Roush cuts accident rate in half and improves driver safety with Motive.

Through technology, the company’s transportation division is becoming safer and more compliant.

Overview

Best known for its Mustang cars, Roush Industries is synonymous with excellence. As a trusted provider of global engineering solutions, Roush uses its trucking division to transport products around the country.

Over-the-road drivers are an important part of Roush’s transportation business. When the connectivity on Roush’s electronic logging devices (ELDs) faltered, drivers couldn’t be matched to the right trip. Unable to track hours of service (HOS) due to malfunctioning ELDs, the company was charged with several HOS violations. After 18 months of disruption, it was time for a change.

After deploying Motive ELDs, Roush got HOS violations under control quickly. Looking to defend against false claims and improve driver safety, Roush also invested in Motive’s road-facing AI Dashcams. Roush also began using Motive’s Tracking & Telematics product to get real-time location visibility into their fleet.

50%

reduction in accidents

100%

driver exoneration rate

40%

improvement in CSA scores

Challenge

With Roush’s former ELD solution, drivers couldn’t connect to their ELDs unless they were on a main road. As a result, they couldn’t get matched to a trip or trailer, which meant they wasted time sitting idle. And because Roush had to pay drivers who’d been put into the system for the day, the company was losing money. 

“The unreliability of our former ELDs really got to me,” says ReShonda Spears, DOT Compliance Manager for Roush. “I couldn’t stand behind the product.” 

As Spears began exploring new vendors, her peers recommended Motive. “The sales rep’s persistence factored into my decision to go with Motive,” she says. “His determination showed me that Motive’s customer service was probably going to be just as consistent. So I thought, ‘OK, let’s do this.’”

Solution

The quality customer service Spears observed as a Motive prospect proved to be even more notable once she became a customer. 

“If an issue comes up, we call Motive, and before the end of the day, the issue is resolved,” Spears says. “I appreciate that, because it makes my job easier. As a manager, it comforts me knowing that if I can’t fix something, Motive can.”

Spears enjoys Motive products so much, she extended Roush’s contract for three more years. With their CSA scores improving by more than 40%, Roush wondered what Motive road-facing dash cams could do for driver safety. Over the last year, Roush has implemented dash cams in a quarter of its fleet, using them to support long-haul drivers.

AI Dashcam video has validated Roush drivers’ professionalism, exonerating them in accidents three times in the last year. According to Spears, that’s a 100% exoneration rate.

“Now that we have dash cams, we can protect ourselves from liability so much more,” says Spears. “One driver going into a gas station tried to say that we hit him, but he pulled in front of our truck. When we shared the dash cam video with police, it was an open-and-shut case.”

Having dash cams has enabled Roush to hold drivers accountable and fuel their growth. Spears uses dash cam clips to coach drivers on unsafe behaviors, such as close following and traveling too fast for conditions. She relies on real-time email alerts to stay on top of unsafe behaviors that require attention. 

As time goes on, more drivers are buying into dash cams, recommending them to other drivers. To track their progress, they often check their Safety Scores in the Motive Driver App and proactively contact Spears about their performance. 

Because Motive Fleet Tracking shows current weather conditions, Roush is able to use Motive Fleet Tracking to track drivers’ location and communicate with them about storms that jeopardize their safety. 

“I reach out to my managers and say, ‘You might want to see where your drivers are and talk to them about stopping earlier so they don’t get caught somewhere,” Spears says. “I can say, ‘I see that Bob is at this location. Do you think it’s time to call him and remind him to start looking for a place to settle?’ Motive Fleet Tracking has been an amazing tool. One that ensures our drivers are safe.”

Results

Since implementing AI Dashcams, Roush has cut its accident rate by 50%. Keep in mind, that’s with a partial rollout of AI Dashcams. Where Roush once had “a crazy amount” of HOS violations, they’ve now gone months without one. In fact, since switching to Motive, Roush has cut HOS violations by 75%. Having a consistent ELD connection in remote areas means Roush drivers can stay compliant from anywhere.

“As a whole, I absolutely love the Motive product,” Spears says. “Our experience has been touch-free, so to speak. Drivers go on-duty, they do their pre-trip, then they go off-duty. They never have to touch the technology again. So yeah, I love it. I love it.”

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