As safety expert Eleanor Everet said, "safety is not a gadget but a state of mind."
Critical to every fleet, this state of mind and an organizational culture can be improved upon by implementing the most recent best practices and policies. The need for effective fleet safety programs that ensure a safe work environment for employees throughout the industry could not be more urgent.
That's why NAFA created the Develop a Culture of Safety Seminar Series. For fleet, safety, and risk managers, this four-part seminar series unpacks the most critical aspects of fleet safety programs within the broader context of developing a culture of safety.
March 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2022
Cargo thieves are often highly organized, and they target specific types of freight at different times of year.
February 1, 2022 - Together for Safer Roads (TSR) today released a new study “Driver Attitudes Towards Vehicle Safety Technology.”
The research digs into what makes drivers reluctant to adopt in-cab camera technology and what can be done to positively influence perceptions. TSR surveyed over 500 professional drivers to examine differences in attitudes toward technology, including driver-facing dash cameras.
“Making technology work isn’t as simple as plugging a box into a truck; it takes clear communication, coaching and buy-in,” said Noah Budnick, executive director, Together for Safer Roads. “Fleet safety management is human resources management. To get the most out of technologies that can reduce risk on the road, senior fleet staff need to work closely with drivers. They need to explain how technology works, when and how it will be used and how it helps everyone get home safely at the end of the day. Though roads have been getting more dangerous in recent years, fleets and professional drivers can be leaders in changing this.”
February 1, 2022 - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its early estimate of traffic fatalities for the first nine months of 2021.
NHTSA projects that an estimated 31,720 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes from January through September 2021, an increase of approximately 12% from the 28,325 fatalities projected for the first nine months of 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities during the first nine months of any year since 2006 and the highest percentage increase during the first nine months in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history.
The new estimates come days after the U.S. Department of Transportation released the federal government’s first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy, a roadmap to address the national crisis in roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
January 31, 2022 - Ford has submitted a patent application for a nifty feature that could solve an age-old problem among truck owners – and that's keeping items on your bed in place.
According to the documents uploaded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the submitted patent by the Blue Oval was for "Truck bed with selectively actuated magnetic floor sections."
The title of the patent application pretty much explains itself; Ford wants to magnetize truck bed floors. It will be used to retain cargo or attachment devices. Ford's patent includes up to six magnetic points on the bed, which can be turned on or off via in-cabin controls or through an app on a smartphone.