“I don’t know how you can sleep at night without the most comprehensive information out there.”
— Doug Burns, safety director for Burns Motor Freight
There’s no dress rehearsal for a severe trucking event. The stakes are too high and it happens too fast. That’s why a driver’s recollection alone isn’t enough to establish the cause of a triggered severe event. Despite the growing numbers of onboard cameras on the market, even video doesn’t always fully explain what happened and why.
You’ve already invested in onboard safety technology throughout the vehicle to help mitigate potentially bad collisions and implemented a culture of driver safety education and coaching. But if a triggered severe event happens, SafetyDirect® by Rand McNally can unlock complex data generated by a vehicle’s safety systems and match it to a video to give a comprehensive recap so you, the fleet, can take immediate action if needed.
SafetyDirect’s user-friendly web portal provides fleet operators with alerts, all day, every day. The portal helps you more clearly understand incidents by providing near real-time data and video capture. The data and video footage from the SafetyDirect system can improve the ability of fleet managers and drivers alike to develop a complete understanding of the event – from the conditions that precipitated it to the actions taken as it happened to the damage left in its wake .
“Your safety manager can more clearly understand what’s happening on the road by reviewing the video and data you choose based on what’s most important for your operation. The data along with video give many details of what happened beyond what video alone can provide,” says Rand McNally CEO Doug Phillips.
The distinction between incidents and triggered severe events lies primarily in the level of severity, risk and consequences associated with the occurrence. Incidents represent a broad range of events — including both minor and major occurrences — that deviate from the expected or normal course of operations but may not necessarily be considered severe.
Minor incidents such as taking out a fence or mailbox or hitting a road hazard need to be reported and documented but usually don’t halt operations. Triggered severe trucking events, on the other hand, are typically incidents with a higher degree of severity and have safety implications, including the potential for harm or disruption.
To understand more clearly what’s happening on the road, SafetyDirect offers a single-pane display of data that originates directly from the active safety systems that produced them.
Depending on your needs, you can choose which severe events to focus on from a list of event triggers that are important for your fleet. This allows you to direct your efforts and resources to the most important data first.
For many fleet safety managers, deciding on the right amount of actionable information aligned with a video – and then using that information to guide training – is the best way to mitigate risk and improve fleetwide operational safety.
Doug Burns is one of the owners and the safety director of Marlinton, West Virginia-based Burns Motor Freight. Doug’s grandfather, Fred C. Burns Sr., founded the company in 1949 after buying a used 1948 Mack LJT. Today, the company operates an all-Mack truck flatbed fleet hauling building materials throughout the eastern half of the US and making wood residuals deliveries to a local paper mill.
Burns says his father, who still comes in every day, passed down his work ethic, business savvy and firm belief in the power of technology, something that’s of urgent concern to Burns in his role as safety director.
“When my dad took over the company, he said that as technology becomes available in our industry, we're going to take advantage of every opportunity we have to integrate technology that protects the driver and of course, the company,” Burns says.
Burns Motor Freight has used SafetyDirect since 2017, and he says the detailed information combined with video and actionable data is a crucial part of their commitment to a safety culture.
Burns’s role makes him responsible for responding to triggered severe events should they occur and using the data for driver education and coaching. He relies on the comprehensive information from SafetyDirect to achieve company safety goals.
“We are always monitoring and analyzing data such as excessive braking, lane departures and excess speed,” he says. "The quality of the information is unbelievable. We use it for training but also for coaching and rewarding good events. It helps me stay in touch with my drivers.”
Those drivers must navigate mountainous, rough terrain, particularly in the Appalachian region close to home. Some of the serious events they experience are due to weather, distracted four-wheel drivers, and other challenges outside the driver’s control. Burns says that through SafetyDirect, he can see the driver’s decisions and actions nearly in real time.
“No question, we have experimented with companies that offered good cameras, but they couldn’t ultimately compete with the depth of detail I can access with SafetyDirect,” Burns says. “I can tell exactly when my driver tapped the brakes, what defensive moves he took and how well he responded to a potential collision. It works so well together and paints a fuller picture than just viewing a video. With just video or only superficial analytics, you can’t see how the events unfolded, only the actual event. That’s a crucial difference."
Burns describes two recent incidents for which the data analytics and video exonerated his drivers. In one incident, a company tractor-trailer was hit from behind by a vehicle traveling at an excessive speed.
“We couldn’t ‘see’ the event on the video, but we could see all the analytics from the back of the truck. The first thing the state trooper on the scene asked me was to send him the video. After reviewing the SafetyDirect video, the trooper saw that the driver maintained his lane and was not speeding when the other vehicle hit the truck. The trooper determined the car was at fault and not the truck driver," Burns says.
The second incident involved one of his drivers on a two-lane road, going into a turn with a pickup truck coming toward him. “The video clearly showed my driver was doing everything he could to get as far over to the right to avoid the accident. But the pickup truck driver was over the center line and struck the trailer,” Burns says.
“Again,” he says, “you couldn’t see the collision when it happened, but by accessing the information, we were able to show our driver was well within the speed limit and turning the wheel to avoid the accident. We were able to exonerate our driver based on the comprehensive analytics and video.”
SafetyDirect data and videos can be complex and often involve a learning curve. New data elements, safety systems and messages are added to vehicles all the time, making ongoing technical support crucial.
That’s why initial education and continuous, ongoing support from SafetyDirect’s knowledgeable support staff is critical to realizing all the important benefits SafetyDirect can offer.
“Safety directors frequently ask questions such as how one data element differs from another and which data element best reflect a driver’s actions,” Thomas says. That’s where education and ongoing support come in.”
Burns says that while he’s very experienced with the user-friendly system, he appreciates the feedback he gets from SafetyDirect support staff.
“I will look at a graph telling me exactly what I need to know about the speed of the vehicle in front, my driver’s speed, how he reacts by hitting the brakes or turning the wheels. If I need backup in interpreting a severe event, I can depend on the SafetyDirect’s support team to walk me through my concerns,” he says.
Burns says that, though the data can be complex, the more you work with it, the more you understand it, and receiving continuous support is a huge benefit.
According to Michelle Huhn, SafetyDirect Manager, Sales, Implementation & Support Services, continuing support is a key factor determining customer success.
“Driver safety and our customers’ success in implementing SafetyDirect within their safety programs are the driving values behind the SafetyDirect Support processes,” Huhn says. “We help customize the program to fit customers’ needs. From the onset, we work with each customer individually to ensure they have the knowledge and tools to understand the data behind the videos. This support does not end after onboarding. Our support team remains available to the customer anytime as needed.”
Companies and law enforcement may need to rely on physical evidence, witness statements, expert analysis and simulations. SafetyDirect is the answer, with actionable information to help determine causes and contributing factors of crashes.
Phillips says SafetyDirect data doesn’t come from simply reading and reporting raw CAN data it; it reports insights derived from the on-board safety systems. Many times, safety systems like ESP or Wingman Fusion alert the driver, activate automatic braking and generate data that SafetyDirect reports. It’s a seamless process that let fleets can be confident in SafetyDirect
“We know your time is limited, and it’s vital for you to focus efforts on the most important incidents and events applicable for your operation,” Phillips says.
Worried about getting too much information to operate efficiently? Burns says he gets asked by his peers at other fleets if it’s better to not be burdened with so much data. He says his answer is an emphatic “absolutely not!” Because SafetyDirect offers the training and high-touch support to interpret the data, the information is a benefit, not a burden.
“I don’t know how you can sleep at night without the most comprehensive information out there,” Burns says.
Burns says he sees all the crazy things his drivers have to deal with on the road, particularly distracted car drivers frequently putting professional drivers at risk.
“I’ve always said, you are better off knowing exactly what’s going on with your drivers,” Burns says. “When you are reconstructing an accident, you either have the data or you don’t — but that doesn’t mean it’s not all going to come out one way or another. I’d rather have the analytics and deal with the information from SafetyDirect, good or bad.”
SafetyDirect® by Rand McNally
SafetyDirect is available on vehicles at all major North American OEMs. It can also be retrofitted to vehicles already in service.
Rand McNally can visit your site or conduct SafetyDirect demonstrations over the web. Our representatives can also show you how its entire portfolio of advanced safety solutions, operating in conjunction with SafetyDirect, can benefit your fleet.
SafetyDirect is fully supported with a toll-free technical line and technicians in the field.
For more information, to meet with a Rand McNally account manager, or to arrange a purchase, visit www.randmcnally.com.