March 9, 2023
Highway Transport Shares The Importance of Safety in Company Culture
Candi Coate, North Regional Safety Manager for Highway Transport, and her counterparts regularly visit the company’s multiple service centers to cover everything related to safety. She offers insight on their approach and helps save the company both time and resources– and, most importantly – keeps employees and those around them safe.
Face Time – Especially with Mobile and Remote Employees – Is Important
Candi emphasizes the importance of being face to face when training for safety, which also builds trust as relationships are developed. “I want every team member to know that they’re not alone, and we’re here to support them,” Candi says. “It’s not about making their lives difficult, but we want them to get home safely to their families every time.”
The benefits of being face to face are plentiful, including making it easier for drivers and other personnel to raise questions, discuss incidents, and share best practices. This helps everyone get more out of the training sessions and allows more seasoned personnel the ability to share knowledge they’ve gained throughout their careers.
Transparency is Key
Candi notes that in their field, there’s always potential for driver or mechanical error. Safety training, including accident response, can help avoid even bigger crises, such as environmental repercussions after an accident. “There are no secrets with hazmat. You can’t brush it under the rug. Transparency is key,” Candi shares.
This holds true internally as well. “During safety meetings, we’ll deconstruct an accident or incident. We talk about what went wrong or right, find the root cause, and get driver feedback,” Candi shares. “We ask hard questions, like ‘What would you have done in that situation?’ and ‘How can we prevent this from happening again in the future?’”
Continuous Training and Career Development
Drivers have a long onboarding process that includes extensive training and a weeklong classroom orientation. Then, there’s regular coaching, remedial training, and annual training. The goals are to make training easily accessible with procedures that are clear.
Candi encourages people to also reap the benefits of industry organizations and associations to further develop knowledge and grow in their career. “The peer-to-peer relationships I have formed have been invaluable in sharing best practices, helping each other grow, and keeping everyone safe. Additionally, it helps me stay informed about what’s happening within my industry and from a regulatory standpoint, so I can do my job better,” she says.
Keep It Consistent and Know Your ROI
Candi says that companies need to provide clear training that is consistent across the company. Scattered information causes confusion that could become catastrophic during an emergency. It’s also important to determine the return on investment (ROI) for training efforts. “We want to make sure we’re getting value out of our time and investment, and if not, we need to look for a different approach,” Candi shares. “This should be a continuous process, and if it’s not working, move on! We want to be the best!”
Candi is the current vice president of the Toledo Trucking Association, after serving a year as chair of the Ohio Trucking Association Safety Council board of directors. She is the previous chair of the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTCC) Safety & Security Council. She resides in Toledo, Ohio, and loves time with her two grandbabies, college football–“GO BLUE!!”– and attending concerts.