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Improving the big picture

Jack and Audrey and their youngest son Paul run a general haulage operation in the North Island.

They have 14 trucks on the road. Jack is semi-retired, but operates as a director and still spends a reasonable amount of time working in the business. Audrey is responsible for sales and marketing and her efforts have largely enabled the business to grow. On the other side of the equation, it's Paul's efforts that allow Audrey to sell their services with absolute confidence. She knows Paul will never let a client down. They are a quintessential family business and their drivers are seen as very much part of the extended family.

In the last couple of years, they have observed a worrying trend. They are losing many hours on the road (truck and driver) due to frequent crashes.

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Lumley approached the business and suggested that they use Torque Data so they could analyse where and when these incidents were occurring. They also recommended that the business install In-vehicle cameras in all their vehicles to help identify the issues that were contributing to the frequency of accidents.

The first step was undertaken, and the Torque Data Fleet Management Programme found that there were multiple drivers who were having recurring incidents, and always at night.

In-vehicle cameras were installed and the footage from the cameras quickly pinpointed the problem. There were a number of drivers who frequently fell asleep behind the wheel at night. In one incident, one of the drivers fell asleep while crossing a bridge, ended up on the wrong side of the road approaching a bend and was only moments from a serious incident when he woke up and corrected the vehicle.

So what to do with this information? While the family considered dismissing the drivers that were falling asleep at the wheel, this didn't feel like it was a fair and equitable solution.

So the Lumley Torque team conducted a Company Accident Risk Management (CARMS) Survey assessment across the team of 28 drivers. A Lumley Fleet Risk Manager also came in to conduct a Fatigue Management seminar so that the team's diet and sleep requirements were better understood.

They worked with the family to establish a more appropriate roster, adjusting run times to suit the drivers' sleep times and rest requirements. This information was shared with all the drivers and the scheduling changes were made immediately, with the approval of the whole team. As a result the company experienced a significant drop in incidents and their risk profile was reduced. They also found that their fuel and maintenance costs were reduced, which meant their profitability improved markedly.

And the drivers? Well they were sceptical at first. But once they realised that the measures were designed to protect them as well as improve business performance, they were happy. And once they started to experience the direct benefits, their confidence improved and their commitment and support was 100% solid.

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