VASCOR Transport Ltd

Building Safety Culture beyond Policies and Procedures

Throughout my career in transportation safety, I have learned that building a strong safety culture takes more than policies, procedures, and disciplinary action. It requires leadership, transparency, and a commitment to developing drivers.

I have had the opportunity to be part of two organizations that successfully reduced their FMCSA Crash Indicator BASIC scores into the single digits. While these accomplishments required multiple safety initiatives, I strongly believe structured coaching, continuous training, and employee engagement played an important role.

One lesson has remained consistent throughout my career—Technology can identify unsafe behaviors, but people are responsible for changing them.

Building the Foundation before Installing Cameras

When organizations consider implementing inward-facing event recorders, the conversation often begins with selecting the right technology. In my opinion, that should not be the first step.

The process should begin with leadership buy-in. Executive leadership, operations managers, and frontline supervisors must understand the purpose of the technology and their responsibilities in making the program successful.

Once leadership is aligned, organizations should develop a clear roadmap outlining how the technology will be introduced, which behaviors require coaching, who will conduct those conversations, and how results will be measured. Most importantly, organizations must be transparent with their drivers.

“One lesson has remained consistent throughout my career—Technology can identify unsafe behaviors, but people are responsible for changing them.”

Drivers deserve to understand how the technology works, what information is collected, and how it will be used. Without trust, even the best technology can face resistance. I always explain that identifying a coaching opportunity does not mean someone is a bad or unsafe driver. I often reference professional athletes. Even the greatest athletes regularly review game film with their coaches, not because they are unsuccessful, but because there is always room for improvement.

Turning Information into Meaningful Coaching

One of the greatest challenges I have encountered with event recorders is managing the amount of information they produce and ensuring it leads to meaningful action.

Coaching should never become a check-the-box exercise where an event is assigned, acknowledged, and closed without any real effort to improve the behavior. The goal should be to reduce repeat events, reinforce safe driving habits, and ultimately prevent crashes. This requires participation beyond the Safety Department.

Operations managers and supervisors interact with drivers daily, making their involvement essential. Safety should provide guidance, monitor trends, and ensure consistency, but operations must share ownership of the coaching process. When drivers, managers, operations, and safety professionals work together, coaching becomes part of the organization's culture rather than another administrative requirement.

Coaching Is About Solutions, Not Just Problems

I have personally worked with numerous experienced drivers who struggled to adapt to newer technology, particularly hands-free communication systems.

In some cases, what initially appeared to be distracted driving was actually an opportunity for additional education. Simply taking the time to demonstrate how to use the technology and reinforce safe practices properly can make a tremendous difference.

This is why I believe coaching should be constructive rather than primarily punitive. Accountability is still important, especially when serious or repeated unsafe behaviors occur. However, drivers are often much more receptive when they understand that the goal is to help them improve, not simply identify their mistakes.

Effective coaching should identify what happened, explain the associated risks, establish expectations, and follow up to ensure improvement.

Measuring What Matters

Ultimately, a successful coaching program must produce measurable results. Organizations should evaluate event frequency, recurring behaviors, coaching effectiveness, and crash trends rather than focusing solely on the number of coaching sessions completed.

Having been part of two organizations that achieved single-digit Crash Indicator BASIC scores, I have witnessed the tremendous progress possible when technology, training, leadership, and consistent coaching work together.

Those experiences have reinforced my belief that safety is not about catching drivers doing something wrong. It is about helping them consistently do things right.

Event recorders provide visibility. Training provides knowledge. Coaching drives improvement. But communication, trust, and shared accountability are what make those improvements sustainable.