TRU CKS & T R AN S P O R TAT I O N | By Curt Bennink
Truce Software
In-cab Technology Drives Safety Discourage distracted driving and monitor driver behavior with driver apps and dash cam technology. While mobile devices can help us a lot, they’re leading to some very unfortunate unintended consequences. For example, 40% of commercial driving accidents are being caused by device distraction.
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istracted and inattentive driving are leading causes of vehicle-related accidents as the influx of mobile technologies competes for drivers’ attention. There are in-cab solutions that not only help minimize multi-tasking during critical drive time, but also detect drowsy driving, aggressive driving and threats from other vehicles on the road. Solutions exist that can help manage mobile technology use while behind the wheel. One example is TRUCE Software. “TRUCE is all about providing employees with the right mobile features and functionality at the right time,” says Joseph Boyle, TRUCE CEO. “It all boils down to the individual employee’s context, such as their proximity to heavy equipment, work group and time of day, for example. Mobile device permissions adjust automatically and in real time as the employee’s environment changes throughout a shift.” What is okay for an employee to do with a device while in the break room, for example, is different from what might be considered appropriate use when driving a vehicle. The company sets its mobile use policy and
TRUCE simply helps to enforce that from a tech standpoint. No monitoring or manual intervention is involved. “Dynamic enforcement of an employer’s mobile device policy based on each employee’s real-time context helps ensure workers are safe and productive, while still giving them the freedom to keep their mobile device on them throughout a shift,” explains Boyle. “At TRUCE, we don’t believe phone bans in work environments are the answer.”
SITUATIONAL APP USE DRIVES SAFETY Trying to limit use through broad company policies has not proven very effective. “A flexible solution is needed that allows you to understand, define and enforce different use policies for different environments,” says Boyle. For example, when an employee is on a jobsite, they may need access to certain applications. When that employee is in a vehicle, access to most applications, except hands-free calling, can be temporarily restricted. “You can use turn-by-turn directions as long as you’re not typing in the address while you are driving,” notes Boyle. “And you can
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listen to your music and podcasts, for example, but your ability to check emails or work orders while driving is withheld until the employee is no longer driving.” The use will be determined by the employer policy. “It’s all about your acceptable use policy,” says Boyle. “How does that change situationally? You define those policies in [TRUCE’s} application and then we bring them to life.” The technology relies on contextual indicators. It is more about context than location. “We are not interested in monitoring where people are. There are tracking technology companies that do that,” Boyle states. “We are interested in making sure employees are getting safe and productive use out of their technology. It’s about getting what you want out of the mobile device and not having the by-products. “We go after the root cause of the issue, which is we’re addicted to our devices. We stare at them constantly — most of the time not even realizing that we’re doing it,” he comments. When employees can’t access unnecessary apps, that behavior changes. “They put the
phone away and focus on the task at hand.” The results speak for themselves. “Our customers typically see between a 30% to 40% reduction in accidents after deploying TRUCE,” says Boyle.
DASH CAM TECHNOLOGY KEEP DRIVERS ALERT Beyond mobile technology distractions, there are other factors such as driver fatigue and aggressive driving habits that can lead to increased risk. In-cab camera technologies have proven an effective solution to address these issues, as well as protect drivers and companies from liability from accidents caused by other roads users. “Camera technology has been around for some time,” says Mayank Sharma, head of global product management and UX, Teletrac Navman. “With the advent of the smartphone, it’s become mainstream on the consumer side and it is everywhere. Obviously, there is overflow into the commercial side.” It started with recording videos on SD cards and has progressed to connected dash cams that give real-time access to video data in the cloud using mobile apps or the web. “The benefits
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are that you can see all the way from prevention of accidents to reducing accidents,” says Sharma. On one side, this technology proactively reduces accidents. “The other side is more incident management or incident capture so that you can coach drivers, which will ultimately results in safer driving and on-road behavior,” Sharma explains. “Those are the two spectrums, but in the middle there are a ton of other benefits for the fleet manager.” Driver retention is among these benefits. “If your fleets are generally safer you can retain drivers longer,” notes Sharma. Insurance is another benefit. “There is actually a connection between using this data and going to your insurance company to say my fleet is safer and my premiums should be lower based on how my drivers drive,” Sharma points out. Maintenance costs can also be reduced. “How you drive safer is by not braking too much, not cornering too harshly,” says Sharma. “That helps you with maintenance costs, which is sort of an implicit benefit, as well as fuel reduction cost. So, today there are a whole host of benefits that come from adopting dash cams, and especially connected dash cams, in your fleets.” Dash cam technology presents a clear picture of driving events. “First of all, video provides visual proof and context around telematics-triggered events,” says Andrew Rybak, business development manager, marketplace, Geotab. “For example, it can reveal what the driver was doing when a harsh braking event occurred. Also, the dash cam can be used to exonerate a driver. Video captured by dash cam can be used as evidence when a driver is incorrectly deemed at fault for an accident.” Omnitracs reports that 85% of collisions are not the fault of the commercial driver. But dash cam technology does increase safe driving behaviors, as well. “The installation of a dash cam can immediately reduce accidents or close calls through alerts for unsafe behavior,” says Rybak. “Some drivers will also be more mindful knowing that a camera is monitoring their driving.” Not all dash cams are the same. “There are wide varieties
