Proactive vs. Reactive Safety and Loss Control Programs

This week's Safety Bulletin encourages you to have a proactive safety and loss control program and to be proactive! Read the entire bulletin here and sign up for future safety bulletins delivered to your inbox!

Which One Do You Have?

At the end of the year, you should evaluate your safety and loss control program to determine your performance over the year. Ongoing analysis programs are vital to a proactive and productive safety and loss control program. Organizations should implement quarterly accident frequency programs to determine trends and control losses proactively. Accident frequency rates can be calculated by multiplying the total number of accidents by one million and dividing by the total number of miles for the same period. Accident frequency rate can be determined for DOT recordable, preventable recordable, and non-preventable by region, fleet, driver supervisor, etc. However, accident frequency rates are just one piece of the overall safety analysis program that is in place to provide you with a sense of direction of where your program is going. Other areas of your internal analysis program should include driver turnover frequency, DOT violation analysis (Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol, driver file), OSHA violations, onboard safety technologies, workers' compensation injuries, etc. Another monthly analysis tool you should review is your CSA SMS data provided by the FMCSA: https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ or http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov.

A sound proactive safety and Loss control program will adequately address the following areas:

• Driver Selection
• Driver Recruiting
• Carrier-based training
• Management-driver communications
• Driver safety-performance evaluation
• Safety incentives, Behavior-based safety
• Onboard safety monitoring, cameras
• Telematics data
• Accident investigation
• Improved driver scheduling and dispatching
• Fatigue management
• Carrier-based medical programs
• Advanced safety technologies, Industry-based safety standards, and certification
• Preventive maintenance and vehicle inspection
• Drug and Alcohol testing results

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 10-16, 2023

Truck drivers keep our world running; they work endlessly to deliver the goods and resources people need. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an essential time for America to respect and thank all professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment to undertaking one of our economy's most demanding and vital jobs. These 3.5 million professional men and women deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time; they also keep our highways safe.

Americans and Canadians have taken extraordinary steps to show appreciation for the vital work that professional truck drivers have done. From children passing out lunches to "I Heart Truck" signs across the highways, the public has noticed truck drivers' essential role in their lives.

This week in September is a small way to show appreciation to the 3.5 million professional men and women who deliver our goods and keep our highways safe. Start planning to do something special for your drivers this week in September that we set aside to recognize them.

Driver Recognition Awards

Driver Appreciation Week is an excellent time to review the award and recognition programs you have in place—meriting awards to drivers who perform safely and competently builds morale. A recognition award should make the driver or employee feel appreciated within the organization.

Recognition awards should be personalized and received due to an employee's performance. Awarding individuals among their peers will motivate others to have stellar safety and performance.

As a motor carrier, you can enroll your drivers in several state and nationwide association award programs. Contact your state trucking association for a listing of the available awards programs. Various awards programs are available for your drivers through organizations such as the American Trucking Association (www.truckline.com) and the National Private Truck Council (NPTC). The NPTC has the Driver Hall of Fame and National Driver All-Stars driver's awards programs available to NPTC members. Go to: www.nptc.org to enroll your driver.

Driver Incentive Awards:

Incentive monetary awards motivate a driver to perform. These incentive programs successfully encourage the driver to achieve a specific goal, such as a particular fuel mileage or a clean roadside inspection.

CARB and Truck and Engine Manufacturers Announce Agreement to Meet Clean Energy Goals

The California Air Resources Board has agreed with the nation's leading truck and engine manufacturers and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association to meet the state's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) goals for the commercial trucking industry.

The announcement says the Clean Truck Partnership, which includes Cummins, Inc., Daimler Truck North America, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Hino Motors Limited, Inc., Isuzu Technical Center of America, Inc., Navistar, Inc., PACCAR Inc., Stellantis N.V., Truck, and Engine Manufacturers Association, and Volvo Group North America, has agreed to meet California's vehicle standards that will require the sale and adoption of zero-emissions technology in the state, regardless of whether any other entity challenges California's authority to set more stringent emissions standards under the federal Clean Air Act. In turn, CARB has agreed to work collaboratively with manufacturers to provide reasonable lead time to meet CARB's requirements before imposing new regulations and to support the development of necessary ZEV infrastructure.

The terms of the agreement include:

CARB will align with EPA's 2027 regulations for nitrogen oxide emissions. CARB will also modify elements of the 2024 NOx emission regulations for which manufacturers will provide offsets necessary to maintain California's emission targets.

CARB commits to providing at least four years of lead time and at least three years of regulatory stability before imposing new requirements.

Truck manufacturers commit to meeting CARB's zero-emission and criteria pollutant regulations in the state regardless of any attempts by other entities to challenge California's authority.

CARB is preparing to implement rules for a phased-in transition toward 100% sale and use of zero-emissions technology for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles under CARB's Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Fleets rule by 2045. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved California's waiver under the federal Clean Air Act that, allows the state to become the first in the world to require zero-emissions technology for trucks, reversing a policy decision from the Trump Administration. But that waiver has been challenged in federal court by the Attorneys General of 17 other states.

Registration is now open online for the 2023 Idealease/NPTC Safety Seminars!

Idealease and the National Private Truck Council NPTC will again host safety seminars in 2023.  The one-day seminar this year will focus on data available from trucks today with regard to safety, basic safety and compliance, regulation changes, and CSA. The seminars will be provided to all Idealease customers, potential customers, and NPTC members at no charge.   The seminar provides essential information applicable to both novice and experienced transportation professionals.  Seminars currently available for registration have their venues secured.  If you cannot register for the seminar in your area, check back, as registration availability will be added as the venues are secured.  This information will be updated weekly in this bulletin.  To register for an upcoming seminar in 2023, click here.   

FALL SEMINARS (Sept-Oct)

CVSA’s Brake Safety Week Scheduled for Aug. 20-26

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has scheduled this year’s Brake Safety Week for Aug. 20-26 with a focus on brake lining/pad violations.

During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors highlight the importance of brake systems by conducting inspections of their components and removing commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from our roadways until those violations are corrected.

CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program is dedicated to improving commercial vehicle brake safety throughout North America. The goal is to reduce the number of highway crashes caused by faulty braking systems on commercial motor vehicles by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, owner-operators, and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance, and operation.

*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standard.