DC Velocity - November 2018

within local communities. Our members leverage their pri-
vate-sector insights to advance best practices for companies
and their fleets, and we are aligned with the United Nations’
Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Q To what extent does your work focus on improving the safety performance of rigs and drivers, rather than pas-
senger cars and the motorists who operate them?

ATo help ensure a safe fleet culture within our company, we work with our drivers to analyze roadways with the aim of avoiding dangerous areas, both before and during our drivers’ journey. Each day, we build routes that are mapped into a telemetry system to help provide the safest route possible, ensuring our drivers remain safe at all times.

We’re aware that our drivers might not always have the same route each day, which is why we run their routes through the pre-journey planning process. We find it’s also really helpful to have a system that will sound an alert when approaching a designated hazardous area of the route—one that the driver may not be familiar with if it’s a new route.

QWhat is AB InBev’s role in TSR, and how has it engaged its private
fleet network to help accomplish the
group’s objective?

AAB InBev is a founding Governing Board member. We helped establish the coalition in 2014 out of a need for the private sector to step up and improve road safety by sharing knowledge, data, technology, and global networks. For example, in collaboration with TSR, AB InBev has helped develop a “Best Practices” series of reports, which aggregate TSR member companies’ processes and guidelines for developing and managing corporate transportation programs. The series has shown that by using the latest technologies, the private sector can ensure its operations, fleets, and employee drivers are safe during transport.

QYou have cast a global net in your efforts to improve road safety. How does the U.S. compare with other
countries, both developed and developing, in road safety
performance?

ANorth America can be a challenging market. However, there are a lot of things working in our favor. Access to technology, transportation infrastructure, government regulations, and coalitions like TSR help to reduce risk and improve safe driving behavior. As a result, AB InBev has reported zero road fatalities in developed markets. In developing zones, we have been able to reduce fatalities by 41 percent compared with last year.

QIn America, there has been much discussion over the xtent to which truck-related crashes are caused not by the truck drivers but by the behavior of motorists. Does your research and analysis corroborate the view that much of the fault lies with motorists putting themselves and big rigs in harm’s way?

A We all have to do our part in reduc- ing road fatalities. AB InBev drivers go through extensive training, and our management teams monitor driver behavior to provide positive guidance and reinforcement. Most motorists do not receive the level of training or continuous coaching a professional driver receives. Yet their vehicles can be just as dangerous.

We focus on providing training to our drivers on defensive driving techniques so they can anticipate other drivers’ behaviors and safely maneuver their vehicle to prevent crashes. We are also piloting technology like colli-sion-avoidance systems, fatigue monitoring, and cameras equipped to proactively identify road hazards and communicate to our drivers.

QSpeaking of behavior, what are the truly serious areas that need to be corrected? A One driver behavior stands out as an epidemic: the use of mobile phones while driving. AB InBev is running a pilot project in which a device that blocks cellphone use is installed in the cabs of its fleet vehicles. This device will only allow navigation programs to run on the driver’s phone, as well as single-touch, hands-free call answering. All other operations and programs are blocked from use, including texting, placing outgoing calls (apart from emergency numbers), and opening other apps.