Find a Driver to Champion the Technology
A very strategic route to any type of buy-in is for it be championed in by a well-respected senior worker. In this case, speak with your most senior and experienced drivers about how NOCELL® is for their safety and not being used to spy on them.
Having a highly respected employee explain these benefits to their peers can reduce the possibility of skepticism. If a fellow driver is encouraging them to see the benefits then they will be more likely to be on board as well.
Be Transparent
Letting your drivers know why NOCELL is being implemented is very important. Explain to your drivers the reasons why you are implementing the use of NOCELL. Establish that your main priority is their safety and well-being. After establishing a common ground, share other examples on how the use of NOCELL will be beneficial for the company. For example, now more than ever fleets are being targeted by law firms after a crash. According to the Lawsuit Infocenter, 42% of truck crash settlements paid exceeded $300,000. The NOCELL platform can help to exonerate your drivers if they are targeted in a lawsuit and are accused of cellphone distraction at the time of the crash.
Most drivers will not like the idea of their phone being monitored. Explaining to them that the technology only enforces company policy that disables unauthorized applications while driving and their personal information will not be accessed. On their breaks or once a trip is complete, they will have complete access to their applications again.
Give them Facts and Real-Life Examples
20% of companies reported in 2018 they had a driver involved in a motor vehicle collision after using a hand-held phone at the wheel[i]. A single crash can cause insurance rates to increase by 23-33% per year, the odds of operating expenses at your company increasing due to distracted driving are high[ii].
Since the costs related to distracted driving crashes are extremely punitive it can put your business at risk of closure or cutbacks which will consequently affect their job safety. In addition to the hard costs to your company, drivers who are injured can suffer serious, long-lasting effects from their injuries. Even a minor fender bender can be an expensive ordeal in costs, lost time and productivity.
Crashes with only property damage cost on average $24,500
Crashes with personal injury cost on average $150,000
Crashes that cause a fatality can cost $7 million+[iii]
However, the costs to employers extend far beyond direct, crash-related expenses.
Employers must consider the indirect costs to a company, as well as costs that are not covered by insurance (loss of business, potential loss of reputation, etc.). This adds a massive cost multiplier over and above every dollar paid out by insurance. According to the International Loss Control Institute (ICLI), uninsured losses range between $6.50 and $43 for every $1 paid out by insurance after a motor vehicle collision at work[iv].
More importantly, is the safety of your drivers. We have all been guilty of using our devices while driving. As a business, your main goal is to ensure that your drivers return safely to their families. Removing these distractions while driving will help to avoid any and all major incidents while on the road. Thus allowing your drivers to continue working and providing for their loved ones. In a recent study, drivers said their top concern was how to avoid distracted driving. Reinforce the idea that this technology is mainly for their overall personal safety and benefit.
Distracted driving is considered a serious traffic violation for commercial drivers. The federal government has made it known that a commercial driver with two serious traffic violations within a 3 year period will face a minimum 60-day CDL revocation, and three serious violations results in a minimum of 120-days. Under federal law:
“Under federal law, serious traffic violations include excessive speeding (usually 15 miles per hour or more over the limit), improper lane changes, following too closely, reckless driving, distracted driving violations, driving a CMV without the proper CDL in your possession, and any traffic violation that results in a fatality.”
According to Arrive Alive, of drivers using their phones on the road: almost half swerved or drifted into another lane, 23% tailgated another car, 21% cut someone off, 18% nearly hit another vehicle while using their phone. This shows how likely your driver could receive 2 serious violations in an instant while using their device. This can put your drivers out of work for the minimum of two months, directly affecting them and their family.
A serious crash affects more than just the driver involved. It has a negative impact on the rest of the company. As a whole, the company can be affected emotionally which could result in psychological distress in the workplace. If you are able to convey to your drivers that their safety is of topmost priority and you are investing in their safety, you will build more loyal and content relationships with your drivers.
Openly Discuss what Occurs after a Violation
Be transparent and have an open discussion with your drivers to lay out the violation rules. This is different for each industry and company cellphone policy. For example, if they have more than 3 phone handling alerts in a week, they will be put on a probation period that could lead to suspension or termination if more occur. Also, NOCELL data can and should be used to improve their driving behavior, not just to penalize them.
However, it is very important that you clearly lay out the types of violations or series of violations that lead to termination, so they are aware beforehand.
Incentivize Drivers for Safe Driving
In closing, you may want to implement an incentivization system that rewards your drivers for being safe while on the road. For example, if drivers go a certain period of time without violations or if significant improvement is shown reward those drivers who are making the effort to be safer. This is a great way to add some incentives to the system that shows benefit to the drivers. Rather than them viewing NOCELL as something that only shows their negative behavior they will see that the company celebrates the drivers that do not receive violations and the ones who are showing improvement.
[i] iAM Road Smart. (2019, January 30). Driving While Distracted: Challenges and Solutions.
[ii] Motus. (2018). Driver Safety Risk Report. Retrieved from http://in.motus.com/driver-safety-
risk-report-2018
[iii] National Safety Council. (2015, May). Employer Liability and the Case for Comprehensive
Cell Phone Policies.
Retrieved from https://www.nsc.org/Portals/0/Documents/DistractedDrivingDocuments/NSC-CorpLiability-WP-lr-(1).pdf
[iv] Ryan, A. (2018, April 24). What is the True Cost of a Collision? Experts Explain. Retrieved from Fleet News: https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/fleet-management/risk-management/what-is-the-true-cost-of-a-collision-experts-explain