This is the fourth in a series of blogs that discusses the 13 driving principles that drive Prime Inc. to be the best carrier in the industry. The fourth driving principle is Safety.
Do you need a new job? You undoubtedly only want to start a new career if it’s safe. Prime Inc. is dedicated to operating safely; with safety as one of the company’s driving principles, Prime Inc. vows never to exchange the safety of those in their truck driver jobs for economic gain.
Of course, a large part of safety on the road rests in the hands of the independent contractors and company drivers. Everyone with truck driver jobs at Prime Inc. agrees: there’s nothing more important when you’re out on the road than driving safely. Prime Inc. drivers stay safe every time they get behind the wheel by:
- Driving defensively
- Preplanning their trip and knowing the safest routes
- Following all safety laws
- Remaining alert behind the wheel at all times
- Staying ahead of the moment by watching traffic on all sides of the truck
- Recognizing that their own lives and the lives of those around them could be in danger if they drive unsafely
All drivers at Prime must complete the Smith System course prior to getting out on the road in one of their trucks. The Smith System was developed in 1952 by Harold Smith to help drivers learn proper driving habits and prevent collisions. The Smith System teaches drivers to remember the following 5 Keys:
- Aim High in Steering
- Get the Big Picture
- Keep Your Eyes Moving
- Leave Yourself an Out
- Make Sure They See You
Prime Inc. is constantly looking for ways to improve truck driver job safety. The company holds weekly Driver Safety Meetings every Friday at its headquarters in Springfield, MO and live streams the meeting to its second largest terminal in Pittston, PA. During these meetings, management presents information and training on various topics from safety to maintenance to driver health and fitness and more. The drivers who attend the meetings are able to ask questions, provide feedback, and come up with solutions to issues. These meetings are condensed monthly into truck driver safety podcasts available to all drivers and the public so they can stay in the know about current issues and news with the company. The current initiatives that Prime Inc. carries out include:
- Monitoring driver performance through via technology platforms on the truck and trailer
- Prohibiting distracted driving
- Ensuring onboard safety features are available on all trucks, including:
o  OnGuard, a forward-looking radar system that gives visual and audio alerts for “too close” following distances when using cruise control
o  ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), an advanced system on all axels that prevents lock-up and loss of vehicle control during emergency braking and/or inclement road conditions
o  Traction Control, a system that detects loss of traction and applies the brake to that wheel and/or cuts throttle power
o  Roll Stability Control, technology that helps prevent rollovers by detecting loss of traction and applying the brake to that wheel and/or cuts throttle power
- Testing new safety technology
o  Currently, Prime is testing out hundreds of in-truck cameras that capture video and audio anytime a critical event happens to the truck (i.e. hard braking, collisions, etc) to help protect drivers on the road by providing footage of incidents and accidents and show what truly happened.
If you need a new job, learn more about truck driver jobs available with Prime Inc. by visiting our blog. Then, keep up with the latest trucking industry news by finding us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.
