According to the saying, "slow and steady wins the race," but the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has quantified a number of connections between eco-friendly driving techniques and safety.
Working with Sutco Transportation Specialists, J&R Hall Transport, Kriska Transportation, and a fourth unnamed fleet in 2022, TIRF analyzed fuel-saving practices such as cruise control use, vehicle speeds, hard deceleration, hard turns, and collisions.
The lower the risk of near-collisions, the more time drivers spent in their top gear when limited at 101 km/h while in cruise control or at 105 km/h with their own foot on the throttle.
Milad Delavary, a research associate at TIRF, explains, "We hypothesized that if fleet drivers implemented all of these fuel-saving techniques, it would improve their and other road users' safety." And the study results confirmed the validity of the hypotheses.
Fuel-efficient driving techniques led to a 7% reduction in the likelihood of hard braking, an 8% reduction in the likelihood of hard left or right maneuvers, and a 4% reduction in the likelihood of collisions. Driving in top gear at a constant speed of approximately 101 km/h reduced stability control events by 34%, while a 1% increase in the use of cruise control reduced hard deceleration events by 3%.
Guy Broderick, the superintendent of safety and training for Kriska's Ontario-based fleet, says that monitoring data with the Isaac Coach and SpeedGauge systems has yielded comparable results in the past.
Three of the participating fleets in the TIRF study utilized the Isaac Coach, which provides drivers with indicators to optimize throttle pressure, gear selection, and cruise control use. In addition, drivers who scored above 80 on this system reduced their petroleum consumption by up to 15%.
According to Broderick, it provides drivers with a simple method to comprehend the desired techniques. "It's as if a light turns on and something clicks," he continues. When it does, there is a direct benefit for Kriska drivers. Those with a Speed Gauge score above 740 and an Isaac Coach score above 90 are awarded $100 Amazon gift cards.
"Driver assistance technologies [such as cruise control] can help truck drivers reduce crash risk, resulting in lower insurance premiums and increased productivity. Consequently, insurance companies may encourage drivers to use these systems because they can reduce collision-related costs, according to TIRF's findings.
"Having a plan for training and educational programs to help promote eco-driving techniques can result in greater fuel efficiency and safety," the report continued. "Such a program should contain information on driving performance, which is affected by load, slope, shape, type of trailer, wind, temperature, rain, snow, rolling resistance, and mechanical resistance."
Delavary emphasized that the TIRF study focused more on human factors than on the vehicles themselves.
TIRF concluded that employers seeking to optimize the benefits should initially target young and "low-experience" drivers, who face greater crash risks and can achieve the greatest improvements in driving styles through coaching.
"It is essential to focus first on the population of drivers who are most likely to be involved in a collision as a result of spending more time behind the wheel. The more miles commercial vehicles travel, the greater their risk of being involved in an accident," the report continued. "Workplace policies should reflect this reality. "Drivers who travel longer distances and more frequently should rest more and take more breaks to reduce the risk of fatigue and drowsiness, which increases the likelihood of an accident."
Broderick suggests that even seasoned drivers can benefit. He recalls a veteran of the industry who scoffed at the notion that such a score could make him a better driver. Now, he and a coworker routinely engage in a friendly competition to improve their scores.
The three companies that utilized the Isaac system provided information from a total of 2,531 drivers who collectively covered 18,000 travel segments and 331 million kilometers. The fourth business had 103 drivers who traveled a total of 5,300,000 kilometers.
"Using this technology, 'Big Brother' is not going to be watching over drivers," Broderick says, emphasizing the value of tracking driver performance formally. "It's about teaching your drivers to become better drivers."