Job injuries are part and parcel in any industry and so is safety training. Each type of industry has specific safety concerns. Adding to the list of jobsite concerns is mobile applications. Any time your driver gets behind the wheel of the work truck, you have to ask yourself, “What kind of driver is my employee?”

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, a person who drives as a part of their job is three times more likely to be killed on the job than a person working in a manufacturing environment. Unfortunately, most of these accidents are caused by human error, such as driving recklessly, speeding, and changing lanes without signaling.
Driving habits not only impact the safety of the driver and others on the road, but also the environment and the bottom line. A driver’s habits can impact fuel economy, “affect[ing] fuel efficiency by 33 percent,” claims the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An increase in maintenance, including increased wear and tear on work vehicles; having to replace broken, damaged, or worn parts; and decreasing the life of vehicles, will affect the bottom line.
EFFICIENT FLEET MANAGEMENT
Changing bad driver behavior is critical, not only for safety and liability reasons, but also to optimize fleet equipment and efficiency costs.
So, what’s the solution? A telematics solution using real-time verbal coaching (RTVC) to allow commercial fleets and fleet managers to take steps to improve driver behavior. Why RTVC? Well, let’s revisit a few standard methods of behavioral assessment and/or correction and pit them against RTVC to gauge the difference:

  • Safety policies: The difference between having a policy and having the means to enforce it are radically different. From “a recent survey of 100 fleet managers […] 51 percent acknowledge that the method they use to actually monitor and manage their employees’ behavior is out of date,” inthinc’s research showed.
  • Training: Habits we learn from the time we begin driving are hard to break; “Training programs produce no statistical change or improvement in the incidence of fleet driver accidents,” according to inthinc’s reports.
  • Driving Records: Driving records are neither permanent, nor a clear indicator of a person’s driving habits. This is simply an unreliable source.
  • GPS/Data Feedback: By far the best option of the four, GPS and data reporting can give the most detailed account of drivers’ habits, from speeding to harsh braking, hard cornering to jack-rabbit starts. What it won’t do is help correct any of the bad habits.

AN INTERVENTION FOR THE UNSAFE DRIVER
The RTVC telematics solutions system is proactive, not reactive, enabling it to form safer driving habits and potentially “prevent accidents and enforce compliance, instead of merely recording and reporting the events that have already happened,” according to inthinc. Furthermore, the system is able to sense danger and alert the driver.

RTVC is tailored to driver behavior, making it a more accessible application to the driver using it. According to inthinc’s research, “In fleet management, changing a driver’s behavior requires frequent and specific interventions.” RTVC gives drivers just that—timely and constructive feedback designed specifically to shape safe drivers.
So, you’ve decided you want to give RTVC telematics solutions a shot because you have this one driver … you know the one. But how do you choose the right product? Here are a few basic questions and/or considerations to think over before taking the plunge:

  1. Assess the work environment. A few vendors have solutions that operate from smartphones. Great! Very mobile! But, not so good in extreme temperatures, like at gas and oil drilling sites. Also, vibrations at mining sites could damage some of the more fragile electronics.
  2. Are you getting the right feedback for your buck? The feedback your driver needs in order to change driving habits should be timely and easy to understand. Buying a solution that produces tonal warnings can be a problem, as it will take the driver time to figure out why he or she is being beeped or buzzed at, losing the learning curve.
  3. Is the feedback visual and audible? Sometimes less is more, but in this case, more is more. Make sure the solution you buy has audio and visuals to promote improved reaction times and performance.
  4. When will management know? Real-time reporting is a key factor; you need to know what is happening with your drivers and your drivers need to know that you know, as well.
  5. How customizable is the solution? Being able to set your solution to alert you to specific details—is the parking brake left on?—or being able to set the solution to automatically call first responders in the event of a crash is a valuable feature.
  6. Is there room for expansion? Try to pick a solution that offers everything you’re looking for in one package; driver safety, maintenance, etc.
  7. What about systems integration? A solution that will integrate with any operations systems you may already have would be more than convenient.

With a RTVC telematics solution, you’re not only retraining your driver with audible verbal prompts, you’re also cutting down on maintenance and fuel costs … all good things to benefit the bottom line. ■

About The Author: inthinc is a global telematics solutions provider centered on driver safety, operational efficiency and compliance, and workforce optimization. For more information, visit www.inthinc.com.

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Modern Contractor Solutions, June 2015
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