Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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INNOVATORS Transportation set out to identify a way to discourage speeding and other bad driving behaviors that impact driver safety performance – and ultimately the company's own CSA scores – while at the same time offsetting the loss of driver wages as a result of practicing safer driving habits. Boosting pay for safety Last July, Area Transportation unveiled a new pay program that rewards safe drivers with a pay boost based on CSA performance. The purpose, says Mul- len, is to "incentivize safe behaviors by rewarding drivers financially for not speeding and not getting violations on roadside inspections." While FMCSA doesn't release driver scores, Area Transportation has up- dated its proprietary software to mirror the CSA points and weighting system in order to get an accurate performance measurement for each of its 150 com- pany drivers. " We would be silly not to use the (CSA) program as a basis to identify and reward our safe drivers." – Kevin Mullen, director of safety, human resources and recruiting "FMCSA has invested a great deal of time and money in CSA in an effort to identify unsafe drivers and carriers," says Mullen. "We believe the science behind CSA is valid, and we would be silly not to use the program as a basis to identify and reward our safe drivers." To qualify for Area Transportation's Area Transportation's new CSA-based bonus program for company drivers has placed an in- creased emphasis on the importance of pre-trip inspections and maintenance programs. new program, a company driver has to demonstrate five years of accident-free performance. Current drivers and new recruits with a preventable accident on their driving record won't be eligible until the five-year window elapses. Drivers also have to demon- strate strict tolerance to a low CSA point threshold in Area Transpor- tation's program. Drivers with 10 or fewer CSA points receive a 1 percent increase in base pay, while drivers with 11 to 20 CSA points receive a 0.5 percent increase. The threshold intentionally is demanding in order to modify driver behavior. Even a single seatbelt violation – which carries a severity weighting of 7 and a time weighting of 3, for a total of 21 points – would disqualify the driv- er from the company's CSA bonus program for six months. "We set the bar to where we would get the desired results," says Mullen. "We know they are doable – we spent a great deal of time figuring out where those thresholds needed to be to improve performance." New drivers that satisfy the five- 56 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2012 year safe driving record are eligible for the bonus program immediately based on their Pre-Employment Screening Program violations. Area Transporta- tion monitors driver CSA performance on a quarterly basis to determine eligibility. Drivers whose scores rise above the 10- and 20-point thresholds will see their bonus decrease – or lose it altogether. "One percent over a quarter may not sound like much, but over a year they're looking at potentially $7,000 or $8,000 in pay increases," says Mullen. "That's a significant incentive." Area Transportation's first quarterly bonus program began last Oct. 1. At the time, 19 drivers qualified for the 1 percent bonus, while six drivers quali- fied for the 0.5 percent bonus. On the second evaluation that took place Jan. 1, the company had 29 drivers qualify for the 1 percent bonus and four driv- ers qualify for the 0.5 percent bonus. In the five months since the program began, Area Transportation already has seen positive results. Drivers are paying closer attention to their pre-trip inspec- tions and are being more proactive in working with the company's mainte- nance department to get repairs done quickly. While it's too soon to deter- mine the CSA pay structure's impact on recruiting, it only can help attract drivers who feel they can succeed under the program. Area Transportation's CSA bonus program currently is available only to company drivers, but the carrier plans to roll out a version for its independent contractors, who typically are paid by the load. The company plans to offer them a 1 or 2 percent bonus for meeting the same 20- and 10-point thresholds as company drivers. CCJ INNOVATORS profiles carriers and fleets 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.