CCJ | Commercial Carrier Journal : August 2008
Innovators: North America
August 2008 Commercial Carrier Journal 53 T wo years ago, a 64-year-old driver for Linde North America received a safety award for 3 million accident-free miles. Soon afterward, a manager noticed a sudden change in the driver's behavior. The driver had two rapid decelera-tion events in the same month, sig-nifying a problem with vehicle spacing. The concerned manager had an idea: ask the driver when he had his most recent eye exam. After a doctor's visit, the driver's depth perception was corrected easily with a new prescription. He is still working for us, says Joe Gomes, director of safety for Linde North America, a divi-sion of the Linde Group, a global producer and supplier of industrial gases whose U.S. corporate offices are in Murray Hill, N.J. Gomes spends most of his time managing risk for Linde North America Bulk Distribution, the largest division of its private fleet. The division oper-ates 750 power units and 2,000 bulk and high-pressure gas trailers. Identifying and correcting the root causes for changes in driver behavior and performance is not always as easy as getting a new pair of glasses, however. More recently, a manager noticed a driver had an unusual amount of speeding and rapid speed changes. The driver's abnormal behavior persisted for about three to four weeks until he acknowledged he was having marital problems; he was rushing home each day to take care of kids after his wife left, Gomes says. The driver's behavior returned to normal after receiv-ing counseling through Linde's employee assistance program (EAP), and he also continues to work for the company. Motor carriers and private fleets often manage drivers' safety by disciplining or terminating drivers after inci-dents and accidents, Gomes says. We try to use leading indicators to catch the behavior and modify it before it becomes an incident. In 2005, Linde created a Driver Risk Index to monitor the leading indicators of driver safety and performance. The DRI is a database tool that enables managers to score driver risk efficiently on a 1-to-100 scale and monitor any changes in driver performance. Data for the DRI is downloaded daily from each vehicle through the company's onboard computing system. The DRI is based on six lead-ing indicators for driver behavior: speed, rapid speed changes (9 mph or more per second), miles per gallon, excessive RPMs, idle time and brake applications. Linde evaluates each indicator on a six-month basis to pinpoint any trends or changes, Gomes says. (The driver) is not going to come running up to you, says Mike McDonald, Linde's national distribution maintenance and engi-neering manager. You'll start to see more brake applications and hitting the throttle harder. At least once a week, managers review performance with drivers who score in the lower range. Rapid speed changes, considered an aggres-sive or violent behavior, merit an immediate conversation with the driver. Even drivers that routinely score in the top range of the DRI need coaching if managers notice a sudden shift in their score. A lot of times, the stress that hits guys is not some-thing that comes from within the job function, but from their family, Gomes says. The DRI identifies it. You can see really quickly that something is going on and pull (the driver) in and talk to him. Changing behavior All of Linde's driver managers must complete an inter-nal course called Transport Leadership that focuses on interpersonal and coaching skills. Driver managers are trained specifically to coach drivers using only perfor-mance data that can be documented. Linde also trains all drivers to follow the Smith System driving techniques, which involve ensuring a innovators Linde North America Murray Hill, N.J. Pinpoints early indicators of risky driver behaviors that it can modify through coaching and counseling. Improving the future Linde thinks proactively when helping drivers change their behavior By Aaron Huff