Cypress Truck Lines - SmartDrive

Why Cypress was Ready for a Video-Based Safety Program

Cypress Truck Lines, Inc. is a flatbed carrier headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, operating more than 500 power units throughout the United States. Family-owned and operated, Cypress takes an innovative approach to safety by treating it as a strategic component of their business. They are a company that is not satisfied with the status-quo and has proven you can invest in safety and your drivers, while also building a growing, healthy business.

The Cypress management team sought out technology to provide a deeper view of overall safety performance and to help lower collision costs by reducing the number of claims and exonerating drivers from not-at-fault collisions.

Why the SmartDrive^® program is the Smart Choice for Cypress

Following an extensive evaluation process of multiple providers, Cypress selected the SmartDrive program because of its modern technology platform, flexible program and hands-on customer success team. Within weeks of implementation, the company improved its safety score by 57 percent and saw reductions in speeding and distracted driving—58 percent and 48 percent respectively. In the three years since adopting the dual-camera configuration, and with steady, sustained progress, Cypress has improved its safety score by 80 percent overall, and the fleet has reduced instances of exceeding the maximum fleet speed by 100 percent.

57

Improvement in Safety Score

58

Reduction in Speeding

48

Reduction in Distracted Driving

78

Reduction in Unsafe Following

The SmartDrive program is in place to protect drivers and Cypress is already seeing it positively impact fleet operations—exonerating two drivers who were not at fault in addition to significantly reducing collision costs. As a result, Cypress drivers are embracing the SmartDrive program and acknowledging the peace of mind the platform brings to their daily work.

“I am now confident that, should an incident occur while I’m on the road, and it’s not my fault, I will have the proof I need to be exonerated. That’s peace of mind.”

Larry Robinson, driver

The SmartDrive platform identifies unsafe driving with an open platform that captures video, vehicle, audio and driving data, and automatically offloads footage for expert review and analysis, providing a clear picture of what happened on the road. The management team at Cypress has developed a robust coaching program for its 530-plus drivers based on the actionable data served up by the SmartDrive platform. Because footage and analysis are provided in real-time, the coaching team spread across Cypress’ service area can meet with drivers on an as-needed, individual basis.

With an aim of creating a positive company culture focused on safety and retaining its quality drivers, Cypress has created a safety bonus program using the individual safety scores assigned to each driver. Drivers are continually given specific and tailored feedback from management on how they can improve, and drivers can also track their personal score on a mobile device, giving them the opportunity to learn and self-correct. Those who demonstrate consistently strong driving skills with no-fault incidents, as well as those who show solid improvement, are rewarded.

“By having in-cab as well as forward-facing cameras, we can prevent accidents through proactive coaching on the skills our drivers need to be safer. The driver-facing cameras give us insight into what our drivers are doing at the time of an incident so our safety team can address and correct dangerous habits, leading to a direct improvement in driver safety behind the wheel.”

Matthew Penland, vice president of risk management at Cypress

The SmartDrive program has proven effective in improving the efficiency and protection in the on-boarding process. Cypress can now measure driving performance and protect each driver from the first day on the road, identify good drivers, and those who require additional coaching and investment or pose significant risk to the business.

“The SmartDrive analytics team has been there with us every step of the way, providing actionable data on what skills our drivers need to improve to be safer and prevent collisions before they occur.”

Matthew Penland, vice president of risk management at Cypress

Learn More About Video-Based Safety for Your Fleet

SmartDrive Systems gives fleets and drivers unprecedented driving performance insight and analysis, helping save fuel, expenses and lives. Its video safety, predictive analytics, telematics, compliance and personalized performance program help fleets improve driving skills, lower operating costs and deliver significant ROI.

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