By Using Video to Drive Accountability, PFG’s Cost Per Claim Decreases by More Than 40 Percent

Performance Food Group (PFG) has a goal: zero collisions and zero injuries. The goal is engrained in the company’s culture. It’s discussed in quarterly safety meetings and raised in conversations with drivers daily.

“It’s top of mind with our drivers,” PFG Safety Manager Bill Hertzog, CSP said. “Our team members support prevention and strive for zero collisions and zero injuries. It shows in their behavior and in our DriveCam program and ActiveVision service results.”

PFG has used the Lytx DriveCam program to drive accountability at PFG, and it’s paid off. In fact, since signing with Lytx, PFG projects a cost per claim decrease of more than 40 percent. The company also has seen positive results from Lytx ActiveVision service pilots.

“Ninety-nine percent of the data we get from the DriveCam program and ActiveVision service are leading metrics,” Hertzog said. “That means it helps us improve driving behavior before a collision occurs, which is really powerful.”

Video Clips Show What Really Happened

PFG uses video clips to improve driver accountability and help them become safety stars, and its approach seems to be working.

“The bottom line is, drivers want to succeed at their jobs,” Hertzog said. “They strive for strong safety records, and they clearly want to perform well. At PFG, when we have conversations with drivers who have demonstrated unsafe behavior, we find that the vast majority of them want to learn and grow from the experience.”

When drivers do demonstrate unsafe behavior, using video clips removes any bias from the conversation, making it 100 percent objective, Hertzog said.

“Video gives you very specific information that you can review with the driver,” Hertzog said. “For example, we have a cell phone policy. When cell phone events occur, it’s not up for debate. Our policy is clear, and the video is clear. But watching the video with the driver also presents a unique opportunity for us to talk with the driver about why an event happened, to hear their point of view, and help them be safer.”

Rewarding your best drivers is a great way to keep them engaged, and PFG’s Temple, Texas, location has a new rewards program in the works. It will track how many coachable events each driver has based on the number of miles they’ve driven. Drivers who have the fewest coachable events triggered through the DriveCam program will receive a reward for safe driving.

“Through this program, we hope to bring positive recognition to good drivers,” Hertzog said. To encourage safe driving, the company also offers a quarterly bonus for drivers who demonstrate safe driving habits.

What’s in It for Drivers

More than anything, drivers are accountable to themselves for safe driving – and arriving home safely. They’re pros, and the DriveCam program gives them the opportunity to become even better drivers. That’s a big benefit for them, Hertzog said. Most PFG drivers are receptive to feedback because it keeps them sharper at their game, he said.

By reviewing data related to driving events with drivers, year-over-year PFG has experienced a 12 percent decrease in near collisions and a 24 percent increase in seat belt use, Lytx data show. “Drivers may not even realize the unsafe behaviors they’re exhibiting, so the process of giving feedback to a driver before a collision occurs helps a lot,” Hertzog said. “Through data, we’re preventing more serious incidents in the long run. And at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all working toward.”

Source:https://www.lytx.com

I´m a Fleet Management expert, and the manager of Advanced Fleet Management Consulting, that provides Fleet Management Consultancy Services.