GreenRoad, provider of driver performance management services, has sharpened the focus on driver safety at South Mill, one of the nation’s top five mushroom and produce growers and distributors.
Initially deployed across the company’s tractor/trailer fleet, GreenRoad has now been expanded to all company vehicles including farm vehicles, dump trucks, and administrative vehicles. Expanded use of GreenRoad has resulted in further improvements in idling time, reductions in fuel consumption, and collision risk reductions.
South Mill, headquartered in Kennett Square PA, is a vertically integrated mushroom and produce operator serving the eastern United States. It delivers 1.3 million pounds mushrooms, produce, and third-party refrigerated freight per week in 80 outbound loads. The South Mill fleet of 70 tractors and refrigerated trucks deliver around the clock to most major cities east of the Rockies, from six major distribution centers, including from its headquarters in Kennett Square.
The firm grows and delivers perishable products that typically have a 10-day farm-to-plate shelf life. As Mark Moran, operations manager at South Mill, said, “We need to get the produce to the consumer within a specific time window. It’s a fast-paced environment with a high percentage of team drivers. Our drivers need to drive safely while operating under this time pressure.”
South Mill began with a three-month GreenRoad trial in five trucks and has since expanded the system to all company vehicles.
“Improving our safety culture was a primary motivator for us,” said Moran. “With the GreenRoad red-light, green-light in-cab system, the drivers always know how they are doing. They know, ‘green is good’.”
South Mill initially measured a baseline GreenRoad safety score of 38. After 30 days of use, the average safety score dropped substantially, and now averages around 8-9 per month. GreenRoad considers any Safety Score below 20 safe, so the improvement is significant.
“We installed GreenRoad in the cab of one of our long-term drivers who has over 2.3 million driving miles. We were surprised to learn that he was an aggressive driver with harsh breaking and acceleration. He embraced GreenRoad and saw his Safety Score come down. He began experiencing better fuel economy and softer breaking results. This is a success and one of the reasons we rolled GreenRoad out to the broader fleet,” said Moran.
Data is based on this GreenRoad safety score system:
•0-20–Green–denotes smooth, safe, fuel-efficient driving.
•20-40–Yellow–indicates improvements are required in the individual’s driving style so less fuel is used and the risk of damage to the vehicle is minimized.
•40+–Red–shows the driver is burning far too much fuel and regularly engaging in risky behavior that could result in an accident.
For more information, visit www.greenroad.com.
