Lytx DriveCam™ Program Helps TransWood Fleet Go 'From Good to Great'

Initial Trial Delivered Surprising Results, Led to Rapid Fleet Roll-Out

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May 18, 2016, 08:00 ET

SAN DIEGO, May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Omaha-based TransWood Carriers, a leading dry and liquid bulk transportation company, has a reputation for excellent behavioral driver training, but after a trial with the Lytx DriveCam program, the TransWood team learned just how much driver behavior fine tuning could be done to improve fleet safety.

Lytx Video as Witness: TransWood's Safety Director Randy Kopecky said one his drivers was stopped in traffic and was side-swiped by a logging truck. The logging truck went on to strike a stopped car in front of the driver, but witnesses erroneously said TransWood's driver hit that car. Within 45 minutes, Lytx delivered the video that clearly exonerated the TransWood driver. He added that that kind of rapid evidence delivery saves time and money, keeping the truck and the driver on the road.

The Lytx DriveCam safety program is a comprehensive solution that combines video capture of road incidents such as hard braking or sudden swerving, data analysis of those incidents, and personalized coaching insights to improve driving behavior to help prevent those incidents. The net result is reductions of collision-related costs by up to 80 percent.

TransWood conducted a 90-vehicle trial of the DriveCam® program in January 2015, with unexpected results.

"We had some big surprises once we started the trial with the DriveCam program," said TransWood's Director of Safety Randy Kopecky. "For example, we have a policy against using cell phones, but the DriveCam video revealed that cell phone use was still common during the trial." Reducing cell phone use was reason enough to quickly move to a 450-vehicle roll-out.

"Of course, we paused and wondered, 'if we do this, will we lose drivers?'" said Kopecky. This, he said, is a critical question because TransWood's drivers have essential but uncommon driving skills, such as knowing intuitively how to adjust driving to mitigate a "hard slosh" when transporting liquid chemicals.

Kopecky said they lost just two drivers at full roll-out, but that the vast majority, hundreds saw the program as an opportunity to improve their performance.

"These guys are pros, and they see reviewing the video no differently than a quarterback watching game tapes to see what they can do better," he said.

TransWood transports hazardous materials, and is Responsible Care-certified by the American Chemistry Council, which raises the stakes for safety and makes collision prevention top priority. Kopecky said that the DriveCam video helps reveal the root cause of a driving event, and delivers precise coaching insights to prevent similar events in the future.

Onboarding Help from Lytx Helped Deliver Accurate Info to Drivers

Kopecky said he leveraged the onboarding resources Lytx makes available to deliver accurate information about how the DriveCam program works and the problems it addresses.

"We talked with drivers about cells phones and seat belts," said Kopecky. Not wearing a seatbelt, he said, is a gateway to other unsafe behaviors. "We were a good fleet before we started the DriveCam program, and we went from good to great, and we continue to keep the dialogue going."

Bi-weekly meetings are held between coaches, safety staff and Lytx representatives to keep safety top of mind, leading to a downward trend in coachable behaviors. Additionally, TransWood employs the industry best practice of publicly recognizing the best drivers in the fleet during the monthly safety meeting with its Above and Beyond program.

Rapid Exoneration Saves Time, Money

Kopecky also echoed many of his peers by praising the DriveCam program's ability to exonerate a driver, completely and quickly, when a no-fault collision occurs. He cited a recent example.

"One of our drivers was stopped in traffic on I-65 in Alabama, and was side-swiped by a logging truck. The logging truck went on to strike a stopped car in front of our driver. The driver of that vehicle and other witnesses at the scene claimed our driver was at fault. Within 45 minutes, we were able to produce the video that clearly exonerated our driver," said Kopecky, adding that that kind of rapid evidence delivery saves huge amounts of time, keeping the truck and the driver on the road.

About Lytx
At Lytx® we harness the power of data to change human behavior and help good companies become even better. Our flagship product, Lytx DriveCam^™ sets the standard for driver safety in the industries we serve, and our RAIR^® Compliance Services helps DOT-regulated fleets comply with safety regulations, complementing the DriveCam^® Program. Lytx ActiveVision^SM service helps detect and address distracted and drowsy driving, both in real time and over time. We protect more than 1,400 commercial and government fleet clients worldwide who drive billions of miles. We enable our clients to realize significant ROI by lowering operating and insurance costs, while achieving greater efficiency and compliance. Most of all, we strive to help save lives – on our roads and in our communities, every day. Lytx is privately held and headquartered in San Diego. For more information, visit www.lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, or on our YouTube channel.

Contact:
Lytx
Gretchen Griswold
858.926.2445
[email protected]

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SOURCE Lytx