SmartDrive Systems announced that Postal Fleet Services, Inc., a major mail hauler primarily servicing the United States Postal Service, has adopted the SmartDrive video-based safety system following a competitive review and pilot program.
In piloting the SmartDrive program in its St. Louis, MO service area, Postal Fleet Services improved its SmartDrive Safety Score by 85 percent within a few weeks, and successfully used video footage to exonerate drivers in three collisions — leading to cost savings that more than paid for the SmartDrive platform. These results, coupled with the driver coaching tools, led company leaders to choose the SmartDrive platform over competing offerings.
“Our company has experienced tremendous growth — 108 percent over the last three years — and we wanted an advanced, managed service to strengthen safety across our fleet,” said Jeremy Collins, director of business and safety development at Postal Fleet Services. “The review, scoring and prescriptive analytics provided by the SmartDrive program saves our management team significant time and resources. Without this service, we would have had to hire two-to-three additional people to review recorded incidents and provide appropriate coaching to drivers. The SmartDrive program tells us exactly what we need to reduce risk and exonerate drivers.”
Headquartered in St. Augustine, FL, Postal Fleet Services operates in 34 states, providing transportation services to the United States Postal Service and hundreds of Postal Area Offices. The company is dedicated to protecting the safety of employees and the general public, and to this end previously installed several advanced safety technologies including autonomous mitigation systems (lane departure and automatic braking systems) and back-up cameras across its fleet.
“We have no doubt that video-based safety technology will soon be standard in the transportation industry, and are pleased to partner with a leading provider that can support our company now, as well as carry us into the future,” said Don Dorris, president of Postal Fleet Services. “We want to make sure every driver has the necessary skills to be safe and efficient.”
Driver coaches at the company view data and recorded events via tablets, which they use to provide onsite training to each driver according to their needs. The program also supports the company’s culture of rewarding good driving skills, with drivers being recognized quarterly for consistent and improved performance, as measured by a reduction in their SmartDrive safety score.
Note: This article originally appeared in HWT’s sister publication, Commercial Carrier Journal, and was written by CCJ Senior Editor Aaron Huff.