AWARD WINNER INSIGHT

2022 IMTA SAFETY ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR Randy Kopecky, Don Hummer Trucking

Fulfilling any kind of role in safety in the trucking industry requires several important skills but two of the most important skills is a passion for professionalism and commitment to always making safety a top priority. Keeping everyone focused on the value of safety is not without challenges and having support from the very top always ensures a greater acceptance and respect of the role of safety. Fortunately, there are many trucking companies in Iowa that truly understand, respect, and support a safety centric culture. It is encouraging to see the commitment to safety that prevails among many of the IMTA members.

Why does your company invest the time, energy, and financial resources into a solid & effective safety department.

A good safety program is not a profit center but if it’s properly built and flowing to all levels of the organization it is an expense reduction and personnel development area. Those things when done properly will drive growth and profitability.

What are some things that IMTA members should be doing to enhance their safety efforts?

Make sure you have broken the silos down between your departments, when safety is doing something, it should always be presented as our company is doing this. If you ask an operations, shop, sales, etc. member about why we do this for safety you should get the same answer.

What is the most popular safety program you have implemented at Don Hummer Trucking? Why is it so effective?

Probably taking much of our onboarding out of a classroom setting to an on-line learning platform that the recruit can do on their own before coming to orientation. Orientation time is now spent with more hands-on time with the equipment and facetime with their actual manager. We have seen about a 50% reduction in the first 6 months incidents since the switch in late 2019.

What is the first step that should be taken to promote a safety culture at a trucking company.

Build and rebuild relationships with your other departments, you need to have support if you are going to change culture.

Any other advice on implementing an effective safety program at a trucking company?

My advice is similar to the question “how do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time. Pick the right measures and start working to improve them.