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Truck driving can be dangerous, here’s how telematics can...
Every time a truck driver gets behind the wheel, he or she is at risk. In fact, of the top 25 deadliest occupations in...
Read moreDriver safety is a critical issue. In 2022, over 42,500 lives were lost on U.S. roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and speeding accounted for 28% of all traffic fatalities in the United States.
Unsafe driving puts drivers and the public in danger, leads to increased fuel and maintenance costs and can detrimentally impact a company’s reputation. To combat this, it’s critical to create a successful driver safety program that extends across your entire fleet.
Safety culture starts at the top. When leaders consistently coach their drivers on safe practices, it becomes the norm. This united approach not only fosters a strong safety culture but also significantly reduces the likelihood of harsh driving.
Take a focused approach to building a safe driving program by following the steps in the checklist below.
Steps to establishing a driver coaching program
- Commit to creating a safety-first culture. Routinely talk to employees and staff about the true cost of unsafe driving. Help them understand the risks of the truck driving profession and identify, track and correct harsh driving behaviors.
- Identify safe driving metrics. What safety metrics are important to your fleet? These can include speeding, harsh braking, failure to wear a seat belt and additional parameters. Next, establish a driver management performance policy that uses the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) technique and encourages drivers to earn accolades for meeting these goals.
- Get your drivers on board. While managers visualize the safety process, those at the wheel are the true safety ambassadors. Create an employee incentive program to encourage safety and get more out of the technology your fleet uses. Things like employee recognition, extra vacation days or company-sponsored parties are cost-effective incentives you can use to motivate employees.
- Monitor safe and unsafe behaviors. Monitoring and tracking driving behavior can help you identify and reward good drivers and guide those needing improvement. Factors that can be tracked include: mileage, after hours mileage or vehicle use, hard braking, hard acceleration, excessive speeding vs. posted speed limit, and seat belt utilization. Fleets that utilize this data have reduced accident costs and prioritized driver safety according to the Fleet Technology Trends Report.
- Reinforce the message. Driver coaching is critical to educating employees and encouraging safe driving techniques. A fleet managers’ role as coach is to help keep track of drivers and recognize driving patterns. Follow this up with frequent communication and reviews with drivers.
- Keep safety related costs in check. Do you know your cost for post-accident repairs? Do you know which driver accrues the most fines? Do you know the per-vehicle fuel cost? By tracking these statistics weekly and monthly you can help prevent problems before they occur.
Use technology to get started on the road to a safe fleet
By proactively addressing safety risks, you can protect your bottom line and build customer trust. But how do you get ahead of safety issues before they arise? How do you know how a driver is performing? How can you accurately measure the impact of unsafe driving?
For KRP Rentals and Trucking, an oil and gas trucking and equipment company, focusing on fleet safety and efficiency was a key priority. After implementing a GPS fleet tracking system, the company gained real-time insights into driver behavior, location and vehicle data. This allowed them to incentivize safe driving, reduce idling, lower fuel costs and improve productivity.
“Having the real-time data to know where they are, we give them an opportunity to correct those bad behaviors,” said Kristopher Poole, HSE Director at KRP Rentals and Trucking.
AI video telematics as copilot
Video footage is a tool fleet managers can use to provide fact-based coaching and create actionable opportunities for drivers to improve. A video solution integrates with your existing fleet tracking software as if you’re in the passenger seat of every vehicle. It combines high-quality video with the power of an advanced fleet management system. The solution quickly generates video clips of harsh driving events, along with detailed classifications and tags, within minutes of them happening.
Video telematics isn't about spying on drivers—it's about protecting them. The truth is this technology is a safety net for drivers and streamlines tasks for fleet managers. Integrated Video from Verizon Connect uses AI technology to analyze data gleaned from the video footage and to prioritize unsafe incidents that require a fleet manager’s review. Using this contextual video footage, fleet managers can provide targeted and personalized coaching to drivers.
“On a week-in, week-out basis [a ride and drive] is tough. When suddenly technology and this concept of AI [video] creates tangible, actual insights, you can marry technology to legitimate outcomes,” said Verizon Connect’s Mathew Long, Associate Director, Product Marketing, in a recent interview.
GPS vehicle tracking with Integrated Video can enhance your safety and driver coaching program by giving managers full visibility into what’s happening on the road. This solution provides real-time feedback for drivers as well as gives managers clearly tagged videos for review and later coaching.