Trucking companies are always looking for new ways to help train up better truck drivers. And since we now live in a brave new technological era, they have far more tools at their disposal than ever before. The question is, what kind of programs can trucking companies create to help them build a more effective safety management system for their truck drivers and coaches?
Today, we are going to go through case studies that trucking companies can use when setting up their safety management and disciplinary systems. Many of these rely on a specific technological underpinning or methodology, which we will outline. Each organization is different, so these ideas may not be suitable for your circumstances. They are presented to foster thought on your part as to what may be most appropriate for your organization.
Using Behavior Identification
This trucking company used the identified behavior assigned to a specific event – as well as the accumulation of these events over a period of time – to trigger a separate, company defined “Safety Points” system.
The Safety Points serve as a mechanism to trigger actions by the company. For example, an issuance of 3 Safety Points may trigger a verbal warning. Additional Safety Points within a specified time frame escalate to a written warning and ultimately suspension or termination if they meet the thresholds set by the company.
In this model, the accumulation of six Safety Points within a rolling 12-month period could result in termination. An advantage to tying your system to the points is that you can have flexibility on the thresholds you set to trigger Safety Points.
It also makes it easy to integrate each driver’s performance into the same progressive disciplinary processes you use for other issues. As a step in implementing this strategy, you may first want to run an analysis of your historical program data to develop suitable thresholds.
Associating the Data with Discipline
In another example, the trucking company set the thresholds to be fairly forgiving, based on their own historical data, as they wanted to emphasize the program as a coaching tool, and minimize the potential punitive aspect. Given the point thresholds, it was relatively easy for truck drivers to avoid punitive action; yet the plan was compelling enough to motivate greater compliance with safe driving expectations.
Another strategy could be devised for those desiring a less rigid approach to addressing concerning truck drivers. In this example, there are a few behaviors with clear, significant consequences but otherwise, more flexibility is left to the local manager. Note that management reserves the right to take other actions as necessary based on severity. Where multiple behaviors are present in the same event, the procedure for the higher severity behavior can be applied.
Some companies do not choose to directly associate data, such as “safety points,” to their disciplinary strategies. Instead, the intent is to leave their policy largely unchanged but include mention of the “safety points” program within the framework of their existing policies. The following is an example of a trucking company taking this approach:
The Example
Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to identify the operational procedures for company personnel assigned to a vehicle equipped with an Event Recorder and to clarify the process that will be followed when certain types of events occur
Policy: It is the policy of the company to drive and operate vehicles with due regard for the welfare of the public and the company. The “safety points” program is designed to improve documentation and training related to vehicle operations. When the Event Recorder is activated to save an event, it records incidences such as crashes, erratic, and potentially unsafe driving. To provide a safer work environment, these captured events will be used to support the following areas:
- Recognition of hazardous and unsafe roadway or customer locations and conditions;
- Identification and cause of unreported damage;
- Determination of responsibility and preventability for collisions involving company vehicles;
- Driver improvement and training efforts;
- Identification of drivers exhibiting exemplary driving behavior;
- Identification of driver safety policy violations and unsafe driving habits.
Procedure: Events that meet organization criteria will be marked by your safety program as requiring coaching (coaching event). As part of this process the operator of the vehicle involved in the coaching event will be required to meet with his/her supervisor to discuss this event (coaching session). The goal of coaching is to help the driver to identify ways to improve skills and increase safety.
At management’s discretion, follow-up and/or disciplinary action may be required based on the severity or behaviors exhibited in the event. Examples that may cause further action include, but are not limited to: violation of traffic laws, distracted driving, aggressive driving, avoidable near collisions, as well as preventable collisions.
Tampering or Intentional Damage to the Event Recorder: Employees shall not tamper with, or allow others to tamper with, the Event Recorder or its components. The intentional damage or tampering of the event recorder is a violation of company policy. Violation of these policies shall be treated as falsification of departmental records and shall be subject to the appropriate discipline up to, and including, termination.
Crash Procedure Policies
Trucking companies must also deal with crash policies and procedures. What is the best way to outline them within the framework of a safety management system?
Post-Crash Procedures: Collisions in which company vehicles are involved shall follow the current company policies: All events recorded during a collision shall require the notification of the company safety office. A company supervisor, fleet manager, or their designee shall retrieve the data from the online interface or contact the home office to facilitate access to the event.
Minor Collisions: The event will be used as a tool in investigating any claims-related issues, as well as policy violations. The collision will be reviewed to determine if the collision was “Preventable” or “Non-Preventable”.
Major Collisions: To avoid the risk of impeding collection of Event Recorder data, do not authorize towing of a company vehicle involved in a collision without specific instruction from the safety office. The recorded event shall be used as a tool in investigating any claims-related issues, as well as policy violations. The employee shall be subject to a collision review to determine whether the collision was preventable or nonpreventable.
Using Matrices to Act on Data
Another strategy that could be used by a trucking operation that distributes food products that states that violations of existing policies identified through the safety programs will follow the existing company plan. It could also weave in “safety points” as an additional item that can trigger follow up actions.
For example:
Policy Violations: Driver violations (that have pre-established disciplinary procedures set forth within the Commercial Driver Policy) that are discovered during the video event review will require written discipline to the driver, HR file, and copied to the Corporate Fleet Safety Department for the driver file. Any discipline will be in accordance with the established policy
Collisions: When available, recorded events will be included in the process of assessing preventability of vehicle collisions. In such events, company policies for accident reporting, classification, and corrective action will be adhered to.
In our final case study, a trucking company developed a matrix that defines actions to be taken based on certain behaviors and coaching frequency. Coaching events remain active for 90 days.
All new truck drivers are afforded a 90-day grace period on the policy with the exception of egregious events. Four coaching events that occur in a combination of any category during a 90-day period will result in a step level of progressive discipline, only counting the most serious event behavior. When more than one infraction occurs during an event, the most severe infraction will be considered to determine appropriate discipline level.
Any behavior that results in an accident or near accident may be escalated to the next step in the disciplinary process up to and including termination. A Review Committee comprised of Department Manager, EHS Manager, HR Manager as well any other necessary personnel will make this determination.
Companies with the most successful safety programs evolve over time to go beyond simply applying basic risk identification and coaching process. They take what they’ve learned from the data they gather to develop strategies that drive their program to greater success. Internal training programs are adjusted to better reflect the true needs of the fleet. It is our hope the examples presented in this blog will give you the framework to develop strategies suitable for your organization.