Driver Policy and Using Zonar
This document provides some best practices for implementing Zonar solutions. These are not all encompassing, but they are a start to help make implementation smoother and getting driver buy-in a little easier.
Employee Support and Buy-in
Communications about Zonar and compliance are best received when they come from the top. Make corporate, organization-wide support for the initiative visible to all employees.
- Share how Zonar also helps keep drivers compliant so they won’t be cited by law enforcement for noncompliance. Highlight how the tools help and protect drivers, rather than incriminate them. For example, Zonar has been used to dispute citizen complaints about speeding, materials falling from trucks, etc.
- Remember that managers need to support the initiative so they can help their employees and drivers support it as well. Meet with managers and drivers to discuss policies and get feedback on what they perceive as fair.
- Reward good driving behavior. Low number of speed events, good record of inspections and GPS unit consistently
phoning home can all be tracked in Ground Traffic Control® (GTC) and used to reward those who set an example of safety. - Keep in mind that drivers may have good reasons for what might look like issues. Use the data to have constructive conversations and investigate situations; don’t jump to conclusions.
EVIR Inspections
Monitor inspection times to ensure vehicle safety. One way is to set a benchmark for the length of an inspection by timing trusted drivers while they complete one.
- Pull inspection reports, and look for repeat offenders with consistently short inspection times. This means they’re probably not completing inspections properly.
- Look for manual inspections during which drivers didn’t scan the asset tag. This could indicate they entered the inspection information while sitting in the vehicle or being elsewhere.
- Make sure inspection configurations are comprehensive, covering all required aspects of the vehicle.
- Designate a GTC user who logs in weekly or monthly to close critical defects so the information stays up to date.
Vehicle Maintenance
For work orders with repair checklists, add a step to the checklist that directs the mechanic to ensure the Zonar device is working correctly before closing the work order. This will hold the mechanic accountable if the device wasn’t plugged back in after maintenance. It can also be considered a part of job performance.
For maintenance yards, set up geofences and monitor activity in and out of the facility. Check that assets entering the yard continue to phone home to GTC, and that they leave the yard.
Speeding Events
Check the Posted Speed report in GTC, or set up ZAlerts for speeding.
- Set the speed threshold at a level that captures real speeding events (ex: at least 10-15 mph over the limit, for longer than 1 minute).
- Set up truck speed versus standard speed in the asset profile to correctly track posted speed limits for different vehicle types.
- Use the Posted Speed as a starting point to investigate cases that may need attention. Don’t use it to justify disciplinary action.
Idle Time
Idle times over 40 hours per week can indicate a problem. Check for these cases, and speak with the driver to find out why it happened.
Weekend and Unauthorized Driving
GPS units are wired to have power even when the vehicle is off. If the GPS Units report in GTC shows that a vehicle stopped phoning home on Friday and started phoning home again on Monday, it means that the unit was somehow disconnected and lost power over the weekend.
- Look for cold starts, which can indicate that the GPS unit was unplugged, that the vehicle battery died or that the unit was wired incorrectly.
- Add a step to mechanic work orders that requires them to verify the Zonar device is working properly after performing maintenance.
ZAlerts
ZAlerts can be configured based on a number of events, including speeding or hard braking. And they don’t have to be just email alerts.
- Configure the alert settings based on your needs; they can always be adjusted if you get too many unactionable alerts.
- Monitor these using the ZAlerts report in GTC.
Monitoring Vehicle Usage
Generally, monitoring employee use of company property such as telephones, computers and vehicles is acceptable — as long as employees are notified. Many companies include these policies in their employee manuals, and have employees sign a document acknowledging they reviewed the policies.
If your company has a vehicle usage policy, include a notice about the potential for monitoring vehicle usage. Include information such as:
- Vehicles are company property
- Employees have no expectation of privacy when using company vehicles
- Company vehicles may be monitored by GPS systems
- GPS or other data showing improper use of the vehicles may lead to disciplinary action
Have employees sign to acknowledge they received and reviewed the policy.
The Tablet (HoS Drivers)
These steps need to be followed before moving the vehicle in any way to avoid unidentified driving events and ensure all driving is properly accounted for. Make sure all drivers have this information.
Logging into the tablet ensures that the logs are recorded and stored with the proper driver’s profile. The PIN number is provided by the motor carrier before the device’s first use. Driver Login ID and PIN are unique for each driver and should not be shared with anyone.
Important Driver Notes
Throughout the day, drivers should update their duty status to accurately reflect their activities and avoid unnecessary edits. When updating duty status, they can add an annotation at any time.
While driving, drivers should NOT undock the tablet, turn off the tablet or put the tablet to sleep. Doing so will lead to unidentified driving events.
When leaving a vehicle, turning off the tablet or logging out of the tablet is not the same as setting status to OFF DUTY. All drivers must put themselves in OFF DUTY status at the end of their shifts, before turning off the device or logging out.
To adjust the brightness of the tablet’s screen, drivers can go to the All Apps menu, select Settings > Display > Brightness. Then, use the slider to set the desired brightness level, or leave it on Automatic.
To turn the screen off while in motion, drivers can go to the All Apps menu, select Settings > Zonar Settings. Then select Turn Off Display When in Motion.