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Driver Health Must Match Equipment Care, CarriersEdge Says
CarriersEdge President Mark Murrell Says Safety Programs Start With Scope Awareness
Key Takeaways:
- CarriersEdge President Mark Murrell said driver safety and injury prevention programs must start by recognizing the scope of injuries, which fleets often overlook in favor of equipment maintenance.
- Murrell said traditional classroom training often fails because it is inconvenient, uncompensated and disengaging, while interactive online training improves relevance, flexibility and driver buy-in.
- Murrell said showing drivers real injury scenarios and costs, especially injuries occurring when trucks are not moving, helps reinforce risks and strengthen commitment to safer behaviors.
Effective driver safety and injury prevention programs begin with recognizing the scope of the problem.
That can be a challenge, especially for small to midsize fleets, where attention is often focused on maintaining equipment rather than worker health, said Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge.
“Fleets are very good at taking care of trucks and trailers,” he said. “Sometimes the health of the driver becomes secondary. The truck does not matter if you do not have a healthy person driving it.”
CarriersEdge provides interactive online training for fleets and runs the Best Fleets to Drive For program, which recognizes top-performing motor carriers and best practices across the industry.
A core problem with traditional classroom training, Murrell said, is disengagement. Drivers may be required to attend sessions on weekends, miss miles or participate without compensation, all of which reduce attention and buy-in.
“Drivers are not learning at a time that is convenient for them,” Murrell said. “The training is generic and uninspiring. They are being given a list of rules or instructions that do not resonate or connect meaningfully to what they do every day.”
Interactive online training addresses many of those barriers, Murrell said, because drivers can complete it at their own pace and on their own schedule. The format also allows for greater context, using day-in-the-life scenarios that reflect actual operating conditions and risks.
Sharing the real cost of injuries is another effective tool, Murrell said. Showing drivers the physical toll of injuries, along with the financial impact on the company, helps reinforce why training matters.
“When drivers see the actual injuries and their costs, it drives the message home and builds buy-in,” Murrell said. “When you show them that the No. 1 cause of injuries happens when the truck is not moving, they pay attention.”
