If you dig down into the data, you will see that fleet safety issues account for a large portion of workplace fatalities today. This fact reveals the importance of putting safety measures in place across all industries, but fleets present unique safety challenges due to their mobile nature. When big rigs are out on the nation’s roads, challenges present themselves.
How do you account for worker safety when workers are dispersed throughout your service area? Furthermore, when you are operating big, heavy machinery, how do you ensure your people are professionally trained? Today, we examine several technologies that, when used separately or in conjunction with each other, can dramatically improve your safety profile.
Real-Time Asset Tracking
Our first safety technology allows you to locate your vehicles and field operators in real-time. This information is crucial for fleet managers trying to plan routes. Back in the day, we had to rely on calls back to the office, but those days are long gone!
With vehicle and asset tracking, managers and dispatchers have access to real-time location information for every vehicle under their care. GPS enables in-vehicle devices to send location information back to the office, where dispatchers track vehicle movement on their electronic maps. In the event of an emergency, the exact location of each vehicle is known instantly.
Vehicle and asset tracking can also be used to create boundaries for vehicles based either on timeframes or geographic zones. When vehicles move outside these predefined limits, fleet managers are immediately alerted. This enables companies to track and quickly apprehend stolen fleet vehicles, and address unauthorized vehicle use or misuse. When you quickly contact the authorities, you limit your exposure.
Keep an Eye on Your People
Have you employed real-time truck driver monitoring in your fleet? If you want a safer fleet, you need information to help you correct any unsafe driving practices exhibited by your truck drivers. When people’s lives are at stake, you should do no less.
Across North America, distracted driving is estimated to be a factor in between 25% to 30% of all traffic crashes (OSHA). Though most managers would agree that managing truck driver behavior is important to the safety of workers and members of the public, it has been difficult to enforce safety standards from the office—until now. Now trucking companies have the tools they need to enforce a higher safety standard, and it does not matter how large or small your fleet is.
A truck driver behavior monitoring system uses vehicle telematics data to track information, such as vehicle speed and instances of hard braking or harsh acceleration. Fleet managers can set speed thresholds and are alerted in real-time when a driver surpasses the threshold.
They can also use this information as a corrective tool to alert truck drivers to unsafe behaviors and to ensure drivers are meeting your company’s safety standards. And in an age where safety standards are stricter than ever, fleet managers need every tool at their disposal.
Also, being able to track your vehicles’ speeds will help your field operators, and other truck drivers, be safer on the road. Not only will you reduce fuel consumption, but you can decrease the chance of an accident. Speeding on a leased or private road can also negatively impact a company’s brand, which could result in customers deciding that they will not work with you or talk positively about your company’s experience.
When fuel costs account for approximately 30% of most fleet budgets, finding ways to reduce consumption can make a big difference. GPS/Telematics technology allows companies to monitor truck driver behavior to track how much fuel is being wasted when field operators speed or idle unnecessarily. Remember, your truck drivers are not doing these things intentionally, but it is in your benefit to help them improve.
Getting the Most Out of Your ELD
The time is here, and the date is passed. It is now time for you to be able to track truck driver hours of service data easily and accurately. This is especially important now that the FMCSA has came out with new guidance regarding hours of service. Is your ELD provider prepared to adjust to the changes for you?
Since the ELD Mandate passed in the United States, many organizations across North America have had to invest in electronic logging devices to track hours of service. No longer can you use an AOBRD to get the job done. Paper logs are a long-distant thing of the past.
The problem is many organizations invested in ELD technology that may not be the most effective for their business and safety objectives. By selecting a device that meets the minimum requirements of the ELD Mandate, trucking companies might miss out on powerful features that can ultimately benefit their business operations. It is important to do your due diligence before making a big ELD purchasing decision.
Making the decision based solely on low cost may lead to unreliable technology. By selecting a more comprehensive solution, you can go beyond compliance to see the benefits of improved safety and efficiency. It is a good opportunity for your fleet to become compliant while improving how your company does business. This looks good to customers, employees, and everyone else you do business with.
Asking the right questions and conducting comprehensive research is key to making sure that you choose an ELD vendor that you trust. But what exactly should you look for? A good ELD provider should have a long-term successful track record of deploying in-cab mobile computing devices.
They should also be financially stable and able to update ELD devices in the event of regulatory changes, such as the FMCSA’s recent new guidance. Of course, they should offer excellent 24/7 customer support. Finally, do they go beyond ELD compliance and offer fleet management functionality to deliver you long-term value and leverage your ELD technology investment?
The Importance of Vehicle Inspections
How can you best ensure your vehicles are road-worthy? By using safety technologies, of course! There are plenty of driver vehicle inspection solutions on the market today. You would be doing your trucking company a disservice by not utilizing one of them.
A Driver Vehicle Inspection (DVI) solution that requires drivers to carry out a complete inspection of their vehicle before operating it can be an important component of an organization’s safety policy. And it can prevent you from suffering a broken-down situation while out on the road.
Real-time collection of vehicle inspection faults ensures that vehicles with known issues are not being used on the road. DVI inspections can be carried out using a mobile computer, tablet, or smartphone. Best in class DVI functionality will prevent a driver from operating a vehicle if the inspection has not been done or if a serious fault has been recorded. This ensures that drivers are meeting DVI regulations before they even begin driving.
With a DVI solution, specific personnel, like the maintenance manager or a driver’s supervisor, can be alerted via email when a defect is reported. Additionally, a DVI solution can be integrated with fleet management and maintenance software, so that an accurate record is kept of the vehicle’s history and faults, and vehicles with issues can be scheduled for maintenance immediately. This removes any pesky scheduling or calendar problems from getting in the way of timely maintenance.
Keeping Communication Open
One of the things that can hobble a fleet, or any business for that matter, is a lack of communication. Fast and effective communication can be the one thing that brings order to a fleet’s business.
In an emergency, it is imperative that the lines of communication stay open. With in-vehicle mobile computers, drivers and dispatchers can communicate using text messages in real-time. This eliminates reliance on radio communication, keeps vital lines of communication open and keeps the driver’s eyes on the road.
Not only can truck drivers’ alert dispatchers to safety issues in their vehicle, but dispatchers can also instantly send an individual driver, or a group of drivers, messages about unsafe situations, such as an impending storm.
You can receive real-time alerts when a critical event or problem occurs. The alerts can be set up to monitor a driver’s habits when they brake too hard or get notified when a vehicle is reporting that it is low on fuel. Alerts will also notify you if a serious problem occurs. If one of your vehicles were to be involved in a crash, you will be able to receive real-time alerts notifying you of the situation.
The fact is these kinds of safety technologies are critical to ensuring your truck drivers remain safe out on the nation’s roads. They help mitigate harm and potential litigation. They also help instill good habits in your truck drivers. Why not invest in safety?