Trucking companies of all sizes must deal with accidents on the road, whether it be an experienced truck driver or a new one. Accidents happen, but are there more effective ways to prevent them? Modern-day trucking companies have access to advanced technologies to assist them in addressing collisions and other common trucking problems.
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What is a fleet manager’s first thought when they hear a collision has occurred? Likely, they will check data from the vehicle’s onboard computer, assess the damage, evaluate repair costs, and prepare for a hit in their CSA scores. There are a lot of questions, but without video to evaluate, trucking companies must rely on he said/she said. Should the accident result in a lawsuit, without evidence backing your truck driver’s claims, many times jurists side with the plaintiff.
The fact is safety management continues to be top-of-mind for any fleet manager, no matter the size of the fleet they manage. The answer is to have more effective solutions that deliver the driving insights required to proactively reduce risk and lower the number of collisions your operation must deal with. To achieve this goal, fleets are adding on-board video-based performance improvement platforms to their safety programs.
Programs that go beyond a few cameras placed around the cab are the most desirable. You want a video solution that includes managed services and analytical insights. This way, you get a comprehensive bird’s eye view into the performance of your fleet. The problem is there are far too many misconceptions around video systems and a video-based safety strategy. So, let’s do some myth busting.
Fleet Managers Always Know What Their Truckers are Doing
The most common myth preventing fleet managers from taking full control of their safety program is that they intrinsically know what their truck drivers are doing. This is wrong for the simple fact that you can’t manage what you can’t see. Without actual real-time evidence into your truckers’ performance, you are doing nothing more than making educated guesses.
Obviously, keeping truck drivers, freight, and equipment safe is priority number one for any trucking company. The key is to make the right investments to achieve that goal. Whether it be in-classroom training or vehicle-based technology like avoidance systems or advanced braking systems – fleet managers are in control of their team’s destiny. Still, it’s still likely that your managers lack the information they need to proactively identify risk and to get a clear picture of how your truck driver performed when critical safety situations occurred on the road.
If you want to improve performance across the fleet, you must first understand your safety culture and promote a strong safety program. What are your biggest issues – seat belt compliance, texting while driving, speeding? You also need to know which truck drivers need the most attention.
A video-based safety program brings clarity by identifying a broad spectrum of potential risks, as well as areas you need to work on. Yet it is important to remember that simply adding video cameras does not make your fleet safer. You must also promote a program that includes fair and consistent expert review of video for assessing risk. This will allow you to properly prioritize coaching and mentoring. You will also be able to make decisions based on actionable insights. This way you can focus on what matters most and know where your risk is. In turn, this will drive improvements across your fleet.
Truck Drivers Don’t Like Video-Based Systems
Don’t believe the myth that your truck drivers will quit if you install an advanced video-based safety system. Truck drivers know that video protects them and helps them build positive relationships with management. There is nothing wrong with a little accountability.
A video-based safety program helps you protect your driver. It provides the information you need about what really happened when a collision occurs. Not only does this information exonerate your drivers and protect your fleet, it provides your fleet manager with the opportunity to engage in a positive and open dialogue with the driver. It enhances your overall coaching program.
Furthering this atmosphere of honesty and open communication is the opportunity to use a split camera in those cases where driver privacy is of concern. This is just one way of mitigating truck driver concern over implementation of a video-based safety system.
With truck driver demand higher than it has ever been, fleets are looking for new ways to motivate and retain drivers. Video-based safety programs help fleet managers and truck drivers communicate better and offers a level of exoneration when an infraction occurs. And when you’ve got reviewable, coachable events to discuss, the conversation can revolve around how to get better, rather than devolving into a he said/she said argument.
Cell Phone Policies Are Enough
Remember, cell phones are not the only distraction truck drivers must deal with on a daily basis. Distraction overall is an intractable problem for trucking companies. In fact, research shows that 1 in 8 collisions involving Class 5 to 8 commercial motor vehicles happens because the truck driver is distracted.
Even if you have a no-tolerance cell phone policy, how do you know your truck drivers are following the policy? Without some kind of video solution, you don’t. And even if they are following your cell phone policy, what other distractions are they dealing with.
There a few different types of distractions truck drivers must address. One is manual distractions, which represent actions on their part, wither eating, drinking, or adjusting the radio. Two are visual distractions, such as checking a GPS unit or simply taking in the view as they daydream. Finally, they must deal with cognitive distractions, with include driving while tired or talking on a hands-free device.
A video-safety program with inattentive driving sensors can provide your truck drivers with real-time insights through audible alerts. This way the system itself helps them avoid risky driving behaviors. to help them stop risky driving behaviors. Videos captured in-cab when inattentive sensors are triggered help managers provide tailored coaching for drivers to reduce risk.
Video Systems Will Drown You in Data
We have talked about the importance of actionable data. Sure, you must properly manage your data stream and know what is actionable or not. But video systems do not make this process more complicated. In fact, they can help you streamline how you use data. Even more, video-based systems offer more than just data, they provide insight.
If your company operates with an open system can rely on a variety of inputs from other safety technologies. If a hard braking event occurs, video can instantly be triggered. This way, your truck drivers can operate without the camera recording them every moment. Integrating your systems also allows you to leverage them better. Fleet managers benefit by having a single, consolidated view of their truck drivers’ driving environment, how they drive, and how the vehicle operates.
Events can then be prioritized based on risk level. Most systems can also provide real-time alerts and immediate access to the most important information. This in turn saves time and brings a level of clarity to safety-based decision making.
By using these systems, fleet managers gain access to actionable operational metrics, management KPIs, reports and dashboards. They can also use interactive visualizations for advanced analysis and the ability to export data and integrate into an existing system.
Video is All You Need
If not relying on video enough is a problem, so is relying on it too much. Never rely on video by itself to solve all your fleet safety problems. Keeping your fleet competitive requires continued focus on your resources, managing both overhead and technology investments.
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Moreover, as fleets continue to expand, they must balance how to partner with truck drivers, dispatchers, back-office staff, and managers. This is how they attain growth and profitability without having to sacrifice safety along the way. Video can be an important resource that helps facilitate a productive conversation between coach and driver by clearly showing what happened.
The key is to combine video with other active efforts. Coaching is one example. Video-based coaching is key to the success of any video-based safety program. Fleets must provide understandable workflows and simple tools to ensure cooperation. This is how motor carriers can achieve truck driver understanding and ensure continual improvement and bottom-line results. Investing in a video-based safety system is what you need to do just that.