Millis Transfer adds SmartDrive to its safety arsenal with fleet-wide roll-out
SmartDrive Systems, a provider of driving performance solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, announced that Millis Transfer, Inc., a Wisconsin-based dry-van truckload carrier offering regional and dedicated fleet services, has deployed SmartDrive’s video and data capture systems across its entire fleet of vehicles. The company is using the system to improve its safety program, manage CSA compliance and most importantly protect customers against liability.
"There is a lot at stake in today’s transportation industry—from losing current business to winning big new contracts," said Dan Millis, Millis Transfer, director of safety. "We wanted a video-based safety system that would provide us with greater visibility of what happens out on the road in order to better protect our drivers, our customers and our fleet against fraudulent claims and liability. Instead of waiting for days and months to find out who was at fault during a collision, SmartDrive alerts us about these critical situations when they happen and we have access to the video almost immediately. Having this information when it matters helps us achieve our mission—to protect our drivers and achieve safe and on-time delivery for our customers," Millis added.
During the initial deployment, Millis Transfer experienced immediate improvements in key areas; such as a 60 percent improvement in seatbelt utilization, 45 percent reduction in mobile telephone / texting, 27 percent reduction in speeding events as a result of adopting SmartDrive technology. In addition, they were able to realize a 4.7 percent improvement in fuel consumption through softer, safer driving.
Millis Transfer serves a diverse range of customers who ship a wide variety of freight including glass containers, food and beverage products. The team goal is to provide their customers with the safest, on-time delivery service available on the market. Prior to SmartDrive, Millis Transfer implemented a variety of different safety programs, including a 1-800 phone number and regular review of hard-braking reports. However, there was a gap between what those programs delivered and understanding what actually happened on the road, leaving many unanswered questions.
Millis further said, "Today, shippers have become much more selective of the carriers they hire and are requesting both public and non-public BASIC scores under CSA to eliminate carriers that could put them at risk. With SmartDrive, we can proactively identify and eliminate driving risk that leads to collisions, demonstrating to shippers our ongoing commitment to safety."
SmartDrive’s unique open-platform approach captures the broadest spectrum of risk, ensuring that fleets are focused in the right areas when it comes to improving safety and reducing costs over the lifetime of the program. The program leverages predictive analytics from its database of more than 70 million driving events, along with an expert review process that identifies other distraction risks such as cell-phone usage and drowsiness, to prioritize the areas for coaching that will measurably reduce collisions—freeing up time to be spent in other areas without compromising safety.
"Millis Transfer is a great example of a fleet that views safety as an essential component of its overall business strategy and key to building their growing customer base. We are proud to have them join the SmartDrive family," said Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. "Supporting fleets like Millis Transfer requires fast access to critical information when it has the most value. In less than five minutes, our fleets know a risky situation occurred, the video is in their hands, and they can determine appropriate next steps—helping keep their drivers safe and deliver quality, on-time service to their customers."
For more information on SmartDrive Systems, please visit www.smartdrive.com.
