CCJ Innovators profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact CCJ Chief Editor Jason Cannon at [email protected] or 800-633-5953.
Standard credentials—a CDL, a road test, and a basic DOT physical—are increasingly seen as insufficient shields in a courtroom.
Bison Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 37) has pioneered a data-driven approach that prioritizes individualized, documented decision-making. The solution at the Winnipeg, Manitoba-based carrier is an age-normed cognitive assessment—shifting the focus to functional fitness behind the wheel.
Unlike personality tests used by some carriers to judge cultural fit, Bison's five-minute assessment measures five core cognitive areas: reaction time, attention, executive function, control, and baseline quality.
Beyond the DOT physical: Bison Transport's model
The shift isn't just about who gets hired; it's about how they are developed.
Senior Manager of Safety Stephanie Fensom explained that the results categorize applicants into three groups: pass, range of inquiry, or fail. While entry-level recruits must pass to be hired, experienced drivers who fall into the "range of inquiry" may still be onboarded with a customized development plan.
“It really helps get them into the right track to get that training even further ahead of where they need it to be before that situation happens live on the road,” Fensom said.
This might include 90-day simulator assessments or specific coaching on hazard assessment.
“Sometimes they may not even be aware that, 'Yeah, I am delayed in my reaction time,'" she said. "That change of awareness also helps with the outcome”.
In a recent snapshot of one week’s hiring activity, Bison demonstrated how cognitive data transforms the orientation process:
- 6 road tests administered.
- 1 rejection based on a combination of road performance and poor cognitive scores.
- 1 conditional approval, which required the installation of inward/outward-facing cameras.
- 2 tailored placements that enrolled drivers in a modified training program designed around their specific cognitive profiles.
- 2 standard approvals that proceeded through normal orientation.
This granular approach, according to Garth Pitzel, associate vice president of safety and driver development at Bison Transport, has yielded more than just safety—it has delivered operational efficiency. Since implementing cognitive testing, Bison’s entry-level driver training washout rate plummeted from 26% to 7%.
Pitzel estimates Bison saves roughly $14,000 for every driver washout it avoids, totaling approximately $266,000 in savings in just one year.
“The in-cab instructor is our most precious resource in this training process. We can't get enough of them,” Pitzel said. “You waste four weeks of an in-cab instructor, you never get those four weeks back".
By ensuring that their "most precious resource"—the in-cab instructor—is only working with those who have the cognitive capacity to succeed, Fensom said the carrier is building a more efficient, confident, and safer fleet.
Functional fitness vs. personality
While the trucking industry has historically utilized personality assessments to determine cultural fit (subjective), Pitzel clarified that cognitive testing measures the actual mental faculties required for safe driving, such as reaction time, executive function, and working memory (objective).
“The ultimate goal is to make sure you have the right person behind the wheel,” said Pitzel. “Attitude is really a lot easier to assess, because you can just poke people and attitude comes out pretty quickly. It's the aptitude that's the hard part, and you don't get to see that until you start training".
The system includes strict anti-cheating measures, using identity verification and star mapping to ensure the applicant is the one actually taking the assessment.
The carrier is currently expanding the program to its entire fleet and developing remote testing options for its U.S. operations. Beyond hiring, Bison is utilizing the technology in its return-to-work process for drivers returning from medical leave or injury to ensure they remain functionally fit for duty.
Pitzel emphasized that the primary driver behind the technology is not just operational efficiency, but the ultimate goal of fleet safety.
Age is just a number
Data from Empirica reveals that cognitive aging begins as early as age 30. However, age is a poor proxy for risk. A 24-year-old recovering from a concussion may pose a higher risk than a 68-year-old veteran with sharp cognitive health.
“We have some 63-year-olds testing better than 23-year-olds,” Pitzel said. “It is certainly not age-based".
By adjusting for variables like age and colorblindness, the testing focuses strictly on the "five pillars" of mental performance: memory, executive function, reaction time, hazard avoidance, and pattern recognition. This allows the company to hire based on current mental "fitness for duty" rather than making assumptions based on a driver's generation.
The CCJ Innovators program is sponsored by Comdata, Mack Trucks, and Shell Rotella.
