Based out of Overland Park, Kansas, the Black & Veatch fleet consists of 450 vehicles, including a mix of cars and service trucks. Many fleet drivers are lone workers, responding to calls in the field. Telecom workers in particular put in many miles on the road, driving from cell tower to cell tower performing upgrades or maintenance. Some workers can drive up to 7,000 miles per month. 

Fleet manager Jeff Hill needed a way to help minimise the risk of accidents and promote better driving. The challenge was to find a solution that could accurately measure performance and also motivate the diverse group of drivers. 

Previously, Black & Veatch was using different providers and two different telematics systems. Once the Geotab fleet management solution was installed and running, the process was streamlined. A driver safety scorecard was implemented to better identify at-risk drivers. With Geotab’s support, Black & Veatch developed the rules and fine-tuned the parameters. The driver scorecard allowed Black & Veatch to clearly pinpoint issues and see which drivers or vehicles needed additional training. 

Black & Veatch also placed focus on motivating drivers with communication and feedback. During the roll-out phase, the firm held conference calls and enlisted local managers to assist.

A monthly ranking of top 10 and bottom 10 drivers is posted. Scores are also reported monthly to supervisors and the executive team. Positive feedback is provided to employees who improve their driving safety. 

As a result, the firm has seen few accidents and a safer fleet overall. Since implementing the scorecard and policy, Black & Veatch improved their average fleet safety score by 28%. Black & Veatch also lowered the accident rate from over 5 to 3 accidents per million mile(PMM). The number of high risk drivers was reduced by 87%. 

In addition to improving driver habits, telematics has helped Black & Veatch increase driver safety in other ways. The Geotab solution provides advance warning of vehicle issues. 

Implementing the Geotab solution has also improved customer service — which was a great side benefit. Black & Veatch assigned a zone to each cell tower. With greater visibility of the fleet it is possible to know when workers are coming and going, and when the work is completed. For example, even though they work on thousands of cell towers, Black & Veatch can tell a client the exact time a specific location was serviced. 

In the future, Hill plans to continue working with Geotab, to further refine the rules and enhance the programme. He wants to keep pushing people to do better and reduce the accident rate to below two accidents per million miles. 

Hill said: “I had one of our construction drivers tell us that this is the single, greatest safety initiative that Black & Veatch has ever done.”