2024 State of Trucking Research Report Available Now. Learn More.
Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released early estimates of traffic fatalities for 2023 so far, estimating traffic fatalities declined for the fifth straight quarter.
As a professional truck driver, what can you do to keep this trend moving in the right direction?
Here are some steps to avoid aggressive driving.
As a truck driver, you know all too well the various risks that come with driving on the road. From hazardous road conditions like construction, bad weather, and heavy traffic to encountering aggressive or distracted drivers, you face numerous growing challenges.
In fact, driving is considered one of the most dangerous activities most individuals engage in daily. However, you as truck drivers are exposed to these dangers on a much larger scale.
To stay safe while driving, it’s crucial for you to stay informed about the latest information and be vigilant of possible hazards. To help with this, we’ve put together some tips on how to stay up to date with the latest safety measures.
Regulations regarding safety may be subject to change, but there are specific departments responsible for setting the latest standards. These include the Department of Transportation (DOT) or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FSCMA). Even though they set the regulations, it’s the responsibility of truck drivers to stay informed and adapt their practices accordingly. Compliance with industry regulations not only ensures safety for all but also helps avoid potential fines and penalties. It’s a good idea to build a system for yourself of regularly checking for any regulation updates that may impact you.
Many trucking companies offer safety training programs, and host safety-focused events and conferences. These sessions typically cover topics such as defensive driving, the Smith System, load securing, and accident prevention. Additionally joining and participating in these events promotes a culture of safety within your company and provides valuable safety resources, training, and networking opportunities, and enhances your safety knowledge.
As a driver, you may not always be available to attend events or programs in person, due to location or being on the road. But there are options for online webinars and courses on trucking readily available. Taking advantage of these resources can enhance your knowledge and skills and give you access to a variety of interactive learning topics and experts. Other benefits include convenience, flexibility, and can be cost-effective with self-paced learning.
Staying connected in the trucking community through social media helps provide support, advice, and a platform for sharing safety-related content, regardless if you’re currently on the road or not. You can listen to podcasts and get real-time updates from experts and experienced truckers, which can help you stay informed about accidents, news, regulations, and safety. And by subscribing to relevant industry publications, accounts, and online communities you can gain valuable insights into safety trends, technology advancements, and best practices.
To ensure safety on the road, it is important to develop a habit of self-assessment. This proactive approach not only increases awareness of potential risks but also contributes to a safer environment for both you and other drivers. Through regularly assessing your driving habits, checking equipment maintenance, and being self-aware you can identify areas for improvement to lead to safer driving practices. Remember, safety starts with you.
Did you know Centerline has a mobile app? This app was built to keep drivers like you updated, and connected, with safety tips and more. With safety being the number one priority, Centerline drivers can easily submit an accident or injury report to our Service Team directly through the mobile app. No matter where you are, our mobile app can ensure you are in the loop on everything you need, to know while on the road and off.
Ensuring safety on the road is a shared responsibility, and truck drivers have a critical role to play in keeping themselves and others safe. Staying informed about safety practices and regulations is crucial for truck drivers to help make the roads safer for everyone, and to ensure their safe return home.
Want more safety tips? Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest safety content including tips, checklists, how to prevent injuries, and more.
Through our Respect the Drive program, our team and customers nominate drivers each month to share their stories for all the hard work they do, going above and beyond in some way.
This month, our spotlight winner is Robert McGough, a mobile driver in Newton, New Hampshire.
For the past two years, Robert has worked for a dedicated customer, Standard Logistics, and has won the hearts of many. “We, along with the client absolutely love him!” says Candice Dilts, Service Manager, who nominated McGough.
Embodying what it means to be a Centerline Driver, “he is always willing to train the new drivers and go wherever he is needed. Safety is a priority to him, and he has a great attitude,” Dilts added.
The New Hampshire team ensures the culture stays positive, acknowledged, and appreciated, by always recognizing and sharing all positive feedback from clients with the drivers, and the entire team.
Thank you, Robert, for all your hard work and for Respecting the Drive!
If you are a driver in the market or know a driver who would be a great fit for Centerline, our Recruiting Managers are ready to talk! Reach out to them today
Centerline Drivers is an official partner of Truckers Against Trafficking.
Through this partnership, we are committed to educating and empowering our drivers, customers, and internal teams to combat human trafficking on the road and throughout the community.
Join us and our drivers on the journey to combat human trafficking by pledging your commitment at www.centerlinedrivers.com/pledge.
Acknowledging the safest drivers who go above and beyond in an amazing way.
At the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) Safety Conference in Orlando, FL, drivers were honored and awarded as the 2023 National All-Star Drivers.
The National Driver All-Star Awards are awarded annually by NPTC to private fleet truck drivers who have demonstrated high-performance standards against their peer drivers throughout the country based on customer service, safety, adherence to company standards, regulatory compliance, and community service.
Among the winners is Joel Lawson, who was Centerline Drivers’ 2022 Driver of the Year. Lawson was additionally recognized as an honorable mention for NPTC’s 2023 Driver Hall of Fame.
Another driver who received an honorable mention in NPTC’s Driver Hall of Fame is Tony Scranton, a driver here at Centerline.
With safety being the number one priority here at Centerline, we celebrate and appreciate two of our drivers being awarded.
Congratulations to Joel and Tony on this well-deserved recognition and for embodying what it means to be a true all-star driver. And thank you for all you do for Centerline
Nearly one out of five commercial motor vehicles were placed out of service during the International Roadcheck commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance last May.
During the three-day initiative, 59,429 commercial motor vehicles were inspected in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 72-hour International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative.
A total of 116,669 violations were identified throughout the effort, which included all driver and vehicle out-of-service violations and violations that were not out of service, combined.
By analyzing the results, we can underscore the importance of conducting a proper pre-trip inspection, to ensure both you and your equipment are road-ready.
Here at Centerline, our team takes pride in our drivers and ensuring the safety of those around them. We want to recognize our safest drivers that go above and beyond.
Our Driver Safety Recognition Program will reward drivers who make safety a priority.
Centerline Drivers is proud to announce our official partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking.
Through this partnership, our drivers will be trained and certified in how to combat human trafficking directly on our Centerline mobile app. We will also be building programs and initiatives for our customers and internal teams to get involved in helping with this fight.
We are committed to educating and empowering our drivers, customers, and internal teams to combat human trafficking on the road.
“I’m so excited for this partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking,” said Jill Quinn, president of Centerline Drivers. “I know this training is going to be a game-changer for our drivers, customers, and internal teams. It will enable us to do our part to help combat trafficking on the road.”
“Centerline is well-positioned to raise awareness with their customers and drivers about the realities of human trafficking, and we commend them for taking this opportunity during driver appreciation week to do just that,” stated Esther Goetsch, TAT executive director. “By celebrating drivers, amplifying the message and making training readily available through their app, we are extremely hopeful that their efforts will result in more victims being recovered and perpetrators being arrested.”
Join us and our drivers on the journey to combat human trafficking by pledging your commitment at www.centerlinedrivers.com/pledge.
With our Driver Management Service (DMS), hiring a qualified driver is just the start of our fully outsourced partnership. Our team works to build a custom full-service process for your fleet, with everything from hiring and onboarding to driver compliance files and safety training.
Our DMS solution is a great fit for a lot of trucking operations. Take this short quiz to see if DMS is the best option for you.
Centerline Drivers is partnering with Truckers Against Trafficking to help our drivers combat trafficking on the road. Through this partnership, our drivers can be trained and certified directly on our Centerline mobile app.
Join us and our drivers on the journey to combat human trafficking by pledging your commitment here.
Centerline Drivers is proud to announce our official partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking. Through this partnership, our drivers are able to be trained and certified in how to combat trafficking directly on our Centerline mobile app. We will also be building programs and initiatives for our customers and internal teams to get involved in helping with this fight.
Join us and our drivers on the journey to combat human trafficking by pledging your commitment here.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has scheduled this year’s Brake Safety Week for August 20-26 with a special focus on brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.
Why the focus on brakes now? According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 32.7% of large trucks with pre-crash violations had brake problems. In addition, brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of out-of-service vehicle violations.
During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors highlight the importance of brake systems by conducting inspections of their components and removing commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from our roadways until those violations are corrected.
![Driver Safety Recognition Program [Info Sheet]](https://www.centerlinedrivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Copy-of-IMAGE_Duotone_BLUE-12.jpg)
![Centerline DMS Assessment 2023 [Infographic]](https://www.centerlinedrivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/DMS-Assessment-3.png)
