Like many industries, trucking is still feeling the pandemic’s lingering impact along with economic pressures that have been taking a heavy toll for the past few years. Add to these challenges a significant labor shortage, and it’s easy to see why so many businesses are desperately seeking a competitive edge to attract and keep employees so they can grow their operations.
Feeling unsafe is a critical factor in the trucking labor shortage
Trucking HR’s Labour Market Snapshot, released in January of this year, highlights that the demand for drivers has increased since early 2022. At the end of that year, the gap between supply and demand had grown to more than 20,000 workers.
There are many reasons for the shortage. This Smart Trucking article outlines a few factors that are causing Canadian employees to steer clear of truck driving positions and most are safety related:
- Low pay and less-than-adequate working conditions
- Longer hours of service
- Very few good, full-service truck stops
- The prohibitive cost of driver training
- Lack of safe truck parking
Safety concerns also topped the reasons for the shortage in Trucking HR’s November 2022 Snapshot. “The underlying causes of the shortage are multiple. Our research suggests that safety concerns, high upfront training costs, work-life balance, and environmental concerns are chief among them.”
Video telematics protect drivers and the public
With a solid health and safety program and the appropriate policies and processes in place, you will keep employees, the public, vehicles, assets, and your brand reputation safe.
Your fleet safety program should include:
- A rock-solid fleet safety policy
- Leading-edge technology
- Robust training programs
- Rewards and incentives to promote safe driving
- Regular evaluation and improvement
However, to truly stand out as a professional employer committed to keeping people healthy and safe, you should invest in video telematics solutions. On top of providing a direct line of sight to your fleet operations, video telematics protect your drivers in significant ways.
Protection from fraudulent claims and unwarranted fines – Your drivers are vulnerable to many scams on the road. They can be accused of being somewhere they weren’t, causing damage to vehicles they never encountered, or being the cause of an accident when they weren’t at fault. FC Vision by Fleet Complete is trusted by many companies representing different industries in North America to provide a 360-degree view of their fleet operations and evidence to refute false claims and protect employees’ reputations and driving records.
Detection and correction of unsafe driving habits – Video telematics alert you and your drivers to unsafe habits, such as speeding, distracted driving, and harsh braking, that put your people, business, vehicles, and assets at risk and can significantly increase operating costs.
The FC Vision dash cam combines driver assistance and driver monitoring technology with AI processing algorithms to identify high-risk driving behaviors and external factors that might put the driver at risk. The in-cab audio alert feature enables real-time coaching while driving, so drivers can self-manage poor driving habits.
Stop accidents before they happen with forward collision warning – This feature warns drivers of danger on the road ahead so they can avoid unnecessary accidents. It tells them that they are very close to the vehicle ahead and if they continue at their current speed, they are at risk of rear-ending it.
Protecting drivers from all types of danger on the road – Video telematics also enable you to monitor and protect drivers hauling high-risk equipment or materials and see if a driver is spending a long time in a particular location when they shouldn’t be.
Make sure your video telematics solution offers all the features you need to optimize safety
Look for a dual-facing camera that provides a crisp, clear image, live video streaming, and desktop, email, and text alerts for managers. For optimum benefit, combine your video telematics solution with a safety leader board to:
- Provide drivers with the tools to monitor and correct unsafe driving habits on their mobile devices
- Recognize top drivers and motivate others
- Pinpoint the safest and least safe drivers within a specific timeframe
- Identify the most common unsafe behaviors that are putting people and your operation at risk
- Monitor the number of dangerous driving events that occur per 100 miles for each driver
Ride along with your drivers when you need to problem solve or provide assistance.
FC Vision by Fleet Complete offers live streaming so administrators can be there with drivers in critical moments.
- Ability to check in with drivers in real time and provide real-time coaching
- Administrators can see what drivers see, including road conditions, traffic delays and weather conditions
- Drivers can easily connect with administrators and initiate recording when assistance is needed
Talk about your commitment to driver safety and use of video telematics early and often
Don’t wait until you’ve hired a driver to tell them you are committed to keeping them healthy and safe. Promote your fleet safety program in recruitment ads, interviews, and ongoing employee communications.
On top of reinforcing that safety is a priority for your business, talking openly and transparently about your safety program and use of video telematics will break down any misperceptions about these tools and will help build trust.
Make sure your entire team, particularly drivers, knows what information you collect and why you collect it. Be open to their questions and, as much as possible, include them in planning and decision-making so that they understand how valuable it is to their safety.
Reward drivers for contributing to your safety program
There is no question collecting data drives business success and efficiency. However, data can also be a powerful employee engagement and recognition tool. Using points systems, rewards, and competitions into your program will increase employees’ investment in the success of your program.
Video telematics provide many short and long-term benefits to your business.
- Immediately improve driver safety and reduce the number of accidents
- Lower insurance premiums
- Easy integration with fleet management software
- Pinpoint events when they happen
- Improve driver skills
- Save on costs from faulty claims
- Decrease fuel consumption
- Reduce wear and tear on vehicles and assets and associated costs
Learn how you can maximize ROI with Dash Cams
Use Your Fleet Safety Program to Become an Employer of Choice
A fleet safety program is critical for protecting people and brand reputation; however, it can also distinguish your organization as an employer of choice in today’s market.
Workplace Safety & Prevention Services’ 2023 Health & Safety Leadership Survey revealed that not feeling safe at work was among the top five reasons employees cited for leaving jobs.
The survey also found that nearly three-quarters of employees say they need to know about an organization’s health and safety program before accepting an employment offer.
When drivers realize that your organization is committed to their well-being and you’re investing in technology like video telematics to ensure they get home safe every day, there is a good chance they will choose to work for you over businesses that don’t prioritize their health and safety.
To learn more about how video telematics can make your drivers and fleet assets safer, contact our experts.
