Ruston Paving Skips Pilot Program and Deploys the SmartDrive Video-based Safety Program Fleetwide

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartDrive Systems, a leader in video-based safety and transportation intelligence, today announced Ruston Paving has deployed the SmartDrive^® program across its entire fleet. Skipping a pilot program, Ruston Paving opted for a "straight to rollout" implementation, based on strong references from other fleets, coupled with the SmartDrive fully managed service offering, configuration flexibility and the program's ability to capture risk unique to fleets in the construction industry. As a result of implementation, Ruston Paving immediately saw a 92 percent improvement in its SmartDrive Safety Score, a leading indicator that objectively assesses safe driving performance and compares drivers, sites and other organizational units.

"Safety is a top priority for our company, and SmartDrive helps us avoid accidents by giving us a more comprehensive view of our drivers, allowing us to proactively identify potential problems," stated Lang Butler, vice president of Ruston Paving. "Once we identify risky driving behavior, we then have the opportunity to engage drivers in constructive coaching sessions based on actionable insights delivered through the SmartDrive platform."

Ruston Paving is a commercial and industrial paving construction contractor with offices in New York, Virginia and North Carolina. The company supports all types of asphalt paving projects ranging from minor repairs to major rehabilitation and new construction throughout the Northeastern United States every day, and views safety as a business imperative. With over 75 years of experience, Ruston Paving prides itself on meeting and exceeding customers' expectations by combining state-of-the-art equipment with a knowledgeable and skilled labor force.

"At Ruston Paving, we have a long history of emphasizing the safety of our employees and the general public on the roadways and jobsites where we work. Our decision to deploy the SmartDrive program was a natural evolution of our dedication to invest in solutions that improve our ability to operate safely," added Butler. "We selected the SmartDrive platform because it is configurable to the risks specific to our fleet. Additionally, the fully managed service saves us time and resources, allowing our managers to coach, rather than wasting time weeding through videos looking for problems." 

Ruston Paving deployed SmartDrive 360 with Extended Recording to optimize visibility to risk. Triggering up to four cameras simultaneously based on high-risk maneuvers, SmartDrive 360 provides better insight into frequent causes of collisions. The Extended Recording service offers the company "never-miss" protection, ideal for low-impact collisions, compliance and security incidents. This capability pairs exception-based recording with optional DVR-like recording functionality, providing full situational context to fleet managers.

The Ruston leadership team cited the SmartDrive program's enhanced coaching workflow as an important factor influencing its decision to implement the platform. The coaching workflows can be customized to align with the fleet's unique risk profile, and incorporate contextual driving analytics enabling a more individualized approach to driver coaching sessions.

"Coaching not only allows us to focus on areas that need improvement, but also provides positive reinforcement in instances where our drivers took preemptive action or responded in a positive way to events that occurred," Butler commented. "We're able to use these events as teachable moments for drivers throughout the company and spread the knowledge fleetwide. As a result, our drivers love having SmartDrive in their trucks and many won't drive without it."

Reinforcing the importance of coaching to the SmartDrive improvement process, Ruston Safety Director Al Dominy stated, "Since implementing the SmartDrive program, we've experienced far fewer coachable events, and I attribute this improvement to the coaching we are doing. The more we coach, the better our drivers get. A lot of what we're seeing now is of a relatively minor nature and I'm proud of our progress."

"Construction is the fastest growing segment in our portfolio, and we're pleased to add Ruston Paving to the growing list of companies opting to maximize fleet safety by adopting the SmartDrive system," stated Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. "Ruston is a recognized industry leader when it comes to leveraging advanced technologies to improve customer service, operational efficiency and safety. Lang and his team are to be commended for an unwavering commitment to make sure Ruston drivers are among the safest in the construction sector."

About SmartDrive Systems
SmartDrive Systems, the recipient of Frost & Sullivan's Customer Value Leadership Award for Video Safety Solutions, gives fleets and drivers unprecedented driving performance insight and analysis, helping save fuel, expenses and lives. Its video analysis, predictive analytics 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™, has compiled the world's largest storehouse of more than 220 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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SOURCE SmartDrive Systems

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