Great Driver Talent Requires Great Driver Management(Breakout Session 3)

Zathan Boutan Dave Wittwer

Zathan Boutan DOT Specialist For WHC

Basic Driving and Safety

05/01/2023

• Driving habits are formed because the same physical actions are being perform over and over.

• Over time we have a tendency to reduce these required actions which may result in the formation of “bad” driving habits.

Transitioning From Legal Hauling to OS/OW Loads

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• Trucks are more powerful– 80,000 lbs vs 120,000 to 500,000 lbs– Braking is different– Changing gears is different– Driver awareness is a must– Securing the load is a must– Measuring the height, and width of your load is a must– Maneuvering this vehicle is totally different

Fit for Duty:Fatigue Management

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Employees are responsible to:• Present themselves fit for work; • Be present in a fit state free from alcohol and drugs;• Be well rested prior to starting work; • Monitor their own performance and take regular periods of rest to avoid continuing

work when tired;• Notify their supervisor when they have concerns of fatigue in themselves or those

around them;• Report incidents and accidents;• Never put themselves or others at risk.

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Fit for Duty:Fatigue Management

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Employees can help maintain their mental alertness through proper:• sleep• eating• exercise • breathing techniques

Employees should always avoid:• chronic use of over-the-counter or prescription drugs to increase

mental alertness• energy tablets• energy drinks• excessive consumption of caffeine

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Police/Private Escorts Before moving any load make sure you and the private escort is on the

same page with communication.• Make sure the private escort has your 2-way radio.• Run the route in a regular vehicle before bringing in an os/ow load.• Turn on headlights, strobes and overhead lightbar, signs and flags

Police Escorts• Unique Challenges

– Give the police a 2-way radio and let him know that’s for communicating with you if something is wrong

– Notify the police what route you have planned before moving– Allow the police to educate you and the civilian escort on the traffic

laws within his city and what he will do to get you through the city– Ask all your questions before the move starts– If you don’t think something is safe to do, notify the police before

leaving. They don’t know everything and appreciate your help with moving large loads

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Driving OS/OW Loads

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When hauling os/ow loads, you must get permits, sometimes you need a civilian escort, other times a police escort. The rare occasion you will need both police and civilian escorts, make sure all your tires, airbags, dollies, and pusher axles are all functioning properly.

Safe Havens for OS/OW Loads

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• Back into spaces provided• Never park an os/ow load on the highway or interstate• Locate all parking places available before starting the move• No parking near access entrances where tractor/trailer rigs have to

enter/exit• Contact every location or have someone stay at the location until you

arrive to reserve your place upon arrival• Get with Local Law Enforcement before to make sure they understand

your route

Narrow Road Travel

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• Approach steep hills and blind turns only after your escort have instructed you that everything is stopped and safe to proceed.

Narrow Road Travel

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• Always be observant of all the traffic and people around you.

• Be cautious and never go through school zones unless that’s the only way.

Narrow Road Travel

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• Approach blind intersection by slowing down and ease into them while looking in both directions

• Observe the right side of the road for protruding objects • Slow down and be prepared for round abouts• Night time driving sometimes is a must depending on the

load you are hauling• No shoulders make it more difficult to maneuver os/ow

loads

Perception Distance

05/01/2023

• The distance your vehicle travels from the time you see a hazard until your brain recognizes it.

• For alert drivers = ¾ of a second• At 55 mph ¾ second = 60.5 feet

Reaction Distance

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• The distance your vehicle travels in the time it takes the brain to tell the foot to push the brake pedal.

• This reaction takes another ¾ of a second and another 60.5 feet.

Braking Distance

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• The distance it takes your vehicle to stop once the brakes have been applied.

• At 55 mph on dry pavement with good brakes it can take a vehicle about 5.03 seconds to stop

Total Stopping Distance

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• a 80 ft truck and are going 55 mph, how much time and distance will you need to come to a stop?

Perception time ¾ 60.5 feetReaction time 3/4 60.5feetBraking time 81(ft/sec)TOTAL – 5.03 seconds = 405 feet That’s almost 1.50

football fields

Space Management

05/01/2023

• When things go wrong, space gives you time to think and to take action

• You need at least one second between vehicles for every 10 feet of your vehicle’s length. At speeds over 40 mph, add another second.

<40mph >40mph80 ft truck- 5.03 sec +1 = 6.03 sec

Safety Culture: Great Driver Talent

Requires Great Driver Management

Dave Wittwer, CIC, CRMSr. Vice President Hays Companies

05/01/2023

Driver Retention from a Safety Perspective• Safety: articulating the risk of an unknown event • Safety involves all departments

– Executive Team – Dispatch– Drivers– Operations– Safety Dept. – Accounting & Finance

• The good news: this is NOT an insurance discussion• Resources

– SC&RA Training Video – 3 Safety Directors– 2 Company Owners– 1 DOT loss control expert

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Risk Pool Management • In your company, what does an accident

cost?o Auto liability o Auto physical damageo Workers compensationo Cargo

• 80/20 rule • Environment

– Risk, Strategy & People • Drivers

– Human element – Good habits– Bad habits– Emotions

• Vicarious & direct liabilities– Shippers – Pilot Cars– Sub-contractors

• Owner/operators• Brokerage & Logistics

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Return on Investment (ROI)• Technology: a 2 edged sword for drivers

– Electronic Control Module (ECM)– ELDs– EOBRs– Cameras

• Vicarious & direct liabilities– Shippers – Pilot Cars– Sub-contractors

• Owner/operators• Brokerage & Logistics • Technology: a 2 edged sword for drivers

– Electronic Control Module (ECM)– ELDs– EOBRs– Cameras

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Return on Investment (ROI)• Safety program investment

– One element of the total cost of risk (TCOR)– What is the cost of an accident?

• Injury • Downtime on equipment• Morale

– Good equipment; comfort equals productivity – Labor costs & efficient labor deployment – Training costs– Claim management costs – Hardware & software investments

• ELDs• Cameras• AOBRs

– Equipment – Meeting costs

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Return on Investment (ROI)• Metrics

– Accident rate per 100 miles– Workers compensation losses as a % of payroll – Loss ratios

• Auto liability, workers compensation, auto physical damage, etc.– Driver retention and turn-over – # of lost hours due to claims – E-mod

• Yesterday’s gains or losses determine today’s e-mod – Operating margin (profit)

• Direct correlation between loss ratios and profit margin – Free cash flow

• Reduce Total Cost of Risk (TCOR)

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Return on Investment (ROI)– CSA scores

• HOS (operations)• Unsafe driving (behavior) • Vehicle maintenance (operations)• D&A (behavior) • Driver Fitness (behavior and operations)

– Establish company specific benchmarks that are relevant – Monetary incentives can be great motivators if properly structured

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Insights from Owners & Safety Directors

• Culturally cognizant• Invest in the driver as a person; once a driver knows

you really care about him and his family, the driver is much easier to retain

• Smart companies leverage the driver’s knowledge. Ask driver’s opinions about to solve tough problems.

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Insights from Owners & Safety Directors• Senior management must interact with the drivers; have a

cup of coffee with them. Talk to them in the shop. Their loyalty is directly connected to the company’s success.

• Drivers talk to each other A LOT. You can influence whether the conversations are positive or negative.

• Good equipment, RESPECT, challenging work, competitive pay and good benefits.

05/01/2023

Summary• 80/20 rule applies: 20% of the driver pool creates 80% of the

safety issues • Quantify the cost of an accident (by type) in your company• Leverage qualitative metrics to establish Safety Program

measures• Create unique metrics specific to your company; which

benchmarks give you valuable insights to you and your drivers?• Drivers are people