Survey Shows Many Safety Similarities Between Light-, Medium-Duty Fleets
Vocational fleets of both vehicle classes appear to value the same training and tech strategies.
Lexi Tucker・Former Senior Editor
November 24, 2021
For safety training techniques, the top three answers for both light- and medium-duty fleets were hands on/behind the wheel, in-person classroom, independent video/online training.
Photo: Getty Images
3 min to read
A new annual fleet safety survey conducted by Work Truck and sister media brand Heavy Duty Trucking has revealed when it comes to safety, light- and medium-duty fleets appear to take similar approaches. We’ve collected some of the top findings and broken them down for easier reading here.
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Survey Respondent Details
Of the 157 total respondents, 39% stated they had Class 1 or 2 trucks in their fleet, while 35% claimed to own Class 3/4/5 trucks. Another 32% said they run Class 6 trucks.
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The top three fleet types in the light-vehicle category were construction/mining, government fleet, and for-hire trucking fleets. For medium-duty, the top two were the same, with wholesale coming in third.
Top respondents for light-duty fleets classified themselves as corporate/executive management, including owner/operator; fleet manager/administrator; or operations management. For medium-duty, the top two were the same, with maintenance/shop management placing third.
Above all, the results indicate there isn’t much difference between light- and medium-duty fleets in terms of safety measures.
Insurance Costs
How have vehicle and liability insurance costs changed in the past year? The top answer for both light- and medium-duty was “increased 1-10%.” This was followed by “largely unchanged” and “don’t know/not sure.”
Increased 1-10%
Largely Unchanged
Don’t Know/Not Sure
Light
28%
27%
20%
Medium
29%
21%
20%
The survey found drivers are given safety-related training as a part of onboarding, when new equipment or technology is introduced, or after there has been an accident or incident.
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Safety Strategies
In a long list of potential safety strategies, the top three answers for both light-duty and medium-duty fleets were well-maintained vehicles, written safety policies and procedures, and driver training.
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Well-Maintained Vehicles
Written Safety Policies
Driver Training
Light
76%
72%
62%
Medium
72%
71%
65%
Safety Technology
The top three answers in regard to safety technologies used for both light-duty and medium-duty fleets were backup cameras, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning. Adaptive cruise control was tied for the top third answer for medium-duty fleets.
Backup Cameras
Forward Collision Warning
Lane Departure Warning
Light
54%
40%
39%
Medium
52%
43%
39% (tied with adaptive
cruise control)
When it came to safety technologies fleets plan to implement in the next year, the top three answers for both light-duty and medium-duty fleets were don’t know/not sure, none of the above, backup cameras
Don't Know/Not Sure
None Of the Above
Backup Cameras
Light
28%
20%
17%
Medium
26%
19%
17%
Safety Training
For safety training techniques, the top three answers for both light-duty and medium-duty fleets were hands on/behind the wheel, in-person classroom, independent video/online training.
Hands On/Behind the Wheel
In-Person Classroom
Independent Video/
Online Training
Light
72%
68%
39%
Medium
74%
71%
41%
When are drivers given safety-related training? The top three answers for both light-duty and medium-duty fleets were when first bringing them into the company (onboarding), when new equipment or technology is introduced, or after there has been an accident or incident.
Onboarding
New Equipment/
Technology Introduced
After Accident
Light
84%
62%
49%
Medium
85%
61%
54%
How do your accident numbers compare to the survey findings?
Photo: Getty Images
Accidents
Naturally, when asked about accidents, medium-duty fleets reported a slightly higher percentage of at-fault crashes during calendar year 2020.
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