How to Increase Truck Fleet Safety

Do "best practices" for improving safety apply uniformly to all fleet vehicles, or are there special considerations for medium-duty trucks? The answer is that famous fence-straddler: yes and no, based on what fleet management experts have to say on the subject.

Some safety principles apply broadly to almost all truck classes, fleet management executives said, but there are specifics to consider when the goal is to enhance safe operation of medium-duty trucks. Implementing focused driver training programs, spec'ing the medium-duty truck to suit the application, and investing wisely in safety technologies are crucial to the effort.

Driver Training: Online and Behind-the-Wheel

Many fleets and fleet management companies use a combination of behind-the-wheel training and online training.

Jay Shelly, in charge of the Center for Transportation Safety, a division of PHH Arval, favors behind-the-wheel training in the actual working environment.

"Our model is to train as much as possible where they're going to be driving every day," Shelly said. To train drivers elsewhere "hampers their learning curve," he said, and makes the training less relevant. Likewise, drivers should undergo training on vehicles they will be driving or similar vehicles, so the gear pattern, turning radius, placement of gauges, and emergency equipment are comparable.

"A fleet that runs Ford F-450s will have different driving techniques than a fleet running F-450s and pulling Gooseneck trailers," Shelly said. Each "involves a whole set of different circumstances and requirements."

The Center has a fleet of mobile simulators - trailers containing a classroom and a driving simulator. Trainees start on the simulator "so when they get in the truck they already have shifting patterns down," Shelly explained, and are familiarized with the clutch and speed and space management principles.

The value of the simulator is that it makes it possible to create challenging conditions the driver may encounter: snow, ice, heavy rain, and hydroplaning. Likewise, terrain can be simulated, including soft shoulder drop-offs. The unexpected - a blowout of a steer tire - can be simulated, too.

"We cannot duplicate everything that could happen," Shelly said, "but we can educate them about how a vehicle is going to respond so they can make good decisions."

Skid vehicles, in which an instructor controls rear wheels with a joystick, serve the same purpose, teaching a driver how to recover from a skid. The company has a medium-duty truck equipped for such a purpose.

Shelly said the common advice that drivers should "steer into" a skid is "pretty much an old wives' tale." Instead, he said, "Let the steering wheel spin in your hands. It will always come back to straight. That's how the steering system works."

Once the steering wheel has straightened, the driver should steer toward a "safe zone," which doesn't necessarily mean keeping it on the highway, Shelly said. "The safe zone may mean putting it in the ditch," he said. "The safe zone may be putting it in a corn field."

Penske Logistics uses Smith System driver training in classrooms and in vehicles for any and all hires, regardless of experience level. The program centers on managing space around the vehicle, to provide visibility and time to allow for "safe and appropriate decisions," said Stanley Stone of Penske Logistics.

Paul Penatzer, operations manager at Penske Logistics, said the company has a mix of tractor trailer and 24-foot straight trucks, with the latter accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total. "Our approach to safe driving is the same for all of our professional drivers, regardless of what equipment they drive," he said.

The Smith System focuses on three key components: space for the vehicle, visibility for the driver, and time for the driver to make decisions. Drivers are required to know, understand, and demonstrate the principles of that approach, Penatzer said.

"Our return on the investment in this training has not only resulted in a reduction of the number of accidents, but also provides us with a common language to discuss and find the root causes of an accident or near-miss," Penatzer noted.

Blind-spot training makes a big impression on trainees, Penatzer reported. "We demonstrate the large blind area surrounding the vehicle," he said.

The driver walks around the vehicle and views the marked-off areas based on what he/she can see while seated at the steering wheel. "It is very effective and makes the driver more aware of his limited visibility while driving a truck," Penatzer said. Training on how to properly adjust the mirrors to maximize visibility follows.

Working with its equipment vendors, Wheels Inc. conducts a behind-the-wheel training program. According to Kim Clark, product application manager for Wheels, "It is a full-day class with an instructor, that involves both driving and classroom instruction. New hires bring the vehicle they will drive on a daily basis to the class."

The focus is on making trainees comfortable with the equipment in the vehicle, including mirrors, brakes, steering wheel sensitivity, and manual shifting. Drivers are instructed how to react in different hazardous driving situations where they might need to brake fast, swerve, or regain control of a vehicle, Clark said. The aim is to create an environment so that drivers are confident enough on the road to make smart driving decisions in seconds, she explained.

Because behind-the-wheel training is time-consuming and can be costly, many companies supplement it with online training.

Donlen offers more than 40 online courses specifically designed to focus on areas where a driver is found to be deficient or in need of a refresher. "Everyone thinks they know how to drive but it is the simple things we forget that typically cause the most accidents," said Jeff Lucas, vice president of truck services for Donlen.

Taking a driver's history - which includes accident experience and MVR checks - Donlen assigns courses to address areas of concern. "Driver training is a reinforcement of the knowledge and skills needed to be able to operate a truck in a safe manner, and this is the focus of Donlen's safety program," said Lucas. The importance of training cannot be stressed enough, but monitoring the success of that training is also a critical component to the Donlen program. Lucas added, "We work with a number of fleets before driver training to gain a benchmark, and then monitor these fleets to be sure they are achieving the desired results."

A session can be completed in 20 minutes versus two to four hours for a behind-the-wheel session that not only costs more, but takes the driver "out of pocket," or off the job, said Lucas. Fleets like the time savings associated with online training, he explained.

Automotive Resources International (ARI) has an online program that evaluates drivers based on a driving simulation and multiple choice question test. Based on the results, the program arrives at a risk rating (low, medium, high) for each driver, and assigns targeted training specific to each driver's deficiencies, said Ed Iannuzzi, manager, client support services.

The training program is designed to benefit new employees as well as drivers who have been with a fleet for some time.

"The online format allows drivers to take the training at their convenience and minimizes driver downtime," Iannuzzi said. "We find its proactive nature is valuable because it will train drivers on their specific deficiencies based on an evaluation instead of waiting for the driver to get into an accident or receive a violation to prompt training."

ARI also offers a program that monitors each driver's accidents and MVR violations. Iannuzzi described ARI's training programs as "risk identification and mitigation tools designed to identify high-risk drivers, create safety awareness, and change driver behavior."

GE Capital Fleet Services has a suite of medium- and heavy-duty truck Web-based training lessons. "Those can be directly tied to certain events," said Eric Strom, maintenance and safety product manager, "such as preventable accidents or motor vehicle violations or certain driver behaviors."

The online training videos are produced and presented by The CEI Group, a company in Philadelphia that also manages accident repairs and motor vehicle records for GE Capital Fleet Services.

Spec'ing Helps with Safety

Something as basic as spec'ing an automatic transmission can enhance safe operations, said Dave Decker, manager of truck engineering for Wheels, Inc.

"We consider it somewhat of a safety item because many drivers out there today have a difficult time driving a stick," Decker said, and an automatic allows them to concentrate more on driving. Likewise, and especially on medium-duty trucks, Decker explained, spec'ing disc brakes have a safety benefit, as does spec'ing antilock braking systems. For visibility, heated power mirrors help to eliminate the effects of frost, mist, snow, etc.

A common practice in many medium-duty truck fleets is to spec trucks with a GVW under 26,000 lbs., so the fleet can avoid the requirement to hire drivers with a commercial driver's license - and the higher wages that would result.

"In some cases, we really have to push to get them into the proper truck" - not only to meet the fleet's needs, Decker noted, but to ensure the truck can be operated safely when fully loaded. For example, a fleet might say it will carry 15,000 lbs. on a truck, "so we spec a 33,000-lb. GVW truck and tell them the driver needs a CDL," Decker said. If the fleet balks and announces it is going to carry a lighter load, say 10,000 lbs., Wheels would then spec a smaller body.

"Sometime clients don't really know the weight they're carrying," Decker said, and Wheels will request information on the typical weight of each loaded pallet, calculate the number of pallets that add up to safe load weight, and spec a body accordingly. While it might seem odd that a fleet customer wouldn't know the weight it's carrying, Decker pointed out that some fleets operate primarily light-duty trucks and just a small number of medium-duty units, he said. These fleets typically don't have standard specs for medium-duty trucks.

Mark Stumne, truck engineer for GE Capital Fleet Services, said, "A lot of fleets feel they're getting a medium-duty truck that will handle what they need, but when we actually do load studies for them and check axle weights, a lot of times they are running under-spec'ed vehicles."

Technology Adds to Safety Systems

Backup sensing systems are now common on trucks, including medium-duty units, said Decker of Wheels. "Sensing systems have always been somewhat affordable," Decker said, and now camera systems are small, easy to mount, and becoming more cost-efficient. In time, the use of camera systems will likely overtake sensing systems.

Wheels partners with three vendors of telematic systems, which can play a vital role in enhancing safety due to functions that track undesirable driving habits, such as speeding and hard braking.

With the ongoing rollout of the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010, Wheels has been stressing to fleet clients the need to be attentive to safety and driver behavior, Decker said. In September, GE Capital Fleet Services presented an hour-long Webcast on the CSA program. (Wheels presented a Webcast in September.) Some implementation of safety technologies will be mandated as a result of CSA 2010, noted Jeff Kaley, GE's TruckVantage product manager and truck engineer, as the new program will require fleets with a certain level of hours-of-service violations to install electronic onboard recording systems.

The new safety program was created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and is designed to identify fleets that fail to meet certain safety benchmarks and to improve their performance.

Of course, there are also effective low-tech measures to enhance fleet safety. Wayne Reynolds, operations manager, vehicle upfitting for LeasePlan USA, said using a "How's my Driving?" message with a toll-free telephone number "can have a considerable influence." The message must be in letters large enough to be read safely by the vehicle following and be placed in a conspicuous location, he noted.

Attitude has as much as anything to do with safe driving, Reynolds added, noting industry safety studies show the majority of accidents have little to do with driver skill.

"They are most often caused by bad attitude and driver behavior," said Reynolds. "Driver training that focuses on attitude and behavior modification is seen to be most effective in reducing accidents and loss control."

To that end, LeasePlan USA promotes driver training for its fleet customers through a partnership with Gold Cross Safety, Reynolds said. Gold Cross, a training company, specializes in "attitudinal and behavioral based driver training-loss control programs," according to its Web site.

Factors that at first blush seem to have an indirect bearing on safety in fact have significant influence, a number of fleet management veterans said. For example, Strom of GE Capital Fleet Services pointed out that labor scheduling - making sure drivers take proper rest breaks so they don't become fatigued - is crucial to safe fleet operations. Routing software can be a great help in this respect, as it can avoid over-scheduling a driver to the point where he or she feels compelled to speed to complete, say, four stops in two hours.

Penske's Stone made a similar comment. Dispatchers and management teams should be "well-schooled in the regulations so they don't inadvertently put the drivers in a position where they're trying to do too much in a big hurry," he said.

Creating a safety-conscious culture is "extremely important," Stone said. Penske has more than 150 locations, and each has an active safety team consisting of drivers, management, maintenance personnel and, in many cases, the customer. The purpose of the teams is to identify hazards and "to abate, mitigate, or eliminate those hazards," Stone said.