Groendyke Transport Deploys SmartDrive Program Across Entire Fleet

SAN DIEGO, June 29, 2020—SmartDrive Systems, a leader in video-based safety and transportation intelligence, announced today that Groendyke Transport, one of the oldest and largest tanker fleets in North America, has deployed the SmartDrive^® video-based safety system across its entire fleet. As one of the safest fleets in America, Groendyke is installing the SmartDrive program, with SmartDrive 360 and SmartIQ^®, to broaden its current safety program, helping its drivers become more aware and safer on the roads.

Recognized as the fleet with the best overall safety record and program in the country, Groendyke has won the coveted National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) North American Safety Champion Award — also known as the Heil Trophy — a record eight times. A top-ten tank truck carrier by revenue, Groendyke most recently won the Heil Trophy for safety efforts in 2018 for both its mileage class and the overall award for large carriers due to its extremely low accident frequency: 0.462 DOT accidents per million miles. “The Heil Trophy is the Super Bowl of safety for the tank truck industry and we want to win it every year,” stated Greg Hodgen, president and CEO of Groendyke Transport.

Yet, despite its exceptional safety record and industry-leading drivers, Groendyke leadership knew the company could do even better and turned to SmartDrive. To validate its decision, Groendyke piloted the program, during which SmartDrive’s extensive experience within the tank truck industry, future-focused technology, fully managed service, proactive coaching workflow and superior customer support reaffirmed that SmartDrive was the perfect fit. During the pilot, Groendyke achieved a 73.7% improvement in its Safety Score, an objective measurement of specific driving habits that increase risk and the likelihood of collisions. By proactively identifying risk and coaching against it, Groendyke is working toward eliminating these unsafe behaviors.

“We couldn’t ask for a better partner or better results,” said Aaron Harmon, senior vice president, Groendyke Transport. “From the first time we met SmartDrive, it’s been a great experience in terms of product and support. When we tested other companies’ products, we knew they would be challenging for our managers to use. SmartDrive’s dashboards, coaching program and overall platform are easy to use. It’s clear to see the system was built as a tool to help really good drivers become even better and safer at their profession and not to simply reduce the number of events captured.”

To maximize visibility to driving-related incidents and compliance violations, as well as pinpoint the next steps to improve fleet performance, Groendyke deployed SmartDrive 360 and SmartIQ^® across its entire fleet. SmartDrive 360 provides the option to add cameras to the sides and back of the vehicle, enabling a comprehensive view and delivering insight into the most frequent causes of collisions — such as U-turns, reversing, unintentional lane changes, roll-overs and side swipes. Through this, SmartDrive is able to deliver an unprecedented level of coverage and visibility into risk.

“We knew we wanted to be as safe as we could and recognized we needed more than just road-facing cameras; we needed the complete picture,” Harmon stated. “Knowing what’s going on in and around our trucks is critical and is the only way we can truly coach drivers to be better. While we understand a majority of our drivers are stellar at their job, we realize that sometimes, even the best drivers can benefit from constructive feedback, improving their likelihood to avoid a collision. Our intent is continuous improvement in safety, proactively coaching and recognizing safe driving habits. SmartDrive is the next step to do this.”

SmartIQ’s video analytics platform transforms massive volumes of vehicle sensor data into insights that can be leveraged across fleet operations to help improve efficiency and overall financial performance. “We’ve always been early adopters of safety programs and tools,” continued Harmon. “As a result, we built a driver risk profile, and that’s what we used to coach our drivers to help them improve. SmartIQ supports our internal efforts and will provide us with the piece we’ve been missing.”

“Even for an industry leader like Groendyke, there is no such thing as ‘good enough,’” said Steve Mitgang, SmartDrive CEO. “When it comes to safety, fleets not only need to make sure they understand the root cause of collisions and are proactively coaching drivers to correct unsafe behaviors, but also recognizing safe habits. We applaud Groendyke for always looking for ways to improve safety and look forward to collaborating for many years into the future.”

To learn from SmartDrive customers how deploying the SmartDrive platform has materially improved safety, exonerated their drivers and saved lives, visit: https://www.smartdrive.net/why-smartdrive/customer-success.

About Groendyke Transport, Inc.

Groendyke Transport, Inc. provides safe, superior logistics services that consistently deliver value to leading companies that place a premium on safety and performance. Groendyke Transport is a privately held, family-owned company and an eight-time Heil Trophy winner for best overall safety record and program in the country. Groendyke currently has 42 terminals in 15 states and services 49 states, Canada and Mexico.

About SmartDrive

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. With an easy-to-use managed service, fleets and drivers can access and self-manage driving performance anytime, anywhere. The company, which is ranked as one of the fastest growing companies by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™ for six consecutive years, has recorded over 15 billion miles and compiled the world’s largest storehouse of more than 300 million analyzed risky-driving events. SmartDrive Systems is based in San Diego, Calif., and employs over 725 people worldwide.

For more information on SmartDrive Systems, please visit www.smartdrive.net.

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Media Contact:
Havas Formula for SmartDrive Systems
smartdrive@havasformula.com
619-234-0345

• Posted by Melissa.Senoff@smartdrive.net
• On 29 June 2020