1
00:00:05.800 –> 00:00:17.080
Bill Dorfner: Well, good morning, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in on our webinar this morning. I am Bill Dorfner. I’m the Safety and Risk Manager, Safety and Risk Training Manager at INFINITI.
2
00:00:17.080 –> 00:00:28.790
Bill Dorfner: And I’m happy that you’re here. I’m really happy to have our guest here today, Connor Boyd from the HUB Group. He is a risk… he deals with risk and insurance, senior risk consultant. That’s what I’m trying to say this morning.
3
00:00:28.790 –> 00:00:29.340
Connor Boyd: There we go.
4
00:00:29.340 –> 00:00:42.050
Bill Dorfner: at HUB International. So, I am going to turn it over to Connor as we talk about, being properly trained and also properly protected with your training program. So, thank you, Connor, for being here this morning.
5
00:00:42.460 –> 00:00:53.369
Connor Boyd: Yeah, no, absolutely, Bill. Appreciate that, and appreciate everyone being here today. This webinar is really going to focus on effective driver training program structuring.
6
00:00:53.370 –> 00:01:08.490
Connor Boyd: and implementation to both reduce losses and control liability exposure. This webinar really came about when we at HUB published a Creating a Driver Safety Training Program Guide or Bulletin.
7
00:01:08.490 –> 00:01:25.810
Connor Boyd: Focusing on, kind of, the structure and core components of an effective driver safety training program. With that, we often use INFINITI as one of our preferred vendors to actually deliver the content and training functionality to an effective program.
8
00:01:25.810 –> 00:01:40.869
Connor Boyd: They do great work, and this seemed like a fantastic opportunity to show how the structure and principles can be paired with a cutting-edge and comprehensive training platform to deliver both an effective and insultative training program for our clients.
9
00:01:43.750 –> 00:02:08.539
Connor Boyd: So, as Bill mentioned, my name is Connor Boyd. I am a Senior Risk Consultant here at HUB International. HUB is a commercial insurance and employee benefits broker. We do a lot of other work as well. But my job and my role within HUB is to work with our clients on the property and casualty side of the house to reduce losses, improve safety, and enhance their overall risk management programs.
10
00:02:08.789 –> 00:02:22.789
Connor Boyd: My background is primarily in the transportation space. Prior to joining HUB, I spent almost 6 years at a wheel space transportation underwriter, and in the 2 years I’ve been at HUB, I really specialize in working with transportation risks.
11
00:02:22.790 –> 00:02:35.130
Connor Boyd: This presentation is designed to be very industry agnostic, so whether you’re a waste hauler, over-the-road operation, last-mile delivery passenger, or even if you have a totally unregulated fleet.
12
00:02:35.500 –> 00:02:41.579
Connor Boyd: The general concepts and principles that we’re going to discuss will kind of apply to you, regardless.
13
00:02:43.840 –> 00:03:08.649
Connor Boyd: So, for our agenda this morning, we’re really going to focus on six topics. First off, establishing why any of this matters, and then how that plays into some liability considerations, the core principles that drive effective driver training, the core components that drive an effective program, and then also some telematics considerations as well. And then really how applying these principles together as a
14
00:03:08.650 –> 00:03:12.270
Connor Boyd: The system, can help protect you, from
15
00:03:12.270 –> 00:03:16.449
Connor Boyd: Help you avoid losses in the first place, but also insulate you from liability exposure.
16
00:03:18.350 –> 00:03:43.090
Connor Boyd: So, before we kick this off, I think it’s important that we establish why, really, any of this matters. And the general goal of everything we discussed today is to provide drivers with the skills and knowledge that they need to reduce the likelihood of future accidents. The best way to deal with plaintiff attorneys is to avoid the accident in the first place, and then never
17
00:03:43.090 –> 00:03:44.650
Connor Boyd: have to interact with them.
18
00:03:44.650 –> 00:04:03.359
Connor Boyd: But we live in a reality, things do happen, plaint attorneys do exist. So the other consideration is how the documentation of a well-structured, consistent, and sustainable program also helps demonstrate organizational due diligence to reduce liability exposure post-accident.
19
00:04:06.650 –> 00:04:12.889
Connor Boyd: So, diving a little bit deeper into that liability connection and those considerations.
20
00:04:14.600 –> 00:04:16.730
Connor Boyd: The two core…
21
00:04:16.820 –> 00:04:29.580
Connor Boyd: liability philosophies or, I guess, like, legal doctrines that you are up against as a motor carrier or a company that has any sort of fleet exposure are negligent entrustment, which is when
22
00:04:29.600 –> 00:04:45.990
Connor Boyd: An employer allows an unfit, unqualified individual to operate a vehicle, and then also vicarious liability, which holds you as an employer responsible for your employees’ behaviors while they are acting as an agent of their employer.
23
00:04:46.180 –> 00:05:04.350
Connor Boyd: While both of those are scary, and at times they are applied very, very harshly in litigious settings, the two exposures can be reduced and can be controlled through proper hiring, evaluation, and training practices, which is really what we’re going to discuss here today.
24
00:05:07.670 –> 00:05:24.890
Connor Boyd: So, how do the principles and components we’re going to talk about work together as a system to protect you? First, documentation is how we show that you, as an employer, reasonably evaluated, selected, trained, and monitored your employees.
25
00:05:24.970 –> 00:05:39.660
Connor Boyd: Formal records of consistent orientation, recurrent, and remedial training, along with proper telematics management, can help us avoid the loss in the first place, and also show due diligence in the event a litigated claim does occur.
26
00:05:39.660 –> 00:05:48.789
Connor Boyd: We’ve all heard the saying, probably numerous times, that if it’s not documented, then it might as well not have happened, and in a litigious setting, that is incredibly true.
27
00:05:48.900 –> 00:05:56.620
Connor Boyd: The goal is to both provide applicable and pertinent training to your drivers, and also be able to prove that it occurred.
28
00:05:58.850 –> 00:06:09.209
Bill Dorfner: And Connor, thank you so much for bringing that up, because that is actually our golden rule here at INFINITI. If it’s not documented, dated, signed, and if you can’t find it, it just didn’t happen, so…
29
00:06:09.210 –> 00:06:09.640
Connor Boyd: Exactly.
30
00:06:09.640 –> 00:06:14.480
Bill Dorfner: You know, don’t… don’t spend the effort doing it if you’re not going to document that you did it.
31
00:06:14.480 –> 00:06:21.930
Connor Boyd: Yep, absolutely, and we’ll jump into that here in a bit, too, but that’s often the missing piece we see when evaluating,
32
00:06:21.930 –> 00:06:39.369
Connor Boyd: clients’ fleet safety programs. They do all the hard work, like the 90%, they get to the goal line, and it’s just that last 10%, it’s that last couple extra yards, that can often go missing, and in a sense, that’s the most crucial, because that’s what you’re going to have to fall back on in the event of, you know, in a litigious setting.
33
00:06:39.770 –> 00:06:40.340
Bill Dorfner: Yes.
34
00:06:41.480 –> 00:07:06.280
Connor Boyd: But, jumping into, kind of the core principles that can help guide an effective training program. So, I like to frame this as we’re going to discuss these core principles, and I guess these are more, like, philosophical in a way, and then… but each of these principles is going to apply to the various components. So, we’re going through this, think of applying these to the different actual structural structural components of an effective fleet safety training program.
35
00:07:06.280 –> 00:07:09.479
Connor Boyd: That we’ll discuss here, later in the presentation.
36
00:07:11.310 –> 00:07:17.219
Connor Boyd: So, when we’re talking about implementing an effective and, again, insulative driver training program.
37
00:07:17.530 –> 00:07:24.439
Connor Boyd: The three core principles that we want to apply throughout every structural component include, consistency.
38
00:07:24.660 –> 00:07:42.239
Connor Boyd: Right? Think schedule, think timeframes, quality controls. You know, if we say we’re doing quarterly safety trainings, and then we do two quarters one year, and one the next, and then we do three quarters the next, that is not a consistent program. That program has gaps, that program has deficiencies that can be exploited.
39
00:07:42.240 –> 00:07:48.100
Connor Boyd: And then documentation. How do we track who has completed what trainings? Have they met all their requirements?
40
00:07:48.150 –> 00:08:01.000
Connor Boyd: as Bill said, if we need to go back and prove a driver received training on defensive driver training, or pre-trip inspections, or hours of service, can we do it? Can we do it in a timely manner, and can we provide that effective documentation?
41
00:08:01.570 –> 00:08:26.540
Connor Boyd: And then lastly, sustainability. These programs need to be sustainable. They can absolutely be tweaked, they can absolutely be tailored and adjusted to meet your needs operationally, but as a whole, they do need to have longevity. The benefits in terms of both loss reduction and liability protection increase exponentially the longer a sustainable, consistent, and documented
42
00:08:26.540 –> 00:08:29.480
Connor Boyd: training program, is in place.
43
00:08:29.480 –> 00:08:38.980
Connor Boyd: It doesn’t do you a ton of good to have a really great training program for one year, and then just to stop doing everything, you know, that you were doing right, you know, the next year.
44
00:08:38.980 –> 00:08:53.740
Connor Boyd: These things need to be sustainable, they need to have longevity, both in terms of being able to generate that documentation, but also in terms of improving effectiveness to reducing losses, reducing claims activity, and controlling your total cost of risk as well.
45
00:08:58.140 –> 00:09:06.529
Connor Boyd: Alright, so how do we apply these principles, and what does the actual structure of an effective training program look like?
46
00:09:07.310 –> 00:09:14.920
Connor Boyd: So, we’re gonna touch, dive into these individually in more depth, but the core components include
47
00:09:14.920 –> 00:09:27.460
Connor Boyd: Orientation training, this is really, like, the baseline that we set at Hire. It’s, it’s the standard. It’s the skills, it’s the behaviors that we want every driver, that is working for us to have.
48
00:09:27.560 –> 00:09:35.610
Connor Boyd: Recurrent training, how do we continually improve those skills? How do we continually improve that performance and that behavior while reducing complacency?
49
00:09:35.790 –> 00:09:47.009
Connor Boyd: And then remedial training, addressing specific accidents or violations with drivers to address any skill or knowledge deficiencies and reduce recurrence probability.
50
00:09:47.060 –> 00:09:59.599
Connor Boyd: And then lastly, technology management. How are we monitoring and tracking driver performance based off of leading indicators before a loss occurs? And that’s where we’ll kind of touch on some telematics considerations as well.
51
00:10:03.830 –> 00:10:18.769
Connor Boyd: All right, so, an effective, and what we in the insurance kind of risk management safety world would consider a fully implemented orientation training really includes two parts. The first being some form of knowledge-based training.
52
00:10:18.770 –> 00:10:29.530
Connor Boyd: You’ll often hear this referred to as classroom-based training. I think that’s a little bit misleading. It’s more so just knowledge-based. It doesn’t actually have to be done in a quote-unquote classroom setting.
53
00:10:29.530 –> 00:10:45.920
Connor Boyd: This can include learning management system module sets, you know, that’s what, you know, INFINITI does fantastically, videos, written materials, presentations. The medium is kind of up to you, again, as long as those core principles are applied.
54
00:10:46.280 –> 00:10:55.399
Connor Boyd: And ideally, it is competency-based, meaning there is a quiz or a test associated with the each individual kind of material, or the curriculum as a whole.
55
00:10:55.670 –> 00:11:11.199
Connor Boyd: These evaluations should also be reviewed, and thresholds should be established on a pass-fail basis. Again, when we talk about, kind of, the missing, you know, couple percents of a fully implemented program, we often see a lot of the times
56
00:11:11.350 –> 00:11:26.509
Connor Boyd: Throughout a training program, there will be competency checks in there, but they aren’t reviewed, and you don’t want that to happen, because you don’t want there to be, you know, ungraded or unevaluated quizzes or tests that have a lot of wrong answers associated with them.
57
00:11:29.020 –> 00:11:43.440
Connor Boyd: And the other part is behind-the-wheel training. You know, with a qualified trainer or experienced employee, this lives outside of a road test. You know, I always think of a road test when I’m doing my client consultations and evaluations.
58
00:11:43.440 –> 00:11:55.050
Connor Boyd: Road test is mainly evaluatory, and it’s really part of the hiring process and pre-hire vetting process. Behind the wheel training is more so designed to have a new hire spend
59
00:11:55.280 –> 00:12:13.639
Connor Boyd: a more prolonged amount of time with a trainer, first observing and then being observed. Their behaviors are evaluated, but this also provides the opportunity for continual coaching as well, which is what kind of differentiates itself from the road test, which is really just evaluatory.
60
00:12:13.870 –> 00:12:33.260
Connor Boyd: there is no specific time frame for behind-the-wheel training, you know, as long as it works for you operationally, and as long as it’s going to be consistent, documented, and sustainable. And again, as a whole, these two functions provide you with the opportunity to set that baseline skill, set that baseline, and set that baseline knowledge across your enterprise.
61
00:12:34.690 –> 00:12:47.950
Bill Dorfner: Connor, in all of the fleets that you work with, like, what percentage would you say actually spends any time at all in the truck with the driver, as far as, you know, either behind-the-wheel training or even just a road test?
62
00:12:48.170 –> 00:13:04.379
Connor Boyd: Yeah, so it’s actually… spending the time isn’t actually the issue that I’ve run into. I would almost say it’s probably in the 75%. Granted, my background stretches across numerous different industries, and that probably fluctuates on an industry-to-industry basis, but as a whole.
63
00:13:05.080 –> 00:13:09.940
Connor Boyd: Most clients I work with do some sort of behind-the-wheel training.
64
00:13:10.290 –> 00:13:17.530
Connor Boyd: or they might call it on-the-job training, if it makes sense operationally. The issue we run into with that, though, is
65
00:13:18.080 –> 00:13:33.020
Connor Boyd: that is very rarely documented. So they’re actually taking the time, they’re putting the effort in, they’re doing the training, you know, they’re, you know, in a sense, costing themselves money, because they’re going to have two drivers in one truck for a couple of days, but…
66
00:13:33.200 –> 00:13:44.830
Connor Boyd: the issue we run into is there’s no actual documentation mechanism in place, and to go back to the previous point, if it’s not documented, may well not have hap… may as well not have happened.
67
00:13:44.830 –> 00:14:01.150
Connor Boyd: So, the actual training itself is actually relatively high. It’s not, you know, 80-90%, but I’d probably say 70%. The documentation of it, like, first time meeting a client, I would say is probably in the 20-30% before we meet with them and kind of point that out as a key component.
68
00:14:01.550 –> 00:14:02.060
Bill Dorfner: Wow.
69
00:14:04.120 –> 00:14:04.760
Bill Dorfner: Thank you.
70
00:14:04.760 –> 00:14:10.590
Connor Boyd: Yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely. Fantastic question. Fantastic question.
71
00:14:12.280 –> 00:14:29.599
Connor Boyd: So, jumping into the kind of next core component here, and this is going to focus on recurrent training. This will often, also at times be called refresher training, and it’s training that you provide to existing drivers throughout the course of the year and over the course of their employment with you.
72
00:14:29.630 –> 00:14:40.840
Connor Boyd: Again, think LMS modules, videos, flyers, traditional safety meetings. In terms of a training medium, a lot of latitude in terms of what works for you operationally.
73
00:14:41.030 –> 00:14:57.260
Connor Boyd: If safety meetings work for you, great. If safety meetings don’t work for you because of driver schedules, you know, that’s where something like INFINITI is so fantastic because of the LMS system that they bring to the table, and being able to assign, you know, modules out to drivers.
74
00:14:57.360 –> 00:15:14.939
Connor Boyd: Ideally, kind of the sweet spot for recurrent training is on a quarterly basis. Again, you know, that’s able… you’re able to do that from, like, a micro-learning standpoint. That doesn’t mean you have to have, you know, full hands-on, company safety meetings every quarter, although if you want to do that, you are absolutely able to.
75
00:15:14.940 –> 00:15:19.190
Connor Boyd: But ideally, on a quarterly basis, that’s kind of the sweet spot.
76
00:15:19.280 –> 00:15:29.809
Connor Boyd: we have a lot of clients who at times say they want to do monthly trainings, and as much as I appreciate that idea and that sentiment, and, you know, some carriers out there can make it work.
77
00:15:29.820 –> 00:15:42.179
Connor Boyd: From an administrative standpoint, that can at times be very challenging, so when we talk about wanting to create a program that is sustainable, if you’re trying to do monthly trainings, you start missing a month here or there, and you’re kind of inconsistent.
78
00:15:42.180 –> 00:15:53.140
Connor Boyd: maybe that’s a sign to back off, and let’s just say we’re doing them quarterly, but let’s make sure those quarterly trainings are going to be consistent. Anything longer than quarterly, you kind of start running the risk of,
79
00:15:53.960 –> 00:15:58.830
Connor Boyd: Complacency setting in, especially, you know, with more experienced drivers as well.
80
00:15:58.940 –> 00:16:05.280
Connor Boyd: So, again, the general cadence and structure of the trainings should be consistent.
81
00:16:05.280 –> 00:16:29.189
Connor Boyd: But the actual content can vary department by department, division by division, branch by branch, depending on individual, or, you know, depending on organizational needs and exposures. If you have, you know, a waste division, and then you have, like, an ag hauling division, they don’t have to do the exact same trainings every quarter, but the general concepts of consistency and documentation should be there, you know.
82
00:16:29.190 –> 00:16:30.330
Connor Boyd: for each branch.
83
00:16:31.590 –> 00:16:32.180
Bill Dorfner: And…
84
00:16:32.180 –> 00:16:33.770
Connor Boyd: And additionally Yup.
85
00:16:34.050 –> 00:16:38.139
Bill Dorfner: I was gonna say, you know, in my experience in working with fleets and
86
00:16:38.390 –> 00:16:43.360
Bill Dorfner: being the safety director at a fleet, I’ve always found, like, this one here.
87
00:16:43.410 –> 00:17:03.300
Bill Dorfner: is the hardest one to get buy-in from, from experienced drivers. You know, people expect to go through some sort of orientation, they expect to get some sort of training, or as some drivers would say, you know, a slap on the wrist when they do something wrong and they have to go through it. But I don’t know how many times I’ve heard and heard safety managers say.
88
00:17:03.300 –> 00:17:09.890
Bill Dorfner: you know, my… all my drivers, they’re all experienced, they don’t want to do it, they say they don’t have to. You know, how…
89
00:17:10.069 –> 00:17:13.909
Bill Dorfner: What is your suggestion to safety managers when they come across that problem?
90
00:17:15.119 –> 00:17:33.659
Connor Boyd: Yeah, I think there’s a couple ways that you can go about it. If buy-in truly is, you know, an issue, one of the things that you’re able to do, you know, specifically with, like, an LMS system and things like that, is tied into a larger safety incentive program, so you’re actually incentivizing
91
00:17:33.660 –> 00:17:39.130
Connor Boyd: You know, the, drivers to complete that, and then at the end, you know, there can be
92
00:17:39.500 –> 00:17:49.629
Connor Boyd: You know, some sort of quarterly gift card or something like that, and if they, you know, get through all four quarters and have a 100% training record, then they qualify for an additional safety incentive.
93
00:17:50.080 –> 00:18:08.339
Connor Boyd: At the end of the year, or something along those lines. It is a tricky one, as well, you know, because I think when we bring this up to… to carriers, they, they often, or to clients, they can often say, well, our drivers are experienced, you know, we don’t, we don’t particularly need to do this. And in a sense, I actually think
94
00:18:08.350 –> 00:18:13.999
Connor Boyd: that’s more of a reason that they need to have a recurrent training program in place. Again.
95
00:18:14.220 –> 00:18:27.669
Connor Boyd: this is not meant to be, you know, Big Brother-y, this is not meant to be, you know, punitive or discipline-based at all. It’s more about reducing complacency behind the wheel, making sure that we’re continually
96
00:18:27.670 –> 00:18:40.890
Connor Boyd: improving their skills, their knowledge level, as well. So I think, you know, that’s a couple different ways that you can get, you know, buy-in with… with a program, you know, like, with a recurrent training program.
97
00:18:41.820 –> 00:18:42.779
Bill Dorfner: Awesome, thank you.
98
00:18:43.000 –> 00:18:45.440
Connor Boyd: Yeah, no, of course, absolutely, absolutely.
99
00:18:47.670 –> 00:18:58.179
Connor Boyd: And I also, just anecdotally, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve met with clients who are having, you know, significant violation issues, or really bad claims frequency.
100
00:18:58.200 –> 00:19:17.420
Connor Boyd: And, you know, one of the things we always check is, like, is this a new hire issue? You know, do we need to look at the evaluation process, the hiring process, or is this for more experienced drivers? And a lot of the times, it’s more experienced drivers, and we’ll dig into a recurrent training program, and they won’t have one, you know, in place, and…
101
00:19:17.420 –> 00:19:40.750
Connor Boyd: you know, it’s one of those things that we kind of point to and say, you know, is this going to change that, you know, claims history overnight? No, but over the course of time, as you continually administer one of these programs, the benefits of it kind of increase exponentially and will eventually, you know, have an impact on your claims and violation history, primarily by reducing complacency behind the wheel.
102
00:19:43.190 –> 00:19:49.780
Connor Boyd: So, the next pillar that we’re going to talk on, and Bill just kind of mentioned this previously as well.
103
00:19:49.780 –> 00:20:04.659
Connor Boyd: Is really going to focus on what we do following an accident with that specific driver to reduce the likelihood of a future, you know, incident, while also insulating ourselves in the event that something does occur in the future.
104
00:20:04.750 –> 00:20:13.889
Connor Boyd: This is often referred to as remedial training. Again, it’s training that follows any unsafe act, violation, accident, or near miss.
105
00:20:13.890 –> 00:20:25.260
Connor Boyd: And the key takeaway here is that we really want this to be coaching-based, and focus more so on preventability as opposed to just purely whether or not the driver was entirely at fault.
106
00:20:25.320 –> 00:20:39.589
Connor Boyd: Meaning that just because they weren’t at fault for an accident, you know, doesn’t mean they couldn’t have taken some measures to prevent that accident from occurring. Again, it’s really important to frame this as coaching rather than as just purely discipline.
107
00:20:39.590 –> 00:20:46.460
Connor Boyd: We don’t want to push good drivers away just because they made a mistake, but we do need to ensure that we’re addressing any skill
108
00:20:46.760 –> 00:21:05.689
Connor Boyd: or knowledge gap that might exist, you know, that may have contributed to the accident. And we really want to make sure we’re addressing our liability exposure on the back end, you know, before we put that driver back out behind the wheel. You know, in the event, you know, heaven forbid, they’re involved in another accident in the future, we need to be able to show documentation, concrete documentation.
109
00:21:05.690 –> 00:21:13.479
Connor Boyd: Of where we did our due diligence to address any skill or knowledge gaps that may have contributed to, you know, any previous accidents.
110
00:21:13.990 –> 00:21:25.509
Connor Boyd: Crashes and violations are all discoverable, so I always look at it as, if there’s going to be an accident or a violation out there that could reflect negatively on your organization.
111
00:21:25.860 –> 00:21:40.809
Connor Boyd: you should want to have concrete, or concrete corresponding documentation of corrective action to be able to respond to that. Essentially saying, yes, there’s an accident, but here’s where we took corrective action to address that, and have concrete documentation of that process.
112
00:21:45.120 –> 00:22:00.549
Connor Boyd: So, every operation and company is different in terms of exposure, but these are what I would consider kind of like the core topics and curriculum for every motor carrier or any company that has any form of fleet exposure.
113
00:22:00.620 –> 00:22:16.199
Connor Boyd: This is not all-encompassing, this is not exhausting, but as you’re sitting here thinking, you know, now that I understand the structure of what I need to… of the structure of an effective program, what do I actually need to trade on, or train on? And this is a really good starting point.
114
00:22:16.200 –> 00:22:23.760
Connor Boyd: Again, this is largely industry agnostic, but you would want to include things like defensive driving, distracted driving.
115
00:22:23.900 –> 00:22:33.600
Connor Boyd: pre- and post-trip inspections. Fatigue management, specifically also if you’re operating a regulated fleet, how that relates to hours of service considerations as well.
116
00:22:33.750 –> 00:22:47.210
Connor Boyd: backing, turning, space management, adverse weather conditions, accident scene procedures, right? What to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say, and then drug and alcohol awareness as well.
117
00:22:47.680 –> 00:22:48.670
Connor Boyd: Again.
118
00:22:48.820 –> 00:22:55.620
Connor Boyd: Very high level, but if you’re looking for, like, the ABCs of where do I start from a content perspective, this is kind of where I would go.
119
00:22:56.370 –> 00:23:11.080
Bill Dorfner: And Connor, I appreciate you, you know, bringing up that these don’t necessarily have to be trucking-specific things. Everything that you just had on that screen, if you are issuing company vehicles, if you’re having somebody drive any kind of company vehicle, or something with your name on it.
120
00:23:11.080 –> 00:23:21.719
Bill Dorfner: All of those are important, whether it’s a car, a bus, an ambulance, an 18-wheeler. All of those are important to make sure that you’re covering with your drivers.
121
00:23:22.290 –> 00:23:34.599
Connor Boyd: Yep, absolutely, absolutely. Like, you know, those are… those are training topics regardless of whether I’m going to see, you know, a large over-the-road trucking fleet, or if I’m going to see a waste hauler, if I’m going to see…
122
00:23:34.600 –> 00:23:55.459
Connor Boyd: you know, a non-emergency medical transportation client who just has drivers out there driving sedans around. Like, I still want to see those topics trained on. So, and then from there, you know, at that point, you can start to get really operationally specific and things like that, in terms of what you actually do on a day-to-day basis, but those, I would say, would be the building blocks from a content standpoint.
123
00:23:56.110 –> 00:23:57.020
Bill Dorfner: Absolutely.
124
00:23:59.320 –> 00:24:05.620
Connor Boyd: Alright, so… Just jumping into a very high-level overview of, kind of, the intersection between
125
00:24:05.950 –> 00:24:08.930
Connor Boyd: telematics, and, and training. So.
126
00:24:09.120 –> 00:24:23.010
Connor Boyd: Telematics do a lot of different things, and the providers out there have a lot of different capabilities, but for the purposes of this conversation, I really just want to briefly touch base on it as it relates to a training program.
127
00:24:23.170 –> 00:24:44.190
Connor Boyd: The idea and main benefit of a telematic system is that it allows you to proactively identify and address unsafe behaviors before an accident occurs by generating harsh driving event alerts, ideally and oftentimes captured by some combination of an inward and or outward-facing dash camera, essentially.
128
00:24:44.810 –> 00:25:03.809
Connor Boyd: Meaning, it gives you the ability to identify a skill, knowledge, or behavior deficiency, and provide targeted and proactive coaching to that driver to reduce the probability of an accident in the future. You’re essentially able to learn the lessons you would learn following an accident based off a near miss.
129
00:25:03.810 –> 00:25:18.529
Connor Boyd: I don’t want to get too far in the weeds with this today, but the key takeaway is that, really, in order to maximize your return on investment in the system and on the platform, and ensure you are proactively managing the data to reduce losses.
130
00:25:18.760 –> 00:25:26.249
Connor Boyd: You need to have some sort of consistent and sustainable workflow for, you know, harsh driving event or data intake.
131
00:25:26.300 –> 00:25:39.749
Connor Boyd: review, and then follow-up coaching and documentation. And when this is tied in with an effective training program like we’ve talked about today, and then other core components of a safety management, of a larger kind of fleet safety management program.
132
00:25:39.930 –> 00:25:50.069
Connor Boyd: It really maximizes your ability to both avoid losses before they occur, and also insulate yourself in the event that losses do occur, you know, in the future.
133
00:25:53.740 –> 00:26:02.080
Connor Boyd: Also, kind of zooming out a bit from the individual driver performance and kind of management aspect.
134
00:26:02.220 –> 00:26:11.500
Connor Boyd: Telematics also provides you with a fantastic resource to identify and address larger trends in terms of where a training gap might exist.
135
00:26:11.600 –> 00:26:27.579
Connor Boyd: The scorecard functionalities and dashboarding capabilities are a great resource for this. If we have a spike in cell phone or speeding alerts, you know, it might be a sign that maybe, you know, in addition to addressing this with the individual drivers involved in those alerts.
136
00:26:27.580 –> 00:26:38.200
Connor Boyd: Maybe you want to have this be a focus of an upcoming recurrent training session. Maybe we want to sign out a distracted driving INFINITI module for our, you know, Q2 quarterly training, or whatever it might be.
137
00:26:38.570 –> 00:26:55.389
Connor Boyd: Or, if a trend is more prevalent among newer hires, maybe it’s something that we want to look to add, you know, as a part of our orientation training process. This really allows the data to drive your training program, leading into more targeted trainings for specific exposures, you know, and trends.
138
00:27:00.180 –> 00:27:06.799
Connor Boyd: So, with all that being said about the structure and design of a driver training program.
139
00:27:06.860 –> 00:27:22.800
Connor Boyd: again, you still need to have an actual medium to provide, document, and track the training. And this is where INFINITI comes in. You know, their learning management system platform is pretty tailor-made to be implemented kind of within this framework that we’ve discussed today.
140
00:27:22.800 –> 00:27:34.039
Connor Boyd: Whether that’s implementing a set or a curriculum of modules for new hires to complete at orientation, administering, like, a quarterly recurrent training program by signing up modules for drivers to complete.
141
00:27:34.140 –> 00:27:40.059
Connor Boyd: Or assigning out training to drivers following an accident, or incident, or moving violation.
142
00:27:40.730 –> 00:27:56.040
Connor Boyd: The training library, you know, it is incredibly extensive. It has content that is, as we discussed earlier, very industry agnostic, but also content that is also very operationally specific, so you can kind of be as generalized or specific in your training as you want.
143
00:27:56.070 –> 00:28:09.720
Connor Boyd: And I think probably my… one of the biggest benefits I see to clients who do, you know, choose to go with INFINITI is the, it provides just a fantastic platform to document and track trainings
144
00:28:10.030 –> 00:28:17.119
Connor Boyd: And it’s really, like, the industry leader, in my opinion, in terms of administration capabilities that come with the platform.
145
00:28:17.140 –> 00:28:27.700
Connor Boyd: Also, you know, insurance carriers love to see it implemented as well, so that definitely does not hurt. And it’s really why, when we have fleet safety consultations.
146
00:28:27.700 –> 00:28:40.720
Connor Boyd: with clients, and we review their training programs, INFINITI is where we try to guide them in terms of actually getting the content and infrastructure to meet the principles and components that we’ve laid out here today.
147
00:28:43.210 –> 00:28:44.160
Connor Boyd: So…
148
00:28:44.370 –> 00:29:03.839
Connor Boyd: One last section here to kind of wrap us up, and then we can open up if we have any questions or anything like that, but just to highlight the importance of the documentation principle that we discussed earlier. So, when reviewing fleet safety, and specifically driver training programs.
149
00:29:04.160 –> 00:29:19.170
Connor Boyd: Documentation, or lack thereof, is a pretty frequent gap or deficiency that we see in our consultations. Again, it’s both a source of quality control, but also serves as liability protection.
150
00:29:19.170 –> 00:29:28.520
Connor Boyd: Meaning, without it, you may have a higher preventable accident frequency due to the lack of oversight and controls that are associated with proper documentation.
151
00:29:28.520 –> 00:29:35.760
Connor Boyd: But additionally, it also creates the opening for negligent entrustments and vicarious liability as well.
152
00:29:35.910 –> 00:29:47.179
Connor Boyd: And with Telematics specifically, as we talked about having a consistent workflow in place, if we don’t have that workflow to intake, review, and provide documented coaching.
153
00:29:47.290 –> 00:30:00.529
Connor Boyd: We’re A not maximizing the ROI on the system, and B, plaintiff attorneys are very well aware that that data exists, and they will request it as a part of a discovery process in the event of a litigated claim.
154
00:30:00.730 –> 00:30:11.549
Connor Boyd: And we don’t want it to look like we are, you know, aware of unsafe behaviors and acts by our drivers based off that data, and we’re not doing anything, you know, to address it. So…
155
00:30:11.900 –> 00:30:31.099
Connor Boyd: like, we talked about the training aspect of that last 10%, you know, missing from, like, a, you know, behind-the-wheel training documentation and things like that. Really similar to telematics. One of the biggest gaps is we see a lot of clients who will take the time and effort to invest in the program, get a workflow in place to, to review.
156
00:30:31.100 –> 00:30:42.650
Connor Boyd: coach, but it’s that last 10% of lacking that documentation, that they’re often lacking. And, you know, a lot of times that’s built in as a function of the systems.
157
00:30:42.650 –> 00:30:51.969
Connor Boyd: And because of that, it doesn’t… it doesn’t really complete that workflow, and they still have that liability exposure based off the fact that that coaching is not documented in the system.
158
00:30:55.350 –> 00:31:08.619
Connor Boyd: So, just a few steps here for you to kind of consider, or calls to actions, or takeaways. You know, I would recommend just reviewing your current training program, identify where your deficiencies may be.
159
00:31:08.660 –> 00:31:18.250
Connor Boyd: Establish consistent company-wide documentation standards. And remember, as you work to enhance programs, if something doesn’t work at first.
160
00:31:18.270 –> 00:31:38.159
Connor Boyd: Don’t abandon implementing a training program altogether. Again, alter it as needed, make sure it works for you operationally. As long as the principles and the components that we’ve laid out here today are there, you really have some latitude in terms of the actual program design and layout to work for you, you know, in your organization.
161
00:31:38.320 –> 00:31:58.160
Connor Boyd: And lastly, my contact information is here, kind of on this next slide, but HUBbard Services is here to help, so if you have any interest in us potentially letting us, or potentially letting us take a look at your training or larger fleet programs, just let us know, and we’d be happy to kind of discuss further online, so…
162
00:31:58.500 –> 00:32:01.050
Connor Boyd: But that is all I got. We have any questions or anything?
163
00:32:01.500 –> 00:32:07.519
Bill Dorfner: Awesome. Yeah, thank you so much, Connor, and we’ve got, you know, a couple of things in the chat and the Q&A as well.
164
00:32:07.520 –> 00:32:21.960
Bill Dorfner: Just want to say how much I appreciate you doing this today and sharing this with us. HUB has been a great partner with INFINITI for a long time, and, you know, my previous experience working for an insurance company, HUB is a great partner there as well.
165
00:32:22.060 –> 00:32:38.070
Bill Dorfner: And I know y’all are active, when I lived up in New England, of having your customers and actually staff coming to some driving schools and testing out to see what’s out there as far as additional training, so it’s excellent to hear.
166
00:32:38.070 –> 00:32:43.509
Bill Dorfner: We have one comment in here, talking about looking, you know, identifying
167
00:32:43.640 –> 00:32:57.389
Bill Dorfner: specific issues, and then… and addressing training that way, and also creating some custom content. That’s one of the things that we love about our platform, is you’re able to upload your own videos in, in addition to the library that we have.
168
00:32:57.390 –> 00:33:11.170
Bill Dorfner: So that’s great to see. We do have one question in here. What recurring schedule should drug and alcohol training be delivered on, and what topics should be covered? Do you want to take that one first?
169
00:33:11.600 –> 00:33:31.490
Connor Boyd: Yeah, yeah, I’ll take that one. So, I guess it kind of depends, if you’re discussing either, like, regulated versus non-regulated. If you’re non-regulated, and meaning you don’t have to, you know, adhere to 382, you’re not operating CDL-required vehicles, and engaging in interstate commerce, then
170
00:33:31.490 –> 00:33:35.480
Connor Boyd: You know, you’re kind of…
171
00:33:35.660 –> 00:33:52.619
Connor Boyd: probably annually, or every other year, I think, is probably a decent cadence to go on. Like, if you’re doing recurrent training on a quarterly basis, there’s probably no need to do… dedicate one of those to drug and alcohol awareness training, unless you have some sort of very specific
172
00:33:52.720 –> 00:33:58.849
Connor Boyd: policy update or procedural update that you want to make sure all your drivers have received.
173
00:33:59.280 –> 00:34:05.079
Connor Boyd: And I’m not aware of anything from the FMCSR standpoint that outlines what you have to do.
174
00:34:05.370 –> 00:34:18.000
Connor Boyd: From a driver training outside of providing them the written policy, again, you know, probably every other year is from, like, a decent cadence standpoint. You know, Bill might…
175
00:34:18.000 –> 00:34:28.210
Connor Boyd: I can’t think of anything that would require you to do it annually, but I would say probably every other year, and obviously providing them the policy, you know, upon hire for them to review as well, but…
176
00:34:28.210 –> 00:34:33.789
Connor Boyd: You know, probably not necessary to do annually, but every other year seems like a good cadence.
177
00:34:34.429 –> 00:34:46.989
Bill Dorfner: Yeah, and I would probably concur with that as well, and you know, I know reasonable suspicion training, which I know we have in our library, is, you know, you have to do it one time, but I would recommend doing that
178
00:34:46.989 –> 00:35:09.719
Bill Dorfner: You know, probably at least every other year with your safety supervisors, too, because just like we talk about, you know, employees and drivers getting complacent, you know, safety managers are getting inundated with all sorts of things, and sometimes we, you know, need those reminders as well. So, to me, I would recommend going through that at least every couple of years, as a refresher for that reasonable suspicion training as well.
179
00:35:10.819 –> 00:35:19.979
Bill Dorfner: Another question in here, kind of refers to, I think, as far as your role in risk management, and when you come across a company that
180
00:35:19.979 –> 00:35:37.279
Bill Dorfner: you know, in your experience, is seeing… is doing more reactive-based training, and maybe not so much preventative training. How that discussion might look a little bit differently as a risk manager with an insurance company.
181
00:35:38.260 –> 00:35:44.949
Connor Boyd: Yeah, I guess I’ll kind of zoom out to answer that, a little bit. You know, I think…
182
00:35:45.120 –> 00:36:04.139
Connor Boyd: a lot of times what we see with that will be, like, you know, they’re… they’re following up with drivers following accidents, or when we talk about, like, the three core components, like, they might only have the one core component, where they’re only doing remedial training following an accident with that specific driver. And then we’ll kind of discuss, like, you know.
183
00:36:04.760 –> 00:36:11.000
Connor Boyd: At least with this, have you seen any trends among this in terms of what’s driving these remedial,
184
00:36:12.060 –> 00:36:19.000
Connor Boyd: remedial training sessions in terms of, like, what’s driving these losses, and then oftentimes they’ll say, yeah, it’ll be…
185
00:36:19.000 –> 00:36:43.770
Connor Boyd: it’ll be backing, or it’ll be, you know, speed violate, or it’ll be speeding, or it’ll be, you know, whatever it might be, or space management. And then we’ll kind of circle back out and say, you know, it’s great that they’re doing that, but we also want to make sure, again, it comes back to reducing complacency as a whole across your kind of entire driver pool, and that’s where a program like a recurrent training program, you know, really comes in and fills that role.
186
00:36:43.770 –> 00:36:45.500
Connor Boyd: Where you’re be able… you’re able to…
187
00:36:45.890 –> 00:37:03.010
Connor Boyd: kind of be more proactive in terms of you’re not necessarily, you know, yes, you can let lost trends drive what that content might look like, yes, you can let telematics trends drive what that content might look like, but the idea with recurrent training is, again, you’re… you’re providing a baseline
188
00:37:03.010 –> 00:37:13.270
Connor Boyd: refresher training to all your drivers, so that you don’t have to do remedial training, you know, in the future, essentially, by improving their skills, improving their knowledge, reducing that complacency.
189
00:37:14.150 –> 00:37:20.900
Bill Dorfner: Right, and, you know, recognizing patterns when you see a driver or two that is, you know, making a mistake.
190
00:37:20.900 –> 00:37:36.590
Bill Dorfner: You know, you’ll do the remedial training on that, but also you have to recognize, well, if they’re making the mistake, then there’s a good possibility that other people are going to do the same thing, or are doing the same thing. So that’s where that preventative comes into play as well. So yeah, thank you for that answer.
191
00:37:37.510 –> 00:37:54.659
Bill Dorfner: Got another question that just came in. What’s the best way to deal with, safety events in telematics? Is it enough to note them as coached in Motiv and Simcera, or whatever vendor you have? Or should it be a separate documented, basically an additional documentation?
192
00:37:54.660 –> 00:37:58.609
Connor Boyd: No, that’s… no, that’s… that’s a fantastic question. Largely.
193
00:37:58.740 –> 00:38:18.709
Connor Boyd: utilizing the documentation, capabilities that are in whatever, whether it’s Moto, whether it’s Simsera, that is… that is typically sufficient. As long as it’s documented in there, as long as those events are kind of marked as coach, and you’re able to go back and provide and… and… and kind of see that coaching trail.
194
00:38:18.710 –> 00:38:29.950
Connor Boyd: you’re… you are good to go. There’s… there’s… we talk about, like, documentation of remedial training, you know, unless a driver is habitually getting these alerts, and you kind of want to go to the next level of saying, you know.
195
00:38:30.190 –> 00:38:42.779
Connor Boyd: you’ve had, you know, 3 speeding violations in the past 2 weeks, we want you to go, you know, get some additional training on XYZ. Largely, for the most part, the documentation within the system is sufficient.
196
00:38:42.780 –> 00:38:56.810
Connor Boyd: As long as that workflow is closed out, as long as you can kind of go back and follow those coaching breadcrumbs and follow that trail, you should be good to go. And, you know, Motives and Sierra, I know, do a good job of having that functionality kind of built into their platform.
197
00:38:58.840 –> 00:39:00.000
Bill Dorfner: Yeah, agreed.
198
00:39:00.070 –> 00:39:11.449
Bill Dorfner: Yeah, and I would just like to throw out as well, you know, here at INFINITI, we don’t just do the online training. We also do two-day safety manager bootcamps, and that’s for
199
00:39:11.450 –> 00:39:32.610
Bill Dorfner: safety managers. It’s a two-day training session, looking at things like, you know, root cause analysis and identifying these trends, and coming up with solutions, and, you know, getting buy-in and building culture. So if you all are interested in that, I don’t believe there’s a question about that on the poll, but please do go to our website under our events tab and check that out as well. We’d love to see you down here in Irving, Texas.
200
00:39:32.700 –> 00:39:43.550
Bill Dorfner: You know, Connor, again, I really appreciate your time this morning. We don’t have any additional questions in here right now. Do you have any last closing remarks you’d like to send us out with?
201
00:39:43.920 –> 00:39:54.929
Connor Boyd: No, no, I just genuinely appreciate the opportunity. I appreciate everyone’s time, you know, hopefully this brought some value and kind of insight, and like I said, I think if you pair
202
00:39:54.930 –> 00:40:12.270
Connor Boyd: kind of the content we reviewed today with a platform like INFINITI, you really have everything that you need to have a kind of best-in-class, you know, driver safety training program. So, appreciate you folks over at INFINITI, as always, and I appreciate everybody who kind of hopped on here today.
203
00:40:12.950 –> 00:40:22.230
Bill Dorfner: Outstanding. Yes, thank you, everybody, for logging in and jumping in with us today. We appreciate it, and we’ll look forward to seeing you at the next one. Thank you all so much.
204
00:40:22.840 –> 00:40:23.840
Connor Boyd: Thanks, everybody.
