, but generic stock photos are very different from educational infographics. The team at To Exceed reached out to the agencies above, and a few took the time to respond. According to an email from CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, "The public is allowed to use materials from government websites as long as there is proper attribution and they are not charging others to buy the material. So small business owners can use the CDC materials as long as they do not alter them (e.g., removing the CDC logo) and they can pay to boost their post on their account." Specific policies of the CDC are detailed on the Use of Agency Materials page. In general, it makes sense that you shouldn't remove the logos of agencies or campaigns, since those would allow readers to find more information. A lot of popular internet memes are produced anonymously with highly unreliable information (and no attribution). Your company can have a positive impact by directing attention to more credible authorities on health and safety topics.
