One of the biggest hurdles carriers face is ironically the same one that keeps them in business: the driver. There’s driver recruiting to worry about, driver qualification, and screening. Then, once drivers are onboarded, attention shifts to retaining them. One of the biggest things to understand about your team is what motivates them. No fleet is immune to these struggles, but everyone approaches them differently.
Challenges starting out
During my time at an enterprise fleet, we struggled in many ways. What’s worse, everything was on paper. Eventually, technology came along as the savior. We implemented a custom-integrated platform to handle day-to-day driver recruiting and compliance tasks. This allowed us to build out custom training modules to fit our needs from within Tenstreet. Their Driver Insights program was brand new, but it gave us valuable insight into what drivers liked or wanted improved.
Up next was visibility, both in and out of the cab. Every time we acquired a new carrier, we acquired a new telematics system. Before you knew it, we ran countless systems without improving our claims frequency or exposure.
Building a strong driver safety culture with Motive
To control driver behavior and claims, we ended our contract with Samsara and other vendors and implemented Motive. Then, we went to work cultivating a culture of safety and excellence using the Motive Safety Score to create a comprehensive driver coaching, improvement, and recognition program. A safe driver recognition program leverages advanced analytics, including the Motive Safety Score, to assess, coach, and reward drivers for their performance on the road.
In a year, we reduced the frequency and exposure of our claims by 40% while increasing man hours by 1 million hours and lowering our OSHA incident rate by a full point — something we could never realize in 70 years of operation and countless other vendors.
On a personal note, “Wreck it Ralph” was one of our biggest success stories. An old-school driver from Atlanta, he nearly quit because we implemented the dual-facing AI dash cams. But he stayed. And though his initial score under the Motive DRIVE Score was 33, we coached him, and he reached 50. We continued to coach him, and he continued to improve. A year later, “Wreck it Ralph” was one of the best-scoring drivers in the company, with a Safety Score of 94. Now, he won’t drive without a camera.
Motive is so much more than a dash camera or an ELD. The ecosystem of Motive products drives serious improvement. It does so while maintaining fewer vendors, to manage more tasks, in one integrated platform. They even integrated with Tenstreet.
The Motive DRIVE Score, now known as the Motive Safety Score, has been upgraded to better evaluate and improve driver safety. The new Safety Score is more comprehensive, and the update was aimed to more accurately reflect driver performance and risk, helping fleet managers focus on key areas for improvement and coaching.
The Motive Safety Score allowed us to pinpoint exactly which drivers to coach and which behaviors to coach on. The evidence-based metric reflects the frequency of unsafe behavior captured by the Motive dash cams and Vehicle Gateways, with fewer events resulting in a higher score. This made it easy to explain score changes to drivers. The default score assigns weight to behaviors based on their likelihood to cause a collision. However, you can customize behavior thresholds, weights, and performance ranges to focus on the most relevant behaviors. We had more frequent coaching conversations with drivers with lower scores.
The value of sound program design
When asked which dash cam or ELD vendor is best, I never give an immediate answer. That’s right, Motive is never “always the answer.” While I prefer Motive for larger, more complex operations, smaller fleets and those with diverse or specific needs may not need Motive’s vast suite of solutions. Or maybe they do need them and they just don’t realize it.
Regardless, with a safe driver recognition program, there’s never a cookie-cutter approach. Assess your needs, and conduct a trial to make a decision. Trial is the keyword. My only advice is to never take things at face value, especially without understanding the added costs that go with each vendor for management and admin costs.
Our driver improvement and recognition program was structured to incentivize safe driving practices and support continuous professional development for drivers. It was focused on a “Coach not Cop” approach, and here’s how it worked:
Recognition and reward (the carrot)
To encourage and celebrate safe driving, the program featured various recognition levels:
- Monthly and quarterly awards: Drivers who achieve the highest Safety Scores or significantly improve are recognized regularly. These awards can include financial bonuses, certificates, or public acknowledgment within the company. The goal is to provide ongoing motivation and set a benchmark for others.
- Annual awards: At the end of each year, the program culminates in awards for the top performers and most improved drivers across the fleet. These awards recognize consistent excellence and dedication to safety, offering significant rewards and highlighting the achievements of the drivers.
- Special recognition for safety practices: The program also includes awards for specific safety behaviors, such as avoiding accidents or demonstrating exceptional defensive driving. These quarterly and annual awards emphasize the importance of proactive safety measures.
- Longevity awards: Drivers receive bonuses based on their years of service to honor long-term commitment. This not only rewards loyalty but also promotes sustained performance.
Comprehensive driver assessment
This is why we needed Motive. We had several top-five vendors, all of whom struggled with accuracy in driver behavior and event detection. I was not willing to compromise the program and culture we were building with bad data. Drivers are already skeptical of these systems, so implementing an inaccurate system that attributes erroneous behavior to a driver is wrong.
With the Motive Safety Score, you can tailor the scoring system to align with your business priorities. Here’s how:
- Identify which unsafe behaviors you want to track. For example, if you install both road-facing and driver-facing dash cams, you can monitor distractions like cell phone usage.
- Assign weights to each behavior based on its importance to your business. To exclude a behavior from affecting the score, simply set its weight to zero.
- Modify performance range definitions to better suit your fleet’s needs and goals.
By customizing these elements, you focus on the behaviors that matter most to your operation.
Tailored coaching, training, and support
While accountability is King, “Coach, not Cop” is key. An iron fist isn’t always necessary. Recognize that improvement is a never-ending process, and that a program like this emphasizes progress, not perfection.
A driver improvement and incentive program offers targets — training modules tailored to specific areas of need. For instance, if drivers frequently trigger events related to speed management, they are trained on the dangers of speeding and maintaining appropriate speeds. This proactive approach addresses current issues and helps prevent future incidents while improving culture and trust in the company.
Building a culture of continuous driver improvement
Beyond individual recognition, a driver improvement and incentive program aims to strengthen safety culture and encourage continuous improvement within the fleet. Regular communication of results and updates ensures that all team members are engaged and aware of the program’s impact. This transparency helps build trust and encourages a collective commitment to safety.
Additionally, the self-coaching feature on the Motive Driver App demonstrates the company’s confidence in drivers, allowing them to view videos of their driving behaviors and take appropriate action to eliminate unsafe behaviors, thereby enhancing the overall safety culture.
Implementation and benefits
The Motive platform is designed to be seamless and impactful. Starting with a trial period allowed fleet managers to assess the platform and make necessary adjustments. The program’s flexible structure can be adjusted for different fleet sizes and operational contexts.
Benefits of the program:
- Enhanced safety: The program promotes safer roads for everyone by recognizing and rewarding safe driving.
- Increased driver engagement: Drivers are more likely to engage in positive behaviors when they know their efforts are recognized and rewarded.
- Reduced operational costs: Focusing on safety can lead to fewer accidents and incidents, reducing repair costs and insurance premiums.
- Improved driver retention: Recognition programs can improve job satisfaction and loyalty, reducing turnover.
A driver improvement and recognition program offers a comprehensive solution for enhancing fleet safety and fleet management in an industry where safety is paramount. By leveraging the Motive Safety Score and providing ongoing support and recognition, the program helps create a safer, more productive work environment for drivers and fleets.
A solution that adapts to your needs
When you’re responsible for the safety of hundreds or thousands of drivers, having a solution that adapts to your needs and allows you to focus on the greatest risks is critical for success. Take a tour to see how Motive can help transform your safety program today.
