Safety Services

Safety Services

The goal of Safety Services is to provide greater consultation services and improved accident analytics to help make positive changes in driver management to result in lower accident frequency and loss costs.

We recognize the importance of having drivers in trucks and the incredible challenge each of our members faces in the area of recruiting, and more importantly, bringing in qualified applicants. Other than urging our members to approve only those applicants that meet your minimum hiring criteria and conducting a complete due diligence work-up on each candidate, we feel recruiting does a pretty good job under very difficult circumstances. We believe our role at ATTIC, RRG is to provide a high level of consultation in the areas of driver orientation, over-the-road new driver training, and remedial action training. We feel these are the highest priority items in the reduction of truck accidents and the resulting loss costs.

Driver Orientation is the first meaningful in-person contact your new driver has with your organization. It is during driver orientation that the message of SAFETY be at the forefront. In addition, orientation is where each organization’s driver retention practices need to begin. You have a captive audience of future employees (or owner-operators) who have chosen to be part of your organization, have excitement for a new beginning and they should come away with clear corporate cultural expectations on safety, retention and personal reward. To properly achieve orientation success one of the most critical challenges in dealing with today’s new drivers is utilizing adult learning models and making sure that orientation time management is properly utilized and effective. Our safety professionals have been tasked with spending time with each of our members to attend, review and evaluate the entire new driver orientation process with an eye on incorporating adult learning techniques and improved efficiency and message throughout orientation. To date, we have attended, reviewed and reported on 3 members’ new driver orientation programs.

We are:

  1. updating orientation procedures to incorporate an adult learning training model,
  2. assisting in the creation of orientation programs that include visual (PowerPoint) presentations and hands-on where appropriate, and,
  3. where needed, we are providing hands-on train-the-trainer programs to focus on the new drivers’ learning experience. A bonus to this process is that we are also learning the best practices and techniques used by our members and sharing (where appropriate).

Over-the-Road Training of New Drivers should continue hand-in-hand with the core safety values of the organization and provide a professional atmosphere for the new driver to grow. This phase of the new driver’s training should be structured and also utilize an adult learning atmosphere fostered by a professionally trained and motivated road trainer. We believe it is no longer acceptable in the current climate to set a timeline goal and promote a driver into a road trainer position without providing a baseline training program to assure that your organizations safety culture and goals are understood and will be shared with the new driver. We further believe that the skills necessary to teach the driving skills and advanced skills needed in your organization must first be taught to the trainer so that you have consistency.

After you have provided a baseline training event for your road trainers, you need to look at the training event itself. We would ask each of our members to take a close look at the reason for training. Are you running the truck as a training truck (trainer in the passenger seat) or are you running the truck as a super single or team truck? If your goal is to operate as a “best in class” organization and to reduce your accidents and resulting loss cost, you must focus on the training event. We would also ask that you reevaluate your processes if your training program is built around mileage goals. Are you creating a “race to the end” rather than a relaxed atmosphere where learning can take place? Our safety professionals at ATTIC have been associated with both types of organizations and we strongly believe that a training atmosphere where the trainer is focused on teaching and mentoring the new driver is far more successful and your driver retention rate is much higher.

Remedial Action Training of All Drivers is a necessity if your organization is to reach “best in class” status. With the driver pool being what it is today, and the cost each organization spends to recruit and get the new driver into a contributing position within our organization, we believe it is critical to provide whatever additional assistance possible to retain and retrain the driver where possible. In working with the claims group here at ATTIC, RRG and looking at the data provided by our members, there is a large number of drivers who are involved in multiple claims. Many of these issues are repeated many times by the same driver. We also believe that frequency breeds severity. We believe that if we would focus on the basics of operating a commercial motor vehicle, we could reduce a large percentage of our claims. In order to reduce accidents and the associated loss costs within our organizations we must place emphasis on EVERY accident and provide additional training to that driver from a professionally trained trainer. This trainer must be able to provide consistent, appropriate hands-on assistance. If we work with our drivers who have issues early and provide appropriate remedial training, we will be able to reduce the churn and burn turnover and retain quality well trained drivers.