REDUCE CRASHES.
LOWER COSTS.
MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE.

Companies that hire drivers and specialize in any form of transportation face a certain number of shared challenges, but each one has its individual challenges as well. For the automotive transportation industry, those challenges often come from the sheer size and scope of their vehicles. Ensuring that drivers have the proper training to maneuver their trucks as well as the cargo they’re carrying is essential to the success of such companies. It’s so important to Virginia Transportation Corporation that they rely on Smith System training for every driver. Providing auto transportation services throughout the United States and Canada, Virginia Transport has nearly 500 drivers who work daily to move vehicles from one location to the next. That can mean a single vehicle or an entire fleet, but each one must arrive safely, efficiently and on time.  Deanna dela Cruz, director of safety compliance for the company, says that adding Smith System driver training to their onboarding process has made a significant difference in how the company approaches new hires — and the response has been enthusiastic. “The new drivers really embrace the training,” she says. “We’re able to relate all of The Smith5Keys®, which are relevant to our company as far as common mistakes we see. It makes a difference in how they respond to situations on the road.” After looking into several different driver safety programs, dela Cruz says they chose Smith System because it had the best track record and her company was impressed with what they offer. “The fact that they have been around for so long and have such a strong reputation really helped,” she says. “Plus, the fact that they are so embedded in so many other companies around the world says a lot about them. If you’re going to invest in your fleet, you want to get the best there is.”

Drivers and safety managers in the retail and food service industries face a growing number of challenges in today’s world. While they may approach those challenges from different perspectives, the problems are shared and affect companies both from the driver and the management standpoint. While all commercial fleets are facing significant challenges in a changing environment, some of these behind-the-wheel challenges are unique to retail and food service drivers. Here’s a look at five challenges facing retail and food service drivers as well as the opportunities they present.

With more than 11,500 drivers, National Grid, understands how critical it is to invest in the safety of each and every employee. The gas and electric utility company, which covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, parts of New Hampshire and all of New York state, relies on Smith System training to make sure that all of its drivers have the best tools to handle whatever occurs when they’re behind the wheel. “We started using Smith System in 2008,” says Samantha Murray, Vehicle Safety Manager at National Grid. “It started in gas operations, but we received such great feedback on it that we made it part of our policy.” In 2014, the company implemented a Safe Motor Vehicle Operations Policy that made driver safety training part of its requirements. “Our drivers liked the training from the very beginning,” Murray says. “It’s now something that everyone in our company participates in, from field employees to executives. It’s been very beneficial.”

We’ve all had those moments behind the wheel; maybe it’s after a long day of work or perhaps it happens after sitting in traffic for too long. But at some point, we have all felt aggravated by other drivers on the road. We’ve wanted to react aggressively, and we may have actually lashed out. Even though the term “road rage” is relatively new, incidents of aggressive driving and anger behind the wheel have been around almost as long as the automobile itself. And, while the vehicles we drive have become safer and the roads we drive on have been greatly improved, the way we’re behaving on those roads has become more dangerous. In fact, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that in a single year, nearly 80% of drivers admit to having feelings of anger and exhibiting some sort of aggressive behavior behind the wheel. When traffic and bad tempers collide, the situation can escalate quickly. In too many cases, they can turn dangerous — and even deadly.