You may be familiar with the adage that says, “Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk.” Indeed it is. The FBI estimates cargo theft costs companies $30 billion yearly. At one time, warehouses were the prime targets, but today many thieves target trucks—even when they’re parked in secure carrier lots. For professional cargo thieves, it’s [...]
The promise of a future with autonomous trucks took another step forward as the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles cleared Daimler Trucks North America to operate the first licensed autonomous commercial truck on a public highway. Those in favor of autonomous vehicles claim their use will result in fewer collisions and improved fuel mileage. However, [...]
Rewards programs for company drivers can be effective; however, they fail in many organizations because of one fatal mistake: Many companies think that monetary rewards are the only way to motivate employees. Studies have found that employees aren’t motivated by financial incentives alone. Therefore, if you want to create a safety-based rewards program, you need [...]
How's My Driving? Ever drive behind a commercial vehicle and notice that its brake lights are not working? Ever see a commercial vehicle with an unbalanced load? You want to tell someone about it, but how? Maybe you drive on, thinking that the driver’s fleet manager will eventually discover and fix the problem. [...]
How's My Driving? Your worse nightmare? One of your fleet vehicles is involved in a collision that includes a fatality or a disabling injury. One way to keep this nightmare from becoming a reality is to invest in vehicle risk-management solutions that include a How’s My Driving safety program. [...]
A recent op-ed in the New York Times chastised the trucking industry and Congress for lax attitudes toward safety. The article, written by freelancer Howard Abramson, who was an executive at the American Trucking Association for 15 years, highlighted some disturbing statistics. For example, this year alone, traffic collisions involving large trucks killed more people than [...]
“Collision” and “accident” sound like interchangeable terms; however, there is a significant difference in meaning when it comes to commercial driving safety and legal liability. To better understand the nuances at play here, let’s start with some definitions. Simply stated, “accident” denotes a non-preventable incident for which the driver has no responsibility. “Collision” refers to an [...]
Traffic fatalities are up 14 percent this year, according to a study just out from the National Safety Council (NSC). From a high of 43,510 fatalities in 2005, traffic deaths had declined by 25 percent, to 32,719, in 2013. In the first six months of 2015, however, approximately 19,000 people have lost their lives in [...]
We’re all familiar with the concept of defensive driving. But let’s stop a moment and identify the attributes of an ideal defensive driver. Here is a list of ten of them. Defensive drivers: Are always ready with preventative measures, in advance of when they are needed. Carefully monitor the actions of other drivers, adjusting for [...]
A recent Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study cited the top causes of large truck collisions in 967 crashes involving at least one truck. The study included 1,127 large trucks and 959 other types of motor vehicles. These crashes resulted in 251 deaths and 1,408 injuries. Let’s look at some of the most common causes [...]