Truck driving can be dangerous, however telematics can help

Is truck driving dangerous?

The answer is an emphatic yes. Every time a truck driver gets behind the wheel, he or she is at risk. In fact, “truck driving is Australia’s deadliest industry”(1). And “Australia’s freight task is expected to increase 80 per cent by 2030” (2) so taking action is a high priority. 

According to the Australian Government, in 2023, “169 people died in crashes involving heavy trucks . There were 89 deaths in crashes involving articulated trucks and 87 deaths in crashes involving heavy rigid trucks”. (3)

The growing competition in the online retail industry, has also made a big impact on the day-to-day lives of truck drivers. With the “Amazon effect”, consumers are led to believe that one-day turnaround for their online deliveries is a norm. With an increasing number of packages flooding the supply chain and the frequency of deliveries being made, truckers are performing under pressure.

While fleet managers and truckers work hard to create a culture of safety, it’s important to make timely investment in telematics technology to combat the ever-increasing demands on truck drivers.

How can technology mitigate the dangers of being a truck driver?

Modern telematics technology provides features and capabilities that streamline fleet operations and can help make a dangerous job safer while underscoring a safety-first approach for your fleet. According to the Australian government, “they will invest in heavy vehicle projects created for industry, by industry, to make their workplace safer”(4).

Also, companies can help improve safety by setting and enforcing high expectations for safety behaviours from the top down, establishing a culture of accountability. And, when combined with a telematics system to track and measure safety metrics, fleet managers can experience the power of a cost-effective and proven solution that helps:

Link driving behaviour to driver safety. Telematics helps improve driver safety by monitoring the location and speed of every vehicle. It provides near real-time alerts when speeding incidents occur, and automated speeding reports on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It also highlights other risky driving behaviours such as hard braking and fast acceleration. By creating awareness of these behaviours, fleet drivers can be more aware when they get behind the wheel, and you can support a greater return on investment.

Increase vehicle safety. Improved maintenance leads to healthier, more efficient vehicles and decreases the risk of breakdowns or unexpected problems. Telematics can provide up-to-the-minute data on vehicle condition to help streamline fleet upkeep and control repair costs to extend the service life of vehicles. This is done via automatic mileage calculations, daily odometer updates, and notifications when preset maintenance intervals are reached. Using this continuous monitoring, engine issues can be identified early, making vehicles safer to drive and making it easier to stay in compliance with governmental emission requirements.

Elevate route safety. Unknown terrain and unsafe roads pose a constant driver hazard. Telematics technology helps mitigate the dangers associated with getting lost or taking the wrong route by providing navigation that calculates truck-legal routes, reduces left turns and gives detailed “last-mile” directions. It also allows managers to set up geofence alerts and use GPS tracking data to steer workers through, or around, dangerous areas like construction sites or pockets of extreme temperature zones, and receive notifications when workers enter and exit hazardous places.

Improve crisis and weather response. Weather emergencies and other disasters can strike without warning. Smart telematics solutions can alert the office to a driver in trouble via automated notifications and can leverage GPS to provide first responders with critical information about driver location in real time. In addition, the technology affords maps with satellite weather overlays to track developing systems and dangerous storms, providing drivers with advanced notice to allow time to prepare for impending conditions.

Have a turn-by-turn visual driving account. It’s difficult to know exactly what happens pre-crash. Was the driver distracted? Did another vehicle slam on the brakes? Now, thanks to dashcams, it’s easier to understand the context of an incident involving a truck. Integrated fleet dashcams capture the moments before a crash occurs, and the visual data often demonstrates who was responsible in the case of a collision. Integration with telematics software data can also help provide extra insight into driver behaviour. Contextual evidence of incidents surrounding an accident can help fleet managers and drivers reduce crashes and fatalities by creating accountability and establishing driver safety as a top priority.

Achieving safety is a process. Here’s a quick guide to building a fleet business that is safe for the truck drivers, stress-free for the fleet managers and efficient for the customers.

Sources:

• (1)https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/brown/media-release/response-national-truck-crash-accident-report-2022

• (2)https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/brown/media-release/35-million-industry-projects-improve-heavy-vehicle-safety

• (3)https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/hv_qty_dec2023.pdf

• (4)https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/brown/media-release/35-million-industry-projects-improve-heavy-vehicle-safety