Alba Freight Lines Inc. improves safety and compliance.

Improving safety scores requires more reliable tech

When Safety Manager Judi Catania joined Alba Freight Lines, she knew that its current fleet technology couldn’t help further the company’s core mission, which was to provide reliable and quality transportation throughout the country.

Catania, a seasoned safety professional, makes a living transforming trucking companies’ safety scores. She had previously had a positive experience with Motive. That’s why after joining the Illinois-based company, she wanted to move the company to Motive. “I need to make it as simple as possible for my drivers and I think Motive by far is the easiest.”

Judi said she preferred Motive because of its reliability (she’s never had to have her drivers use paper logs) and its ease of use.

“If you can’t audit it, it might as well be a bad safety score,” says Judi.

As a result of an audit, Alba received a conditional rating, which, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), means the carrier doesn’t have adequate safety management controls in place to ensure compliance.

Judi also received guidance from the FMCSA about how Alba could improve its rating. The FMCSA advised her to switch ELD providers. She asked the officer for more time so she could switch Alba’s fleet to Motive.

An AI-powered safety platform from Motive

After implementing Motive, Alba’s safety scores are great. In addition to improved safety scores, and thanks to Judi’s work advocating for new technology, Alba Freight drivers can now appreciate a steady connection with Motive. With Alba’s previous ELD provider, Judi recalls experiencing cellular connectivity issues, especially in rural areas.

“It was a huge problem for us,” says Judi. “You didn’t know when it was going to go back on and then there was this random part of Iowa where it was just done. So, I’d have the driver use the paper log at that point.”

Requiring cell reception was no longer an issue when Alba Freight switched to Motive because the technology runs on Bluetooth. Judi hasn’t experienced any issue like that and no longer has to resort to paper logs.

Consistent, responsive customer service

Judi loves Motive’s 24/7 customer service because drivers can call if they are experiencing problems, rather than calling Judi. “I’m not relaying the message third-party all the time. If there’s a problem and I don’t know how to fix it, the driver can call Motive. I don’t have to call. And that’s what I love about it.”

Judi also appreciated the onboarding Motive project manager assigned to Alba Freight, Virginia N. That direct relationship made the transition even smoother.

“Onboarding with Motive was phenomenal. Any questions I had were addressed and communication was great.”

Motive’s buyout and smart dashcams

Judi also found it easy to work with Motive through the Buyout Program. This helped Alba make it work financially.

Now that Alba’s safety scores are good, they can look at more solutions. They’re already using Motive AI Dashcams to review driver activity like hard braking. “I like that I can set up various alerts,” says Judi.

Responsible for helping the business and drivers thrive, Judi has found that partnering with Motive has made the business and herself accomplish that goal.