Last month’s issue contained the fourth and final installment of the Driver Coaching series from SmartDrive. SmartDrive’s program features many ways to improve your drivers’ skills, has the ability to save your fleet thousands if not millions of dollars in lawsuits, and it gives fleet managers peace of mind, knowing the status of each driver at every moment. Jason Palmer, COO of SmartDrive, weighs in as a final sign-off to conclude
the series.
MWS: CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF SMARTDRIVE AND YOUR ROLE WITH THE COMPANY?
PALMER:
Established in 2005, SmartDrive Systems is a pioneer in video-based safety technology focusing on constant innovation in order to keep up with the ever-changing industry. Through video, predictive analytics, personalized performance programs, telematics, and more, SmartDrive allows fleets to keep drivers safe while enabling them to make the best business decisions.
In my current role as chief operating officer, I oversee our autonomous efforts and analytics.
MWS: WHY IS A VIDEO COMPONENT SO IMPORTANT FOR FLEETS?
PALMER:
Video-based safety allows for greater visibility. It helps fleets identify, coach, and correct unsafe driving habits, proactively preventing accidents. This prioritization of safety helps fleets improve their company culture, showing drivers how much they are valued; often leading to greater retention rates. At SmartDrive, we always say you can’t manage what you can’t see. Having video evidence from triggered events such as hard braking, speeding, sudden swerves, etc and third-party sensors allows fleet managers to see the full picture rather than guessing on driver’s performance. Furthermore, SmartDrive combines the data generated from these videos with interactive analysis to generate a driver’s scorecard: an unbiased evaluation of a driver’s skills that helps fleets pair with incentives or coaching sessions.
Using video also saves fleets money—from lawsuits when their drivers are not at fault and from damaged property to fuel efficiency and insurance savings. Too often truck drivers are blamed in accidents and it becomes a “he said/she said” situation. Before video, it was hard to prove fault or lack thereof, but now with video, drivers are exonerated and fleets avoid potentially large settlements resulting from lawsuits. Fleets are able to download the video in seconds and send it to the officer that’s on-site to clear their driver in the accident and get them back on the road. Further, with the option of having 360-degree view of the trailer with multiple cameras, managers are able to see when another vehicle backs into a trailer or sideswipes their vehicle on the highway.
Every year, SmartDrive proudly renews customer contracts, a true testament to the importance of video-based safety for fleets. Across industries such as construction, oil and gas, food and beverage, utilities, and more, fleets are recognizing the value video-based safety programs bring to their operations.
MWS: HOW DOES SMARTDRIVE HELP FLEETS SAFEGUARD THEIR DRIVERS AND BUSINESS ON A DAILY BASIS?
PALMER:
On a daily basis, SmartDrive monitors, analyzes, and reports on each driver’s skills. When an incident occurs, our system triggers and records the event that is then reviewed by our team of analysts. Once the video is scored and sent to the safety managers and coaches, a fleet can conduct a coaching session or advanced training for the driver to ensure proactive measures are taken to mitigate any future risk.
With the ability to download the video nearly immediately, drivers and coaches are able to stay up-to-date and quickly correct unsafe driving skills before they become a life-changing event.
MWS: WHAT KIND OF FLEET WOULD BENEFIT MOST FROM IMPLEMENTING SMARTDRIVE’S TECHNOLOGY INTO EACH FLEET VEHICLE?
PALMER:
SmartDrive’s open platform captures vast amounts of information across vehicle systems to provide critical context and insights to commercial fleet operators, leading to improved driver performance, safety, and compliance. SmartDrive’s advanced data-driven video safety programs can be tailored to address the needs of a wide range of fleets, delivering lower collision and fuel costs, resulting in a compelling value proposition and clear ROI.
The beauty of SmartDrive’s program is that our platform is flexible, adaptable, and scalable, allowing companies to future-proof their fleet. SmartDrive realizes that video-based safety systems are not “one size fits all.” Instead, we understand that fleets have specific industry challenges, and our program can adapt to those industry-specific needs. Our platform is also scalable to any fleet size, meaning that if your fleet has 10 trailers or 500, our team can accurately outfit the right solution. Our customers span all verticals including both dry and refrigerated trailers, oil and gas, construction, work trucks, and more.
MWS: MANY COMPANIES CAN’T AFFORD TO HAVE THEIR TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD FOR VERY LONG DUE TO MAINTENANCE OR AFTERMARKET INSTALLATIONS. CAN YOU GIVE US A STEP-BY-STEP PICTURE OF THE INSTALLATION PROCESS FOR SMARTDRIVE?
PALMER:
It’s an easy five-step process:
- Order equipment
- Schedule installation and vehicle availability; typical installation takes approximately 45 minutes
- Installation occurs at client-specified location
- Quality assurance check
- Vehicle returns to the road
MWS: WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON FOR SMARTDRIVE?
PALMER:
SmartDrive recently secured $90 million in financing from TPG Sixth Street Partners leading the investment along with other existing investors. The investment will allow SmartDrive to continue leading the way in safety and fleet efficiency by leveraging advanced technologies like computer vision, machine learning, and AI. With a proven track record of innovation in telematics (company industry-firsts include multi-camera 360-degree views, extended recording, U-turn triggering, and use of analytics to enhance driver rewards influencing safety, fuel, and retention), SmartDrive is well-positioned to continue delivering on its promise of always putting customers first and protecting their investment with a solution they won’t outgrow.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jason Palmer brings nearly 30 years of leadership delivering products to market for fast-growing technology companies such as Qualcomm, Now Software, Clientele Software, and Tut Systems. Prior to joining SmartDrive, Jason was the vice president of product management and marketing at Webtrends, Inc, responsible for defining the product development and go-to-market strategies for the award-winning Marketing Lab suite of digital marketing solutions. As a founding member of the 800.com Electronics management team, he pioneered selling consumer electronics online, growing the company to $50 million in four years. He is a graduate of Oregon State University with degrees in marketing and economics. Find out more, visit www.smartdrive.net.
