When a driver performs poorly, fleets don’t have an issue meting out punishment but Michael Frolick, director of safety and compliance for Transpro Freight Systems, says it’s just as critical to offer rewards for drivers who consistently have clean inspections.
“I think there’s a disconnect in what [drivers] are trained to do and what they’re motivated to do,” he says.
A clean Level II scale inspection is worth $25 for Transpro company drivers and $50 for owner-operators. A clean Level I inspection is worth double to each group.
Offering financial buy-in to the drivers, Frolick says, saves far more than it costs in the long run.
A total of 62,796 inspections were conducted during the International Roadcheck enforcement campaign in June 2016, of which 42,236 were Level I, the most comprehensive vehicle inspection level. Of vehicles placed out of service, brake adjustment and brake system violations combined to represent 45.7 percent of out-of-service vehicle violations – about 4,111 trucks.
Inspection bonuses are independent of the company’s safety awards, but Frolick says it stands to reason that drivers who routinely earn inspection bonuses are hitting their safety marks.
“That could be $2,000 to $3,000 more a year,” he says of the driver’s earning potential. “There’s no better feeling than being at that scale and knowing that you know everything about that truck.”
