As a passenger bus service, Salt Lake Express keeps safety top of mind and continually works to improve the performance of their drivers. But they never expected their new in-cab cameras to reveal information that enabled those drivers to not only keep their job, but to find a new source of pride and personal growth in their career.
Gregory Hendricks, Salt Lake Express’ Director of Safety & Compliance recalls, “When we were first installing the Netradyne Driveri® cameras, we had a few drivers who we were planning on dismissing. To my surprise, these drivers really took the camera’s scoring system to heart. Instead of dismissing them, we watched their scores rise, week over week, until we reached the point where a driver who had been a day away from dismissal now scores a perfect score on a regular basis.”
Another driver had three fixed object collisions in parking lots. While they were all very minor, the management team knew that small accidents often lead to larger accidents. It seemed obvious that the driver should be dismissed. Even the driver agreed that although he loved his job, he was not suited to handle big vehicles. However, during the dismissal meeting, they decided to check the Driveri score together and found that he was trending between 900-1,000 (out of 1,000) week after week. That completely changed the conversation. They dug in further to view some of his videos.
Hendricks said, “When he saw from the videos that he was in fact a safe driver, his eyes opened, and he was better able to see what he was doing wrong, instead of just deciding he was a failure. The cameras showed us all that he can safely handle the bus in rush hour traffic and on the open road, but in parking lots he loses his focus. Instead of dismissing him, we decided to dial in his training to focus on maneuvering around parking lots.”
Not only did Salt Lake Express keep their drivers, but they also found that the performance coaching had a multiplying effect: it brought out the best in their drivers. “As drivers seek to improve their driving skills, their customer service skills naturally improve as well. They really go hand in hand. For a passenger bus service, this is huge,” said Hendricks.
When he saw from the videos that he was in fact a safe driver, his eyes opened, and he was better able to see what he was doing wrong, instead of just deciding he was a failure.
— Gregory Hendricks, Director of Safety & Compliance
Within a year, Salt Lake Express’ vehicle insurance costs have decreased by 15%
Aside from these staff member wins, Salt Lake Express also won exonerations from the camera footage. “With every claim so far, we have gotten the information we needed, quickly, to resolve the claim. Our insurer is pleased with the footage we’ve been able to provide,” Hendricks notes. “We just had a vehicle accident where the other party ran a red light; we were not at fault. Within two days the other vehicle and his passengers had brought lawsuits against us. We did NOT have a camera in that vehicle, and we will now spend a lot of money clearing our name. Several months ago, we had the exact same type of accident; again, we were not at fault. But we DID have a camera in that vehicle. The accident was handled very quickly once both insurance parties had proof who was at fault.”
In addition to the driver retention, coaching opportunities, decreased claims, and exonerations, Salt Lake Express notes that their vehicle insurance costs have decreased 15%.
I have never felt overwhelmed by the amount of data provided by Netradyne. The reports and scores provide a basis for competition, and I can easily tell who deserves a raise.
— Gregory Hendricks, Director of Safety Compliance
Salt Lake Express is a shuttle and charter bus service popular along the I-15 corridor. The company’s professional team of drivers, mechanics, customer service representatives, and management work hard to provide the best and safest travel experience for their riders.
