As much as companies hate to admit it, some employees and contractors are giving their brand a bad name on the road. In this article, industry experts, trainers, and managers weigh in about the price and payoff of investing in more driver training and monitoring technology in a climate of deadlines, regulations, skyrocketing costs, and an ever-shrinking talent pool.
It’s an early sunn y morning in June. Traffic is frantic along one of the busiest roads in Calgary’s Foothills Industrial area. Service trucks, tankers, half tons, trailers, and private vehicles swarm the intersections, all rushing to their appointed destinations.
As a red light turns green, a young woman edges her compact vehicle ahead to turn left. A large service truck with a distinct company logo edges uncomfortably close to her bumper. As she hesitates, the driver loses his cool. He hangs out his window, gesturing his disgust, screaming profanities at her lack of movement.
In this single moment, dozens of drivers—executives, employees, managers, investors and the general public, witness the incident. Some shake their heads in disbelief, others shrug it off. While the driver is perhaps caught up in the moment of dedication to deadline, his frustration supersedes his professional training and basic courtesy.
His biggest mistake is not just that he put himself and another human being in danger, he also compromised his employer’s brand. Even with the best of instruction and certification, bad habits, miscalculations and accidents still occur. While most employees and contractors are well behaved, there is always a need for more training, monitoring and image management.
Since managers can’t be available to keep an eye on their staff every hour, trust is put on the individual to act accordingly.
While the last boom saw some companies grabbing any driver with a pulse and a Class 5 license, the lull of the last two years has provided some breathing room to regroup and restructure training programs and hiring practices.
The West is bracing for an intense season of activity and the hunt is on for warm bodies again. The pickings are still slim, but the training and certifications programs are bulking up. That includes initiating innovative and somewhat unconventional methods to keep employees alive and alert while keeping reputations clean and costs manageable.
Don Szarko, director of advocacy and community services at Alberta Motor Association (AMA) in Edmonton, states that individualized and classroom fleet training are now in high demand. Companies are looking for ways to beef up safety programs and tips on how to deal with new and existing employees operating bigger and more sophisticated equipment.
“I think we have more professional drivers out there than most people think, thanks in part to companies take driving safety seriously,” he says. “Not only do they have an investment in equipment, they’re having to protect employees and the public while serving their clients. They try to bring that all together.”
Public perception of “big” industry vehicles isn’t always positive. Heavy reliance on huge trucks, cranes and double trailers take the brunt of criticism, but in fact, Szarko says, statistics tell a different story.
“We just did a study on large truck safety and there is the perception that there are these big bad trucks causing a lot of crashes,” he says. “We can absolutely tell you that it’s not the case. Large truck involvement causing injury and death is going downward—only three per cent of total crashes are fatalities.” He adds that AMA has determined collision rates for larger heavier vehicles are far less than utility machinery such as dump trucks. With more interprovincial traffic, governments are finally investing in improving road conditions, and implementing tighter and more harmonized regulations.
“Companies have a fair number of requirements to meet across the provinces,” Szarko says. “There is a huge amount of accountability.”
He adds that organizations like AMA trains drivers by focusing the point of view of the road first, then the driver, which he says, is the weakest link.
“Roads are becoming better developed even in remote site areas and vehicles are far more sophisticated—they outperform the driver,” he says. “Today, technology installed in vehicles help regulate and improve driver safety, govern speed limits and give feedback from truck to driver to management instantly.”
Szarko knows of the reality of deadlines in oil and gas, mining and logging industries. High expectations often exceed human space and time, but they exist nonetheless. Performance pressure and fear of failure can instigate a chain of events that can backfire.
“I think we’d be naive to think there aren’t companies pushing their employees or that the employee isn’t pushing envelope. How much of that is happening today difficult to ascertain. The goal is to help to reduce the hazards with professional training and common sense.”
Training for competency the newest priority
Ron Wilson, manager of fleet safety services for AMA in Calgary, agrees. He’s one of several professionals who helps employees prepare industry drivers for all environments. In the case of questionable actions behind the wheel, he believes that depends on pre-existing habits.
“A lot of times I see people doing stuff that isn’t necessarily aggressiveness,” Wilson says. “They’ve got a habit they need to fix.
For example, they might follow too close, not because they are trying to intimidate, because they’ve got the habit and unaware.” With the purpose of examining and correcting conduct, as well as offering tips and tricks for more effective driving,
Wilson offers in-class theory. The real impact comes after individual training with each driver in their vehicles on site or on track. This personal touch is appreciated by the drivers, who sincerely want to do well, but need recognition of patterns that could land them in trouble.
The little things, like daily checks on tires, cleaning windows and lights, securing loose items in and an on the vehicle, are often overlooked. Wilson adds that even the quality of tire treads should always be taken in account.
“Any time of year, you need proper tread for cornering and stopping,” he says. “It can affect the handling of the vehicle. Pretty soon we’re going to get into wet weather, then frozen conditions. Poor treads won’t bead the water out if you don’t have proper tires on every type of road equipment.”
Another common contributor to injuries is loose objects in the vehicle. Even at an impact of 50 kilometres an hour, it could be a dangerous projectile. An item can also fall under the pedals and contribute to inattention. Many companies are making sure that everyday equipment, even instruction manuals and tool boxes, are firmly secured in storage areas in the cab or the bed.
Turnover is happening again, either through retirement, promotions or moving staff laterally to accommodate activity. When the recession hit, available talent moved to the left or right of Alberta, leaving companies to scramble.
Wilson says hiring international drivers has become the new norm, but this solution is far from perfect. New arrivals from warmer climates usually have experience on paved roads in high density centres. Different driving and cultural habits add to the mix of confusion in adherence.
Wilson says when immigrant drivers get on a site and start hauling, they don’t necessarily perform well in remote areas, rutted or graveled conditions, and slick highways.
“I can remember 12 years ago, working with a company, I took one of their new immigrant drivers out,” he recalls. “I came back and told them that driver was going to need a lot of training. They were surprised because the guy had a license for years in his country. Nowadays, people aren’t surprised anymore, and companies are signing up drivers even before they get behind the wheel.”
Positive reinforcement pays off in spades
According to Kevin MacDougall, Husky’s corporate health, safety and emergency response manager, motor vehicle operation was identified as an area of higher risk. With the company’s initiatives to accident prevention and enhanced driver training, the return has been noticeable.
“We’ve seen a downward trend in motor vehicle accidents since the training and other controls have been implemented,” he says. “Our workforce like the training as it is something they can take home with them. The vehicle monitoring devices have had an impact on driver behaviours, and the workforce actually appreciate being slowed down.”
Those who receive the training advise that it instils new confidence as they learn how to avoid hazards when they drive.
“We’ve had a couple of instances where workers have taken to the ditch to avoid collisions and come away unharmed because they were trained and confident in handling the vehicle in that type of situation,” he adds.
Monitoring the progress of the training is part of the plan as well—correcting as the drivers work, requiring personal responsibility. This begins with explaining the whys of the company’s policies which leads to greater awareness and support.
“If workers know they are being monitored and that supervisors will hold them accountable, this leads to positive behaviour change,” MacDougall says. “The corporate expectations must be clear so that all workers know and understand.”
Many Canadian companies have brands that span the planet and are recognized sometimes just by the icon. Every chance for positive public relations counts. Tom Petras, director of health and safety in Edmonton for Finning, says that from a branding perspective, safety is just as important to image as much as other aspects of business performance.
“If an employee is operating a vehicle with the Finning logo on it, they are ambassadors of the company. If they’re viewed as reckless, it reflects on the company, not the driver.” He points out the public will always seize the opportunity to call the number on the bumper. He says it keeps them on their toes.
“When we get a call, we act on it,” he says. “We get some good ones from time to time. An older lady had a flat tire on the QE2. One of our guys who worked a full day was driving home. He gave her a hand. She called into our driver line saying it was so nice to see that someone from our company cares to fix something that isn’t part of daily business.”
“Of course, it’s not always good news,” he says. “When word gets back to the branch, the supervisor follows up one on one. Once a driving report complaint is acted on, it kind of circulates between peers. This works on compliance because it’s coming from co-workers instead of from the top.”
Many of the major players have established discipline and reward programs; some as harsh as ‘two-strikes and you’re out’. Private traffic cops, hired by corporations, now patrol roads daily and take down license plates. The approach may seem covert, but since jobs can be denied because of excessive speeding, accidents and misdemeanors, companies aren’t taking any chances. Workers’ compensation fees are also a huge factor, chewing off the bottom line if incidents keep occurring.
Alternatively, rewards for sticking to safety and driving policies have proven to be great motivators, even if they are for self-serving reasons. It works in attracting discerning employees who want the full meal deal. Companies quickly become the employer of choice when extensive safety certification, raises and promotions for professional conduct are offered.
Petras says Finning has a progressive discipline policy, focused primarily on correcting behaviours rather than giving up on the individual. Although he says the program is effective, success is relative.
“Depends on what you call successful,” he says. “Anecdotally, it works because it gives you an opportunity to sit down and correct the abefore you get too frustrated.”
Dubbing the process as a communication tool, Petras points out that actions cannot be changed overnight. The brain itself takes 30 days to change a habit, so he says management needs to maintain constant encouragement and even discussions among co-workers to drive compliance home.
Take it back to the classroom
Roy McKnight, manager of industry initiatives at Enform, says companies are aware about what attitudes come with each new or veteran employee. They are also straight up about what they want from the training they need to stay competitive.
“They all want employees that have competency, knowledge, and skills,” he says. “When you look at competent workers, it starts by delivering the training, usually through some formality. Through the training comes knowledge—the how part. Then we test their skill—‘now you show us’.”
The next step, McKnight says, is asking them questions while the trainees are doing their job.
“The supervisory folks in the field will ask ‘Why do you do it like that?’ Hopefully the guy can give you the textbook answer, how it works, it was designed that way, or how he was taught. That’s attitude. If he responds ‘I have no idea,’ now we have a different attitude that we want to change.”
The belief that changing attitudes and behaviours is easier for the young is a myth, according to McKnight.
“I know 60 to 70 year old guys, if you show them a new tool or way to do something, they’ll do it on a dime,” he says. “And I know some 20 year olds–you just can’t change them at all. Sometimes the solutions aren’t just technical. It might require a different methodology.”
McKnight says companies are calling ahead of the anticipated curve, planning training months in advance to fit production schedules.
“They want to get their crews prepared before they get to the site,” he says. “While we offer a standard schedule of courses, the reality is if companies contact us and they need 10 customized courses, we will deliver that.”
The hunt is on for more safety officers too. McKnight says management wants to focus on business development. So qualified OH&S professionals are being hired in droves to keep an eye out for slip ups as well as work with supervisors to nip potential problems. Training programs in this field expertise are proving more popular and are anticipated to get busier.
Technology and training may help insurance costs
So will all this extra training and change management save on insurance rates? Not likely, says Tony Carlton, owner and trucking specialist with Carlton Insurance Brokers Inc., (formerly Houston Insurance Brokers) in Jasper. He says rates cannot be translated into driving styles and attitudes, good or bad. Coverage is based on distance, point A to point B, and types of equipment.
Working with industry clients for nearly 14 years, he says the cost of retaining workers in a competitive market is expansive. Some of the added expenses come from prospects knowing they are desperately needed and leverage that to their advantage. The problem is, that driver may not be following the rules of engagementand put the company’s record in jeopardy.
“Companies have learned you can’t just throw a body in there,” he says. “You can’t have a boom without bodies. A lot of guys are demanding higher wages, and for expenses and benefits be paid for up front even before they get the keys. This adds more to company overhead.”
Carlton says the installation of monitoring equipment like GPS, black boxes, and hiring on-road surveillance seems to be working in the area of compliance, but don’t expect to get a better premium because of it. At least, not yet.
“Using technology to monitor human activity or reconstruct an accident scene is helpful for claims,” he says. “Insurance companies haven’t caught up with the advantages of tracking systems. Maybe within five years, we’ll get a front running company that starts and eventually, we could see some real rewards.”
