5 MEGATRENDS
IMPACTING SAFETY
LEADERS IN 2019
AND BEYOND
Each year, we bring 300-plus fleet
safety and operations professionals
to San Diego for a three-day summit.
We aim to uncover and address
new challenges present in the
transportation industry, exchange
ideas, and share best practices to
get the most value from Lytx. We
call this gathering the Lytx User
Group Conference.
This year, safety pros from MV
Transit, Foster Farms, Cargo
Transporters, Progressive Waste
Solutions, NFI Transportation, and
dozens of other organizations came
to the February summit to share
their vision of the trends shaping
their industries. They also came
armed with insights and best
practices for taking on their toughest
challenges and most promising
opportunities.
If you didn’t get a chance to spend
time with us at this year’s event,
we’ve got you covered. Just strap
on your seatbelt, and turn the page
for a quick tour of the top five safety
takeaways from this year’s Lytx
User Group Conference.
WHAT’S TOP OF MIND FOR
SAFETY LEADERS?
IN THIS EBOOK
YOU’LL LEARN
How to work towards a future in which no commercial
driver is ever the cause of a collision
How to embrace change and ride its momentum
What megatrends are shaping the future of
transportation over the next decade
What tools and tactics you can use to
prepare for those megatrends
How to achieve progress in both worker
safety and business excellence
We’ve distilled the five most useful
lessons, gleaned from more than 300
safety leaders attending two dozen
sold-out sessions, including:
Change driver behavior today to
prevent collisions tomorrow.
STRIVE FOR A WORLD
WITHOUT COLLISIONS
THE FUTURE IS
YOURS TO SHAPE
Imagine a future where no commercial driver is ever the cause of a
collision. Now imagine making that happen.
Two decades ago, this would have been a fool’s errand. Today, we have the
tools, experience, and capability to make this a reality. The journey there
will be paved by all the decisions and actions we make today, including:
9 Using analytics to identify the source of our biggest risks
9 Coaching drivers proactively
9 Investing in machine-vision and artificial-intelligence technologies
that can vastly improve our ability to detect, deter, and manage
risks on the road
Get a leg-up on the competition by
taking calculated risks.
EMBRACE THE
UNKNOWN
COMPANIES DON’T TRANSFORM.
PEOPLE DO.
The future is uncertain. But one thing we know for sure is that it
will be filled with change, and the rate of change is only going to
get faster. This year’s keynote Peter Sheahan talked about how to
embrace disruption to help their organizations navigate through
change. Safety leaders who master this trick will not just survive,
they’ll also potentially gain significant competitive advantages
over rivals who can’t keep up.
IN ACTION
Peter’s three step plan to remaining relevant in changing times:
Be willing to tell yourself the truth.
Understand your industry and the
external forces and megatrends
shaping its direction, even if the picture
is unpleasant or you think that change
is far off.
Put pressure on your own organization
before it breaks. The best time to
improve is when things are going well.
Rather than wait for things to plateau,
use the positive momentum of a
smoothly running organization to
continuously improve.
Go first. Don’t wait for someone else to
go first. Take small, intelligent risks. Move
to the edge of disruption and learn as
much as you can. Being willing to learn
faster than the market is changing is the
path to relevance.
Know what’s going on in your
market segment.
KEEP CONSTANT
PULSE
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MEGATRENDS
The world doesn’t sit still, and neither should you. Each of us
plays a part in developing smart solutions and seizing opportunity
in change — whether it’s by leveraging people, processes or new
technologies. At the User Group Conference, safety leaders
outlined the megatrends shaping their industries over the
next decade.
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For Distribution, it’s an
epidemic of worker injuries.
For Transit, it’s meeting
the mobility demands of a
new generation.
For Field Services, it’s satisfying
customer demands — safely
and efficiently.
157 DOWNTOWN
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For Government, it’s funding
challenges and developing
partnerships with unions.
For Waste and Construction, it’s
providing timely, safe, and efficient
service — every time.
For Trucking, it’s navigating
regulatory changes.
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There are also universal challenges that
affect everyone, such as finding qualified
drivers to do the work, nuclear verdicts,
and semi-autonomous technologies.
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Embrace available tools
and technologies.
BUILD YOUR
TOOLKIT
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TOOLS & TACTICS FOR CHANGE
It’s one thing to say, “prepare for change.” It’s another thing
entirely to actually go through it. At this year’s conference, safety
leaders shared tools and tactics to meet those challenge, develop
a competitive advantage, and succeed. Those include:
• Power of Data
• Protect Yourself When You’re in the Hot Seat
• Future Proof Your Fleet Technologies
• Engage a Younger Generation of Drivers
• Retain Drivers for the Long-Haul
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POWER OF DATA
Telematics data contain a wealth of insights that you can act on,
provided you know where to look.
• Predict and prevent your next big collision, using simple but
effective frequency analysis of who, what, when, and where
your risky events are happening.
• Leverage benchmark data to see where you stand among
industry peers with similar fleet sizes, facing similar risks.
• Tailor the right metrics to different audiences to motivate
action and spur change.
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BE PROACTIVE
WHEN YOU’RE IN
THE HOT SEAT
At our User Group Conference,
attendees learned tips to ace their
next deposition and avoid infamous
traps that are now popular with
plaintiff’s attorneys. In short, the
formula is:
Be proactive.
Spend time researching the plaintiff’s
attorneys, and prepare accordingly.
Stand your ground.
Don’t get bullied into changing
or hedging your statements.
Put your best
face forward.
Show professionalism
and respect.
Be prepared.
Go over your facts and answers
in advance.
Endure the process.
Depositions are grueling. Don’t
blow it at the 11th hour.
Show compassion.
This is especially important
if someone was injured in
the incident.
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FUTURE PROOF YOUR
FLEET TECHNOLOGIES
It starts with picking technologies that can adapt as your needs grow
and change. Make sure your fleet technology investments have open
APIs and integration opportunities with an ecosystem of best-in-class
vendors. Because while you may not need some of those capabilities
today, you might find your requirements changing as growth,
advancements in technology, and competitive pressures fluctuate.
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ENGAGE A YOUNGER GENERATION OF DRIVERS
As your driver workforce continues to age out, recruiting a younger generation of drivers becomes an imperative for all
sectors. These newer generations tend to hold different values and norms than previous generations. In short, here’s how
they’re different:
Learn
Younger generations are visual
learners who turn to YouTube
and other video sites as their
go-to learning platform.
Communicate
Texting and messaging apps
are top of the list for this
generation.
Collaborate
Younger workers ask lots of
questions and like to explore
new ways to accomplish tasks.
Values
They also like a challenge,
crave a sense of purpose, and
desire a work-life balance.
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RETAINING
DRIVERS FOR
THE LONG-HAUL
We all work hard to attract the
best drivers. At the User Group
Conference, managers also shared
best practices to keep them with us
for the long haul. Among the top
takeaways for retention:
Cultivate a culture of caring. Show drivers you care about their
safety. Find ways to recognize them for a job well done.
Develop a sense of shared mission and camaraderie. Having a
greater purpose, such as Waste Management’s Mission to Zero
(M2Z) initiative or the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s vision to
protect, respect, and assist, builds workforce cohesion. In large
organizations, breaking drivers into smaller groups or “squads”
can build camaraderie, which can function as a glue to keep
teams together.
Investing in training and professional development. Dolese
Brothers pays for drivers to get their Commercial Driver’s
License. They also offer a seven-stage driver development
program that rewards participants with a pay raise after
they complete each stage.
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Strive to improve communication
and collaboration between safety
and operations.
BETTER
TOGETHER