As Director of Safety for a hazmat hauler, Paul Schmitz takes his role at Wayne Transports, Inc. very seriously. He depends on tools like speed trackers and dash cameras to help him determine which drivers to coach, about what. For example, their speed tracker will show drivers which zones they are speeding in, and from that Schmitz will help the drivers create a bite-size goal such as focusing only on a specific stretch of road or a specific speed limit. Augmenting that tool, their Driver•i dash cameras analyze the entire drive, and use object detection to read speed limit signs, providing additional insight on speed.
Since Wayne Transport adopted Driver•i, Netradyne has come out with the Expanded Alert Videos (EAV) feature, which Schmitz calls “a huge step forward,” and notes that it has made the review of speeding violations much more efficient. This feature enables faster viewing of more videos at a lower resolution, with all videos available at the higher resolution as needed.
Schmitz cut ties with their former dash camera supplier because the cameras were undependable — they were often offline, with no warning, nor apparent reason. They had to calibrate the cameras to detect following distance, and the process of updating cameras became tedious. Finally, after the cameras had missed three accidents due to faulty devices, Paul decided it was time to switch providers.
The Wayne Transports team found that Netradyne’s Driver•i cameras’ “dramatically high resolution” provided a superior experience. Other key features that helped them decide to adopt Driver•i included:
The decision to switch to Driver•i was extremely easy considering all of these (above) elements.
— Paul Schmitz, Director of Safety at Wayne Transports, Inc.
Even a seemingly small detail like an indicator light is a huge help, considering the pain of previously not knowing whether a camera was in working order or not. Schmitz says, “We have the drivers check the indicator light as part of their pre-trip inspection. We tell them ‘If you don’t see a light, you’re not protected.’ The driver alert button also protects our drivers and gives them additional control.”
Driver transparency is also a big deal for Wayne Transports, which is why the Driver App and Virtual Coach features caught their eye.
If you can engage your drivers to proactively observe and improve their own actions, it will happen faster and more accurately. Having this information in their hands on a daily basis moves the ball down the field really fast.
— Paul Schmitz, Director of Safety at Wayne Transports, Inc.
How do they get their drivers on board with cameras? Schmitz says he includes a course on the Driver•i cameras as part of orientation, positioning it as a free tool to protect them. They all sign up for the app and ask when they can get their camera installed. Wayne Transports offers the inward-facing cameras as an option for their drivers. They also will enable them for at least 60 days if a driver has had preventable accidents or seat belt infractions.
The transformation of those drivers was just amazing. I had an owner operator that came out in the low 400s, which is bad. He got the technology. We said, hey look just try the app. He went into the 900s within a week and sent us a text saying it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
— Paul Schmitz, Director of Safety at Wayne Transports, Inc.
What about safety culture? “We have a committee that handles morale,” says Schmitz. “We start at the headquarters and push it out to the terminals as well. We want to keep the positive vibe going throughout the entire company.”
With the leadership’s focus on driver training, transparency, and safety culture, and through the use of tools like Driver•i, Schmitz says they expect to drop their unsafe driving score and violations by ~60% — an impressive improvement goal considering they already possess the highest possible Safety rating according to the FMCSA.
Rosemount, MN based Wayne Transports currently has 10 trucking business locations in the Midwest dispatching around 700 truck drivers that haul asphalt, chemicals, petroleum, and dry bulk throughout the Midwest. Established in 1950, Wayne Transports is a family-based, performance-driven trucking company focused on customer service, employee satisfaction, safety, and hard work. They focus on safety performance, customer service, cutting edge IT, employee retention, and a culture of integrity.
