CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

Challenge

The seasonal nature of HC Transport’s business posed a challenge each summer as the workforce doubled from 1,000 to more than 2,000 drivers. “With the sudden surge in the number of workers, it’s critical for us to keep up with Driver Qualification files, pre-employment checks, drug tests, and things like that,” says John Gillenwater, VP of Safety at HC Transport. 

Having seasonal drivers made safety management more complex. With their previous provider, the team reviewed driving events manually, making for a slow process. Managers had to download data from their fleet of vehicles, then wait days before they could review footage and talk with drivers. 

“With our old provider, it was 24 to 72 hours before we ever had the opportunity to speak to a driver and coach them,” Gillenwater noted. “That delay made timely feedback difficult and limited our ability to address high-risk behavior quickly.”

Cell phone usage was another concern that often ranked among the top three unsafe behaviors in HC Transport’s fleet. The team needed a better way to monitor behavior and encourage safer choices, especially when the pace of work accelerated during summer.

Solution

To tackle these operational and safety challenges, HC Transport adopted AI-powered tools from Motive to improve fleet management and coaching.

Motive Face Match, an AI-powered driver identification feature, made driver identification automated and simple, removing the need for managers to assign drivers to trips by hand. “Motive Face Match saves us about 100 hours a week, spread across over 100 locations, an hour per location,” said Gillenwater. 

For HC Transport, automation improved the accuracy of trip assignments, even during the high season. “Now managers don’t have to sort through events and assign drivers to vehicles and trips manually,” Gillenwater said. “Motive Face Match does that automatically.”

Automated in-cab alerts and coaching from the Motive AI Dashcam became central to the company’s safety strategy. Real-time alerts help drivers correct unsafe behaviors right when they start. “Motive’s automated in-cab coaching is tremendous for us,” Gillenwater said. “It alerts the driver to their unsafe behaviors in real time, so the driver can immediately correct their action.”

With instant feedback, HC Transport doesn’t have to wait 72 hours to coach drivers anymore. With Motive, coaching happens right when it’s needed. As a result, HC Transport is coaching drivers more effectively and keeping drivers longer. Everyone at HC Transport, from the CEO to the drivers, has embraced Motive’s coaching tools and the friendly competition incentives have inspired.

The team also began using Motive Analytics to turn data into clear insights. With one team member focused on analysis, the company has been able to find answers to complex issues in seconds. “With Motive Analytics, we have the answers at our fingertips,”Gillenwater said. “Those insights inform decisions that improve safety and our day-to-day operations.”

To keep safety top of mind for drivers, HC Transport introduced positive recognition programs tied to Motive Safety Scores, which evaluate driver performance over time for an accurate measure of risk. Divisions compete for a traveling WWE-style championship belt, while top individual drivers are recognized quarterly with gift cards and public shoutouts. 

“We have six regions, and each region has a traveling belt that the senior area manager gets to travel around and present ceremoniously,” Gillenwater said. “So it’s caused a lot of positive discussion about Motive, the use of Motive, and improving the Safety Score.” 

Leaderboards displayed across locations spark competition, build pride, and keep drivers engaged. “The drivers  make sure they’re logged in and assigned to the trips,” Gillenwater said. “That way they get points assigned to them and their division.”

Even the company’s CEO sees the safety updates in breakrooms recognizing high-performing teams. The positive displays reinforce the notion that safety is an important corporate value at HC Transport. Recognition of high-performing drivers has helped build a strong safety culture, along with a successful model that other managers can easily adapt to their own teams.

Results

With Motive technology in place, HC Transport has seen clear gains in safety, efficiency, and driver engagement.

The company uses Motive video footage to quickly and confidently review incidents and protect drivers from wrongful blame. In one serious accident initially believed to be the driver’s fault, video leading up to the event showed how the driver took every possible action to avoid the collision. “The footage fully exonerated our driver and absolved us of liability, helping us avoid what could have been a seven-figure loss,” Gillenwater said.

Automated in-cab coaching has reshaped how the team supports safer driving. What once took up to 72 hours now happens in real time, and drivers can fix high-risk behavior right away. 

“Motive’s automated coaching saves us a lot of time, and it’s reduced our coaching time down to immediate,” said Gillenwater. The change shows in the numbers. HC Transport reports that unsafe events are down by roughly 25%, and the company continues to set higher goals as performance improves. 

“Our unsafe events are down by roughly 25%,” Gillenwater said. “We continue to raise the bar, and our drivers have been able to meet every new goal we set.” 

Cell phone use, once a top concern, rarely makes an appearance today. Operational efficiency has improved as well. Motive Face Match automatically matches drivers to trips, so they always know who’s operating each vehicle. 

For HC Transport, Face Match automatically handles trip assignments across more than 100 locations, saving about 100 hours each week. That time has been redirected to other priorities, such as safety management and driver support. When incidents occur, the team uses Motive video footage to help protect drivers and the company from liability.

Driver engagement has improved too — and the culture reflects it. The championship belts and weekly leaderboards keep drivers involved, creating healthy competition among divisions. 

The team finds peace in knowing that Motive is the innovative partner they’ve been looking for. 

“Anytime I interact with other fleet managers, I speak of Motive’s benefits,” Gillenwater said. “It’s a great organization, a great product.”

*Face Match is not available in Illinois 

The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented on this webpage reflect the real-life experiences of individuals and/or companies who have used our products and/or services. Individual results may vary and past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The testimonials presented on this webpage were voluntarily provided and not paid.