Recently I attended a seminar put on by the Hamilton Niagara Fleet Safety Council about technology in the cab of the truck and how much is too much? When you think about what a driver is required to work with it can be overwhelming to those that are not comfortable with technology or are new to the industry and find it to be too much. The seminar was split down the middle as to how much was too much. Many carriers now have electronic log systems, satellite systems, in-dash tablets from the manufacturer, and sometimes company cell phones. Add on the driver’s personal devices such as laptop, personal cell phone, and you can see how technology can build up quickly.

Now we learned that much of the truck technology can be turned off or is automatically dark when the vehicle is in motion, but much of the technology is up to the driver to turn it off. Of course the cell phone is made to allow us to communicate at anytime from anywhere, so turning off the phones now cause them to be used against the reason they were designed. How many drivers’ turn off that technology? Even if a driver is doing their best to turn technology off in the cab, there are other distractions from those devices. Have you ever had your phone turned off and every time you received a message the phone gave off an annoying noise. Many phones until you answer them keeps beeping and eventually will drive you nuts. What about that blinking light on the phone letting you know someone has left you a message that just blinks and blinks and blinks until you lose it? All these devices even when off have the capability to still be a distraction.

Of course there were no right or wrong answers at the end of the seminar. It really came down to the company and the drivers to both do their best to shut off technology and work together to cut down distractions. Are your dispatchers doing their best to try and communicate with drivers while they are moving down the road? Are drivers doing their best to turn off personal items and letting family know they will check those items at certain stops along the route? Is the company using communication methods that allow drivers to review those communications at times that are convenient for them?  What if there is an emergency? How are those situations handled? Technology is not going away and it really is up to everyone to do their best to cut down distractions. Taking a look at how you operate in the cab and the distractions that bother you will help make the roads safer for all of us. We all need to do that!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com