Plastic Express Enhances Fleet Safety with Technological Collaboration
Plastic Express, a renowned veteran-owned third-party logistics provider, has made significant strides in enhancing the safety of its fleet operations. The company, which specialises in the transport, packaging, and storage of plastic resin, recently announced its successful partnership with several technology firms: Netradyne, Geotab, and Gridline. This collaboration has resulted in improved safety outcomes across its expansive operations, which include 250 heavy-duty trucks, 30 bulk truck terminals, and 4.2 million square feet of warehouses nationwide.
To address fleet safety, Plastic Express sought an innovative approach by first collaborating with Gridline to integrate Geotab telematics into their driver operations. Subsequently, they teamed up with Netradyne, a SaaS provider specialising in AI and edge computing, to deploy driver and road-facing cameras aimed at enhancing both driver safety and operational efficiency.
The integration of Netradyne’s advanced camera systems has provided Plastic Express with crucial capabilities for driver exoneration and the promotion of safer driving behaviours. The synergy of Geotab's telematics technology and Netradyne's AI-powered GreenZone Score has enabled the company to gain valuable insights into critical safety aspects, such as following distances, driver drowsiness, and distracted driving.
Further enhancing the effectiveness of their safety programme, Gridline combined key data insights from Geotab and Netradyne. These insights included metrics on idling, miles per gallon (MPG) efficiency, and hours of service violations, resulting in a comprehensive view of driver performance. Within a span of three to six months, Plastic Express reported a 13% reduction in severe driving alerts, alongside a noticeable decline in speeding incidents, stoplight violations, and stop sign infractions.
David Edgarton, the assistant vice president of environmental health and safety at Plastic Express, elaborated on the company's initiative, stating, "We have elevated safety to a value as part of our I-ACT-Safe initiative. The Gridline, Geotab, and Netradyne team is the driving force behind our safety program." He expressed how the combination of these technologies at both the technological and customer service level allowed terminal managers to gain advanced visibility into driver activities and provide real-time coaching via the Driver•i mobile app. Drivers have also benefitted from Geotab's user-friendly tablet interface, which aids in managing hours of service, driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs), and other key inspections.
Adam Kahn, chief business development officer at Netradyne, praised Plastic Express for the gains achieved with the implementation of their technology, highlighting the positive driver feedback on GreenZone Score’s role in promoting better driving behaviours. Similarly, Stephen White, associate vice president of business development at Geotab, emphasised the importance of collaboration in unlocking fleet safety potential, stating, "By working alongside industry leaders like Netradyne and Gridline, we’ve helped Plastic Express integrate advanced telematics solutions."
Scott Tenney, co-founder of Gridline, echoed these sentiments by highlighting how Gridline Analytics has simplified the management of telematics and camera data for Plastic Express. The unified data approach has led to notable reductions in safety incidents and improved both driver and vehicle performance efficiency.
Plastic Express’s strategic collaboration with Netradyne, Geotab, and Gridline showcases the logistics industry's growing reliance on advanced technology to improve operational safety and efficiency, setting a precedent for utilising sophisticated telematics systems in fleet management.
Source: Noah Wire Services