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Roadside Inspections are the primary tool used by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to examine drivers, vehicles, and carriers to ensure they operate safely on the roadway. The lagging indicators provided by these inspections provide insight into the effectiveness of efforts to improve driver and equipment safety. In 2023, over 55% of the roadside inspections performed on Mauser vehicles resulted in zero violations.
In addition to improvement in DOT metrics, Mauser’s Private Fleet has shown year-over-year improvement in all seven of the “BASICs” categories (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) used by The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to determine motor carrier’s safety performance and compliance compared to other carriers.
“Over the past three years we have made a concerted effort to improve the quality of our equipment and better engage with drivers on safety issues. The results from last year show that we are on the right track and our efforts are making a difference,” commented Dan Kraemer, Regional Safety Manager. Areas of focus include:
- Acquiring more modern trailers and tractors
- Drivers doing a better job of inspecting equipment (pre and post trip)
- Better communication between driver and management
- Improved gathering and reporting of data
While improvements are worth celebrating, a commitment to safety must be renewed every day. To further raise the importance and awareness of safety and compliance within our Private Fleet, weekly “Tailgate Talks” were implemented with drivers in November 2023. “Tailgate Talks” are weekly phone calls between a driver and manager to review the past week’s KPI’s and discuss a safety topic. Weekly talking points are provided to managers to ensure consistent messaging is being provided across the fleet. Like facility “Toolbox Talks”, these weekly meetings provide regular accountability, facilitate ongoing conversations between drivers and managers, raise awareness on a variety of topics, and reinforce a collective commitment to safety.
Our transportation fleet is a vital connection between Mauser Packaging Solutions and our customers. Responsible operation of our private fleet supports our broader commitment to safe and sustainable operations within our communities. Congratulations to this team on improved performance in 2023!