ARLINGTON, Texas — Smith System has launched a driver risk management program that combines driver training, monitoring and data analysis to help commercial fleets reduce crashes and improve driving behavior.
The program uses the company’s Smith5Keys safety methodology to give drivers, managers and trainers a shared framework for identifying and correcting risky habits.
Many fleets use telematics, in-cab cameras and driver scorecards to identify unsafe actions. Smith System says those tools can alert managers to problems but do not necessarily change driver behavior.
“Technology observes behavior. It doesn’t change it,” Smith System CEO Derek Dunaway said. “Devices flag events; people coach behavior. The fleets that win aren’t replacing training with dashboards. They’re building a system where data, coaching and training all speak the same language, and that’s what the 5Keys make possible.”
How it works
The program begins with behind-the-wheel training to establish a baseline for each driver. It then collects risk information from sources such as harsh-braking alerts, speeding violations and instructor observations.
The system connects each warning to one of the Smith5Keys and recommends how managers should address the behavior through coaching or training. It also tracks whether those interventions lead to improvement.
Smith System said the approach allows fleets to use safety information from different sources as part of one continuous process. Managers can monitor results, verify corrective actions and identify areas that need more attention.
In one deployment involving more than 2,000 drivers at 22 distribution centers, Smith System said, the program reduced preventable crashes by 38% over two years. The company reported a return on investment ranging from 2.9 to 9.5 times the cost of the program, with payback taking three to eight months.
“Crashes aren’t accidents; they’re predictable and preventable,” Dunaway said. “Manage driver risk as a continuous program instead of disconnected events, and you stop reacting to the last crash and start preventing the next one.”
The driver risk management program is available to fleets of all sizes.
Founded in 1952, Arlington-based Smith System provides driver safety training, analytics and risk management services for commercial fleets.
