Risky Business: The Value of a Behavior-Based Driver Safety Program

Driver safety is everyone’s concern.

With nearly 43,000 deaths on our roads every year in the United States, it is obvious that construction companies are not the only ones who can benefit from a behavior-based driver safety program. In addition to ensuring safer drivers, resulting in fewer collisions, a thorough program also helps exonerate drivers in those instances where they are not at fault.

But in addition to creating a safer environment, a behavior-based driver safety program can also help reduce turnover and open lines of communication between drivers and management. It lets your drivers know you care and can become an integral part of your safety culture.

Understand the Problem

To fully comprehend turnover, one must understand the type of turnover and number of jobs a driver has had and how both of these affect his/her overall performance. It has been found that a driver with two or more different jobs has a higher risk of being involved in a crash than a driver with fewer than two different jobs or a more stable employment history. And the more jobs a driver has had, the higher the odds of being in a crash-involved incident.

That is why retention is paramount. By reviewing such methods as selection, hiring, training procedures, dispatch operations, working conditions and safety-related incentives, construction companies become more aware of other opportunities to improve driver retention. In addition, a training program that offers drivers advancement potential, while also addressing technical and safety requirements, communicates to drivers that the company cares about them, their future and their safety.

Open Communication is Key

In addition to the factors listed above, there are other factors that influence a driver’s willingness to stay in a job.

One of the most important factors affecting driver retention is the ability of companies to provide more personable relationships with their drivers by opening more effective communication lines. One of the best ways to open the lines of communication-and maintain them-is to use safety and the employee’s driving habits as the basis of communication. It is something that affects both the driver and the company and is the one factor that differentiates one driver from another. It also allows for frequent and systematic communication so that the communication doesn’t rely only on annual or semiannual performance reviews.

By regularly communicating the company’s commitment to safety, the driver learns that the company cares about him/her. In fact, it has been shown that the incidence of insurance claims, workers’ compensation claims and crashes was reduced by more than 50 percent once a safety program was initiated. These can take the form of safety bonuses for accident-free miles, a crash-free year or simply public recognition through an internal newsletter.

A Safe Driver is a Happy Driver

Consistent observation of an employee’s driving allows for regular opportunities to provide personalized coaching and train drivers to drive more safely. With safety being a high priority within a construction company, drivers readily understand that the company cares about them, their personal safety and finding ways to help them prevent incidents that can result in collisions, vehicle damage and bodily injury.

With a large fleet of trucks, it is impossible for managers to accompany every driver on his/her route on a regular basis. Yet, the need to know how employees are behaving on the road and regular communication with the driver about his/her behavior is paramount to the company’s risk reduction and driver retention. Communication also provides an opportunity to remind the driver of the company’s clearly established safety rules and regulations, along with the standards of conduct expected from each employee.

With the advent of technology, a Driver Risk Management (DRM) program is a safe way to consistently and conscientiously monitor driver habits, reduce risky driving and regularly communicate with drivers to encourage and reinforce better driving. Although the program uses a video event recorder to capture incidents, the key to a successful DRM program is the coaching and training that occurs by someone with whom they have open communication as a result of watching the captured instances of risky behavior. Not only is the coaching session an opportunity to provide drivers with positive reinforcement in a manner that will reduce at-risk behavior and increase good driving behaviors, it also allows for positive encouragement (and potential incentive) when good driving behaviors are observed.

Drivers do want and need regular, consistent, objective feedback, and a DRM program is one of the best ways to provide this feedback. Not only does it provide a sense of well-being and comfort, it also helps drivers learn how to improve their driving so they cause fewer accidents and prolong their safe driving record. Enhancing that sense of security and well-being is the learning drivers gain by knowing their good driving habits do not trigger the event recorder over an extended period of time.

In addition to being empowered by their good driving habits, drivers understand that a video event recorder can also protect them from false statements. By allowing them to record issues (such as traffic problems causing service delays), a service problem (such as a locked gate that prevents access to a property) or a traffic collision that did not involve their vehicle, drivers capture events that could affect their driver’s license and, ultimately, their career.

Research has proven that drivers appreciate the regular feedback that a DRM program provides. They are inspired by their own continually improving driving record. And, in many instances, they remain with a company longer and are happier because of the increased communication. In the end, a DRM program is one of the key components to attracting and retaining the best drivers available, while also being a key component of a corporate safety and training program.

The Keys to Implementation

One of the keys to retaining drivers is implementing a DRM program based on safety and reducing risky driving. By using exception-based video event recorders, this Internet-based observation system focuses on which drivers need what kind of training. But the key to a successful program is the way it is implemented. Here are a few tips to ensure that a DRM program is easily and effectively implemented into your safety program.

Get all your stakeholders on board.
Meet internally with everyone involved so they understand what the DRM solution entails and what each individual’s role will be in executing the program.
 

Introduce it to your drivers.
Host an orientation for your drivers to explain why the company is implementing a DRM solution and what benefits the drivers will receive from the solution.
 

Deploy the solution in both driver and manager vehicles.
This will send the message that implementing the DRM solution is not about an individual driver; it is about making the organization safer as a whole.
 

Implement a rewards system.
One way to identify good behavior is by measuring the time or distance the driver goes without triggering the solution. Create a program that rewards drivers in these situations and recognizes them when they have reached a designated milestone. Offering rewards to drivers reinforces the need to eliminate risky driving behaviors.
 

Communicate continuously and consistently.
DRM Programs are most successful when continual communication is present. Show a meaningful driving clip at safety meetings, circulate reports to upper management or include a column about the solution in every newsletter.
 

Deploy and manage the program locally.
Be sure that each manager has specific objectives and the financial incentive to achieve their objectives. Focus on improving risky behavior, not on reducing collisions.
 

Use the solution as a tool to report near collisions in order to foster discussion on improving risky driving behaviors.
Many companies ask that drivers report near collisions, but few drivers do. The video event recorder will, most likely, capture the near collision and open the forum for the driver and supervisor to discuss what happened and how the risky behavior involved could be eliminated.
 

Create and communicate the ground rules of the program.
Determine in advance of rollout how you plan to handle most situations identified by video footage. Establish the plan and then communicate it to your drivers. 
 

Provide positive and consistent coaching.
One of the most important aspects of a successful DRM implementation is how coaching and feedback are handled-only by receiving appropriate feedback is a driver’s behavior going to improve. The tone of the coaching should be positive and encouraging. Coaching is not discipline-it is a collaborative effort to improve driving. 
 

Tap your DRM company for tools to use during your implementation. 
Ask your DRM provider for tools to help acclimate your drivers (and managers) to their new environment.


1 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics 3/08

Construction Business Owner, October 2008