There has been a surge in nuclear verdicts – or jury judgements awarding penalties over $10 million – against trucking companies in recent years. Over the past decade, out-of-control nuclear verdicts jumped from $2 million to $22 million, instilling fear in carriers driving up insurance costs for companies with even the safest track records.
Many carriers have turned to technology in order to reduce the risk of serious lawsuits while simultaneously lowering insurance premiums. Digital safety management solutions are on the rise, and these tools can offer carriers the transparency and visibility they need in order to create a safer fleet.
Tenstreet, for example, offers a safety management system that allows carriers to combine driver qualification files, training records, and accident history with CSA and telematics in order to get a holistic view of any safety issues in one place. Streamlining all these factors in one place makes management simpler and reduces the risk of missing information, which could lead to costly consequences down the line.
In addition to providing visibility, Tenstreet also allows clients to handle accident reports with ease. Driver Pulse – the company’s mobile app for drivers – provides a simple and effective way for drivers to communicate details surrounding safety issues, including accidents, with carriers.
“There is no need to reinvent the wheel,” according to the Tenstreet website. “About 75% of drivers you order Clearinghouse reports on already have the Pulse app on their phones. They can use it to upload police reports, share pictures, add notes and take trainings.”
Tenstreet’s digital safety trainings, in particular, can go a long way toward helping carriers streamline their safety management operations. This is especially true in the case of common non-accident unsafe driving events – like breaking too hard – that can trigger the need for safety refreshers.
If a driver’s telematics device reports an unsafe driving event, Tenstreet can send the driver a related video training with a test at the end in order to satisfy driver education. This makes training more accessible than ever before.
Bowers Trucking began implementing Tenstreet’s safety management system a few months ago, and the company’s safety team and drivers alike are already feeling its positive impacts.
“A couple of my drivers have what Samsara calls ‘an unsafe event.’ They have been sent videos, and they complete it on their break. It is easy for them,” Danyelle Rohr, business procurement manager for Bowers Trucking said. “They don’t have the stress of having to come into office in order to complete the education and get the test done.”
Trips back to the office for training can prove time-consuming and costly for drivers and carriers alike. When drivers are forced to take time away from the road, they lose money. Additionally, conducting these common training sessions puts significant stress on already taxed safety departments. By handling safety training and testing virtually, Tenstreet allows drivers to stay on the road and keep earning income while ensuring safety standards are still met. At the same time, this approach takes the pressure off of safety managers, allowing them to focus their attention toward other, often more urgent tasks.
“Since we started implementing the safety management tools in December, it has taken so many stress factors off my plate, just knowing we are covered,” Rohr said. “It is a godsend to drivers as well since they can get the training taken care of at their leisure.”
When Bowers partnered with Tenstreet in 2020, the main draw was actually the company’s IntelliApp. The recruiting tool makes it simple for companies to optimize their application process in order to grow their fleet quicker. Once partnered with Tenstreet, Bowers learned about the company’s other offerings, including Job Store, a service that gets carriers’ jobs in front of more drivers, and safety management tools.
By utilizing several of Tenstreet’s offerings, Bowers has been able to significantly streamline its operations, increasing efficiency and reducing confusion across the organization. This shift is in line with a wider industry trend toward integration.
“We have so many different things integrated through Tenstreet – applications, DQ files, onboarding resources and safety scores. We really have everything in one place,” Rohr said. “Our safety managers just need to access Tenstreet in order to see everything. If we ever face an audit, it will be so easy for us to download all our information from one place.”
More and more, companies across the supply chain are choosing technology partners that offer this “one-stop shop” experience. This is likely a reaction to the app fatigue that has plagued drivers for years – as well as the portal fatigue that hits folks at all levels of an organization. Moving forward, companies like Tenstreet that offer a multitude of solutions are expected to continue outperforming their peers who focus on solving just one or two problems.
Click here to learn more about Tenstreet’s various offerings.
