Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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38 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2014 winner in the organization's 2013 National Fleet Safety Awards program. Getting there faster Company executives quickly realized that even though the speed reduction program initially was created to im- prove safety performance, it also could help improve productivity. To help drivers understand the im- portance of going 3 mph slower in 65- mph zones and its effect on produc- tivity and fuel economy, J&R Schugel developed its "Slower is Faster" class, which it teaches to new drivers at ori- entation and as part of its continuous driver coaching courses. According to Merches, drivers who follow the 3-mph speed reduction rule actually deliver loads faster than those who don't follow the guideline. Merch- es says vehicle dynamics play a big role in this counterintuitive concept. "We have our speed governors set at 65 mph, but when we drive at 62 mph, it allows the engine to continually get power and stay in top gear because the governor isn't kicking in," he says. "The driver isn't losing momentum as he drives up an incline. A truck that weighs 80,000 pounds traveling at the 65-mph max speed slows down as it ascends a hill and has the governor kick out the fuel at the worst time – at the bottom of a hill." Initially, drivers naturally were hesitant to believe that driving slower could lead to greater overall road speeds. To prove the point, J&R Schugel performed a case study where one driver traveled at 65 mph as much as he could while another driver main- tained a 60-mph maximum speed. The slower driver drove 28 miles further in 25 fewer minutes over the course of the daylong test. "Suddenly, the potential nine-minute loss is right out the window, and drivers buy into the concept," says Merches. "With the performance-monitoring capabilities we have now, we can break it down and show them," says Merches, who challenges drivers who don't believe the results to test it for themselves and come back to him with data to substantiate their beliefs. In three years, he hasn't had a driver come back and say the program is wrong. With its "slower is faster" approach, J&R Schugel's trucks stay in top gear an average of 21 percent more often, resulting in a faster overall road speed. Before the company instituted the program, the fl eet's average road speed was 53 mph; today, the average is up to 57 mph. "Our operations staff is blown away that loads are actually being delivered quicker," says Merches. Beyond productivity gains, J&R Schugel also has been able to improve fuel economy dramatically as a result of the "slower is faster" approach. It now coaches drivers on the impor- tance of cruise control, progressive shifting patterns and starting from stop in fi rst gear. J&R Schugel also monitors driver fuel performance regularly. Last sum- mer, the fl eet averaged 7.68 mpg – in- cluding local, regional and long-haul routes – up from 6.52 mpg before it rolled out the "slower is faster" program. "I actually get drivers who pull up their fuel performance in the cab and send me a text message with a picture of their trip," says Merches. "It's fun to see the driver reaction and how they get involved and buy into the concept." Every month, J&R Schugel pulls the fuel mileage data for every truck and driver in its fl eet. Those drivers in the bottom 10 percent of fuel economy performance undergo one-on-one coaching sessions on how they can work to improve fuel effi ciency. "This year, we would like our overall average fuel economy to be nearing 8 mpg," says Merches. "Trying to get a driver who's only getting 6.3 mpg up to 7 mpg or more is going to have a huge impact on raising the fl eet aver- age." The next step Continuing its march toward even better safety performance and driver productivity, J&R Schugel is joining a growing list of carriers employing in-cab video. Last month, it an- nounced it would begin installing driver- and road-facing cameras in all of its trucks for driver coaching and to lower accident frequency. "We anticipate that we will have fewer hard-braking incidents, that drivers will look farther out in front of the vehicle, and that they will pro- gressively downshift more frequently," says Merches. "They don't want to trigger the camera, so they'll drive smarter and smoother." The company expects some initial blowback from its drivers but expects it to be short-lived. "When you put new technology in trucks, you have to teach the driver the reasons for it and how it will benefi t them," says Merches. CC J I N N O VATO R S profi les carriers and fl eets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking's challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. With its "slower is faster" approach, J&R Schugel's trucks stay in top gear an average of 21 percent more often, resulting in a faster overall road speed.