One of the biggest concerns fleet managers have is the safety of their drivers and operators and there is no better way to improve the safety of trucks and equipment than technology.
But signing a check for and wiring up a bunch of systems won’t solve your problems if that’s all you do, said presenters at the Association of Equipment Management Professionals annual equipment management conference held last week in Orlando, Florida this year.
Kevin Coppolino, vice president of corporate development at Cellcontrol, and Del Lisk, vice president of safety services for Lytx, both emphasized that the hardware is only part of the solution. The key to lowering accident rates and improving driver behavior is a combination of hardware, training, corporate buy-in, analysis and feedback.
Distracted driving is an epidemic on our highways, said Coppolino. And the numbers are staggering:
And, said Coppolino, “It’s spreading to your jobsites.”
While there are systems that can block cell phone signals in cars, cell phones are only part of the distracted driving problem. Incidents are also caused by reading, grooming, eating, reaching for objects, day dreaming or conversations with passengers, said Lisk. “Distracted driving is anything that impacts attention,” he says.
For that reason, Lisk said in-cab video cameras are the best solution. Although workers may not like being on camera the fact that they are has a positive effect on behaviors, said Lisk.
