SmartDrive Systems, provider of video-based safety and transportation intelligence, announced that Kienstra Ready-Mix Concrete has experienced a reduction in at-fault collisions since rolling out the SmartDrive® video-based safety program in 2018. In addition to the reduction, SmartDrive has provided tremendous insight to Kienstra’s investigation process. Further, during a recent 12-month period, Kienstra was exonerated in several instances where company drivers were found not at fault. This was a result of video evidence from the SmartDrive program.
“These results are unprecedented for our business, and we can confidently point to SmartDrive as a primary factor in helping us achieve these outcomes,” says Pat Wessels, executive vice president of Kienstra Ready-Mix Concrete. “In today’s environment of ever-increasing insurance premiums and nuclear verdicts, having a great safety record is not enough. We need to stay ahead of the curve. SmartDrive allows us to easily coach our drivers on safer driving behavior and practices, whether at our facilities, at customer sites, or on the road.”
COMPANY TRANSFORMATION
Founded in the mid-1940s, Kienstra supplies ready-mix concrete across the St. Louis regional area with a mission to deliver a quality product at a fair price with excellent service. The company launched a pilot of the SmartDrive program in summer 2018. The aim was to exonerate drivers and reduce risks associated with operating vehicles in challenging construction environments. After recording extraordinary early results, Wessels and his team chose to cut short the pilot and roll out the SmartDrive program with Extended Recording across its entire fleet.
After implementing the SmartDrive platform, Kienstra immediately saw a transformation in driver attitudes and a reduction in risky driving behavior. The fleet experienced improvement across nearly every one of SmartDrive’s more than 70 safety measurements. Specific improvements include:
- Reduced driving without two hands on the wheel by 56%
- Reduced failure to stop at stop signs by 70%
- Decreased unsafe following by 25%
- Decreased unsafe backing by 26%
“Even though we know our drivers do a great job and generally are not at fault, it’s usually the big truck that gets blamed when an incident occurs,” Wessels says. “We wanted a way to prove without a doubt that our drivers were in the right along with teaching better driving habits; there is no better way to do that than with video evidence. I knew SmartDrive was a powerful tool, but the results have exceeded my expectations. It’s one of the better decisions we made.”
A FIT FOR THE MARKET
Ready-mix concrete represents SmartDrive’s fastest growing market segment, which the company attributes to several factors. Factors include ready mix-specific triggering and SmartDrive’s extended recording capability. This allows fleets to continuously record video and provides valuable context to incidents that may not be collected during a standard 20-second recording. As well, SmartDrive 360 provides maximum visibility to protect the driver and those working around the vehicle throughout the day.
“We’re proud to offer an extremely robust and tailored solution that can be configured to perfectly suit the unique needs of construction and ready-mix fleets,” says Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to video-based safety. Kienstra, like other fleets in this sector, face distinct challenges, from navigating congested jobsites with uneven terrain to operating heavy-duty specialty equipment. We look forward to our continued collaboration to help Kienstra meet and exceed its safety goals.”
Find out more, visit www.smartdrive.net.
