Safety is a top concern of fleets in the food distribution supply chain and that focus applies to the cargo, truck drivers, and others on the road.
Here is a five-pronged approach that will demonstrate an organization’s commitment to prioritizing safety for the benefit of drivers, customers and the motoring public.
It starts with vehicle specs
Driver safety begins in the specification process. Today there are a variety of technologies that fleets can spec on their vehicles. They fall under the heading Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These systems use radar, sensors and cameras to enhance safety. Fleets can spec items like collision mitigation systems, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. They work by monitoring the vehicle and alerting the driver if, for example, they are following another vehicle too closely or leaving the lane without activating the turn indicator. Alerts are typically audible tones and in if the driver does not take action to address the situation the ADAS will automatically intervene.
Driver-facing cameras are another safety measure that fleets can use to monitor things like distracted or drowsy driving. When the camera detects an issue, the driver it alerted by an audible tone and can adjust their driving appropriately.
Orange or other brightly colored seat belts are a good visual reminder to drivers to buckle up and also allow law enforcement personnel to clearly see that drivers are wearing their seat belts.
Fleets can also apply the same diligence used in the vehicle specification process to the driver hiring process. Set up driver hiring criteria with safety in mind. A dedicated compliance department makes sure driver candidates meet the criteria before being brought in for a road test.
Set safety policies and enforce them
It is important for fleets to set policies around things like seatbelt and cellphone use. Those policies need to be clearly written, drivers need to be informed, and violations of those policies need to be enforced.
For instance, implement a safety policy that requires drivers to wear steel-toed safety shoes when operating their vehicle. And, provide a stipend to help offset the cost of the shoes.
Driver buy-in and training are essential
Whether spec’ing an ADAS system or installing driver-facing cameras, it is important to get buy-in from drivers. Drivers may initially resist cameras feeling like fleet managers will be watching their every move. The reality is fleet and driver managers only get a video clip if a driver fails to react to an alert. It can be helpful to remind them that video from the cameras can be useful in exonerating them in the event of an accident.
Drivers also need to be trained on how the other safety components work. Installing a technology and assuming drivers will figure out how it works is not a best practice. During the driver onboarding process, each element of the safety system should be explained so that drivers become familiar with it and comfortable responding to alerts.
In addition to training during onboarding, there should be period reminders about the various safety systems on the trucks. Send out a weekly email with safety-related content to driver managers who then are tasked with sharing the information in driver meetings.
Coaching for improvement
When driver managers receive video about an instance of unsafe driving, they can set up a coaching session with the driver to review the footage. A good technique is to show the driver and then ask them to explain what happened or what went wrong. Doing this will allow them to identify for themselves areas that need improvement and the driver’s manager can focus on providing tips and advice on what the driver can to operate their vehicles in a safer manner.
Recognizing and rewarding safe driving
To demonstrate their commitment to safety, fleet managers need to acknowledge and reward drivers who achieve safety milestones. Considering giving drivers a monetary reward for every clean inspection or devising a driver awards program, where drivers who achieve certain criteria, including no preventable accidents, injuries, CSA violations, moving violations or hours-of-service violations, are awarded points that can be used to redeem merchandise online with a vendor.
Following this five-pronged approach can help improve driver safety while making the roads safer for everyone.
