After 22 years in Iowa law enforcement specializing in commercial vehicles, Lance Evans knows how safety looks from the other side of the windshield.

Today, as director of safety at refrigerated carrier K&B Transportation, he uses that experience to help the fleet hire better drivers, challenge questionable violations through DataQs, and evaluate technologies that can prevent crashes before they happen.

When asked how his career in commercial law enforcement makes him a better safety manager, Evans pointed to several areas.

The driver vetting process: His enforcement experience helps him spot potential warning signs in the data when evaluating prospective drivers. "Does he have a history of traffic infractions? Is his PSP showing signs that the driver may not be fully doing his DVIRs?"

His relationship with drivers: K&B drivers rely on Evans as a resource, calling him to clarify regulations — especially when they've heard something at a truckstop or while sitting at a customer location. "They want to know the real truth, they call me and they ask."

Improving DataQ challenges: Evans' director of compliance handles the company's DataQ filings, which allow motor carriers to request a review of federal and state data they believe is incomplete or incorrect.

"I oversaw the DataQs when I was with state law enforcement," Evans says. That experience allows him to advise the compliance director on how best to approach a challenge, from striking the right tone to recognizing gray areas in the regulations that may be behind a discrepancy.

What Safety Tech Does K&B Use?

That background also plays into K&B's investments in safety technology.

Evans and his team looked at the trends affecting motor carrier safety and investigated technology and tools to address those problem areas.

Take distracted driving. The LifeSaver mobile app keeps drivers from accessing their cell phones when the vehicle is in motion.

Another technology, Esmart, is a GPS-based intelligent speed management tool that Evans calls a game-changer.

"It's really reduced our 6-to-10-mph-over speeds dramatically."

The system also helps prevent bridge strikes. "We haven't hit a bridge since we went with eSmart," he says. "It can detect if we're within 750 feet of a bridge that's under 13 feet 6 inches. And by controlling the throttle, it reduces the truck's speed down to where the driver will not hit that bridge."

And K&B was an early adopter of new weather features from Esmart that automatically adjust vehicle speed in response to hazardous weather conditions.

K&B also uses Netradyne in-cab cameras, which provide five different views. But the fleet doesn't use the driver-facing camera. Evans says its primary benefit would be detecting distracted driving, something K&B already addresses with the LifeSaver app.

That decision has helped with driver acceptance of the camera system. "That's really made a difference. Drivers want privacy, right? And the cameras have really made a difference in how we coach our drivers."

Keys to Successfully Introducing Safety Technologies

Evans doesn't treat safety as one department's responsibility. Drivers, recruiters, technicians, operations and others all have a role to play.

"You can't just go out and say, 'Do this,' or 'Do that,'" he says.

That’s especially important when introducing new technology.

"Everybody has to understand what you're trying to accomplish,” he says. When every department is involved, "it reduces the friction.”

His advice when rolling out new technology: "Be open, be honest, be prepared to field questions."

When K&B rolled out intelligent speed management, for instance, Evans made sure both drivers and maintenance technicians understood how it worked before the first truck came in for service. Otherwise, drivers and techs both might mistake normal system operation for a mechanical problem.

Another key to successful safety tech, he says, is the way a fleet uses the data those systems generate. “Data doesn’t lie,” he says.

That's another lesson he brought with him from law enforcement, where he analyzed trends and patterns in the data. Information on where trucks were most likely to be involved in crashes, for instance, helped him decide where to allocate enforcement resources.

The Importance of Researching New Technology

For fleets considering new technology, Evans offers practical advice drawn from both his law enforcement and fleet management experience: Do your homework before investing.

Before buying anything, Evans wants to know who else is using it, whether customer support answers the phone at 2 a.m., and whether the product solves a real problem.

That means talking to other carriers, asking vendors for customer references, running field trials, understanding customer support, and even asking startup companies where they expect to be five years from now.

"If it doesn't sound right," he says, "you've got to trust your gut."