• Carrier reduces distracted driving by nearly 50 percent, mobile phone usage by 96 percent and speeding by 58 percent
  • Fleet reports no negative impact to driver recruitment and retention as a result of implementing cab-facing cameras
  • Actionable data provided through fully managed service enables robust driver coaching and recognition program

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2017—SmartDrive Systems, a leader in driving performance solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, today announced program results from long-term customer Cypress Truck Lines Inc., a family-owned and operated flatbed carrier based in Florida.

Within weeks of implementing the SmartDrive® program in 2014, Cypress saw a 57 percent improvement in its overall safety score, with 58 percent and 48 percent reductions in speeding and distracted driving, respectively. In the three years since adopting the dual-camera configuration, and with steady, sustained progress, Cypress has improved its safety score by 80 percent overall, and the fleet has reduced instances of exceeding the maximum fleet speed by 100 percent.

“As a family-owned company, it was critical for us to find a solution that was efficient and could deliver significant results with limited time investment from managers,” says Matthew Penland, vice president of risk management at Cypress. “The SmartDrive analytics team has been there with us every step of the way, providing actionable data on what skills our drivers need to improve to be safer and prevent collisions before they occur. The SmartDrive program has been a key tool for us to manage and control the safety of a continually changing driver base, and enabled us to better recruit new drivers and get them up to speed quickly on the stringent safety standards we require. We have an obligation to the motoring public to put safe drivers on the road and that’s a responsibility we take very seriously.”

The SmartDrive video-based safety program identifies unsafe driving with an open platform that captures video, vehicle, audio and driving data, and automatically offloads footage for expert review and analysis, providing a clear, complete picture of what happened on the road. In many cases, the video helps quickly exonerate drivers when they’re not at fault in an incident. The management team at Cypress has developed a robust coaching program for its 530-plus drivers based on the actionable data served up by the SmartDrive platform. Because footage and analysis are provided in real-time, the coaching team spread across Cypress’ service area can meet with drivers on an as-needed, individual basis.

“By having in-cab as well as forward-facing cameras, we can prevent accidents through proactive coaching on the skills our drivers need to be safer,” says Penland. “The driver-facing cameras give us insight into what our drivers are doing at the time of an incident so our safety team can address and correct dangerous habits, leading to a direct improvement in driver safety behind the wheel.”

With an aim of creating a positive company culture focused on safety and retaining its quality drivers, Cypress has created a safety bonus program using the individual safety scores assigned to each driver. Drivers are continually given specific and tailored feedback from management on how they can improve, and drivers can also track their personal score on a mobile device, giving them the opportunity to learn and self-correct. Those who demonstrate consistently strong driving skills with no-fault incidents, as well as those who show solid improvement, are rewarded.

In addition to overall improvements in safety over the past three years, Cypress also credits the multifaceted insights provided by the SmartDrive program with dramatically improving the following metrics:

  • Increased seatbelt use by 89 percent
  • Reduced handheld mobile phone use by 96 percent
  • Reduced unsafe following by 78 percent

“Forward thinking, innovative fleets like Cypress are embracing the SmartDrive program and realizing the powerful impact it has on driver recruitment and retention,” says Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. “We’re proud to call Cypress a long-term partner and are thrilled to see the improvement they’ve had in overall safety as they’ve grown their business; being able to tell a complete story with video after an incident or collision is a formidable tool.”

Matthew Penland will host a webinar, “Leveraging Video Safety to Incentivize and Reward Drivers” on Wednesday, August 30 at 10:30 a.m. PT. Click here to register.

About SmartDrive Systems

SmartDrive Systems, the recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Value Leadership Award for Video Safety Solutions, gives fleets and drivers unprecedented driving performance insight and analysis, helping save fuel, expenses and lives. Its video analysis, predictive analytics and personalized performance program help fleets improve driving skills, lower operating costs and deliver significant ROI. With an easy-to-use managed service, fleets and drivers can access and self-manage driving performance anytime, anywhere. The company, which is ranked as one of the fastest growing companies by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™, has compiled the world’s largest storehouse of more than 195 million analyzed risky-driving events. SmartDrive Systems is based in San Diego, Calif., and employs over 650 people worldwide.

For more information on SmartDrive Systems, please visit www.smartdrive.net.

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Media Contact:
Havas Formula for SmartDrive Systems
smartdrive@havasformula.com
619-234-0345