The days between November and January are often dubbed the “happiest time of the year,” but this time span can also be the most dangerous for drivers. Increased traffic, tight delivery timelines and drunk driving all lead to more hazardous conditions for truck drivers.
Samsara data shows that hard braking and speeding increase significantly around the holidays, often as much as 20%. These behaviors tend to be more common in heavy traffic; they are also high predictors of future crashes. When these driving behaviors are combined with distracted driving, the chances of a future crash skyrocket.
“With dense traffic conditions and holiday traffic, it is more important than ever for customers to understand and proactively manage safe driving behaviors,” said Samsara VP of Product Ingo Wiegand.
How are logistics companies prioritizing safety over the holiday season? We sat down with Goce Tusevski, general manager and co-owner of Globe Logistics, to understand its approach. Based in New Jersey, he’s no stranger to congested roads, especially during the holidays. Here are two benefits Tusevski called out and one key learning he wants to pass onto others.
Benefit 1: Engaged drivers and lower turnover
“Safety is our No. 1 goal. Without it we cannot continue growing,” Tusevski said.
That’s why he recently decided to bring on a new technology partner to improve driver safety and help Globe Logistics expand.
“Technology moves fast and I wanted to be sure we had a partner who would help us take advantage of the latest innovations,” he said.
After narrowing the field down to Samsara and Motive, Tusevski eventually went with Samsara based on positive feedback from drivers about Samsara’s driver app and mobile experience management. “This was definitely a deciding factor for me,” he said. “A driver-friendly app translates to fewer problems and fewer calls to the office.”
Samsara’s virtual coach feature, which provides video-based coaching insights to drivers directly within the mobile app, was also a big selling point. In addition to providing drivers with more autonomy, driver coaching makes it easy for managers to personalize the coaching experiences at scale.
“It’s this combination of AI- and worker-focused solutions that’s so powerful, improving road safety, as well as driver engagement and retention,” said Wiegand. “Organizations looking to get ahead are focusing on the driver experience to attract and retain top-of-the-line talent to their fleets.”
Benefit 2: Safer drivers and reduced costs
When highway crashes are caused by passenger vehicles, high-quality dashcams allow professional truck drivers to prove their innocence. This can save the individual driver’s career, while simultaneously protecting fleets against nuclear verdicts and massive insurance price spikes.
“Nuclear verdicts are a huge issue in the industry. When a crash happens, it’s always assumed the truck is at fault,” said Tusevski. “Dashcams protect our drivers’ professional reputation as much as our bottom line.”
At the same time, understanding each driver’s individual safety profile — and stopping negative behaviors in their tracks — is critical to creating an overall culture of safety within a fleet. “Since we implemented Samara into our fleet, we get a complete picture of what a driver looks like on the road. We haven’t had one at-fault accident since implementing,” said Tusevski.
Safer drivers and video evidence are why insurance companies are also turning to dashcam technology to provide a consistent and accurate way to measure and decrease customer risk over time.
“Customers who are referred to Samsara by an insurance partner often receive a 15-25% discount because of the safety and risk management improvements that come from Samsara data,” Wiegand said.
Fleet safety pays for itself
What key learning would Tusevski want to pass onto others considering a fleet safety program of their own?
“Look for a solution that’s easy to use, innovative and integrates with your existing systems,” he said. “Make the decision for yourself but, for us, switching to Samsara has absolutely paid for itself.”
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