A new safety webinar series from the editors of Heavy Duty Trucking kicks off June 30 with a look how a strong safety culture can help fleets deal with industry issues such as high insurance costs and nuclear verdicts.

If a fleet lands in court due to a crash, its chance of facing a so-called “nuclear verdict” may depend not on what actually happened in the crash, but how well the plaintiff’s attorney can paint a portrait of a company’s culture as putting profit above safety. Fleet policies involving hiring, training, drug testing, firing, and more will become the focus in the event of a claim. Proving that your drivers and culture prioritize safety will be very important.

On top of that, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is looking at your safety culture when it does compliance reviews. And the latest safety technology, while it can be one tool in a fleet’s safety toolbox, is not a substitute for a safety culture.

This webinar will explore why a culture of safety is so important and how to go about creating a top-to-bottom culture of safety at your company, with real-world examples.

Register for “Building a Safety Culture,” to be held Wednesday, June 30, at 2 p.m. eastern time/11 a.m. Pacific time.

This webinar, the first in a “Safety First” series of three webinars planned and moderated by HDT editors, will feature:

• A leading trucking defense attorney about how a safety culture can help level the playing field against plaintiff’s attorneys

• A transportation attorney with advice for fleets on maintaining compliant and cutting-edge safety programs

• A former HDT Truck Fleet Innovator on his company’s safety culture journey, who says, “safety is not only the most important thing, but the best business decision a carrier can make.”

The webinar series is sponsored by Drivewyze, Netradyne, and Whip Around.

The Fleet Safety Culture Panel

HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge will moderate a panel discussion with:

Doug Marcello, chief legal officer of Bluewire, is a trucking defense attorney with a commercial drivers licenses. With Marcello & Kivisto LLC, he has represented trucking clients across the country. Marcello is a member of numerous trucking organizations, including a board member of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, a member of the American Trucking Associations Safety Council, and trucking law organizations. He has written numerous articles concerning trucking safety and defense, which can be found at www.cdl-law.com.

Brandon Wiseman is the owner and President of Trucksafe Consulting and a partner with Childress Law. As a transportation attorney, he has assisted some the nation’s leading motor carriers in developing and maintaining compliant and cutting-edge safety programs. He has represented carriers of all types and sizes before the FMCSA on matters such as safety rating upgrades and civil penalty proceedings. Through his consulting company, Brandon offers carriers compliance resources and regulatory training materials covering a wide range of safety-related topics.

Chris Woody, CDS, is director of safety at M&W Logistics Group in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a 2020 HDT Truck Fleet Innovator. He worked his way up after starting his career in trucking a decade ago as a payroll clerk at M&W. He has a passion for protecting the lives of not only M&W drivers, but all drivers who share our roadways. Throughout his time in leadership, M&W has won numerous fleet safety awards from the American Trucking Associations, Tennessee Trucking Association, and Truckload Carriers Association. Woody currently serves as secretary of the Tennessee Trucking Association Safety Management Council Steering Committee, is a member of the ATA Safety Management Council, and serves on the TCA Highway Policy Committee. He’s a nominee for the TTA’s Hugh Galbreath Safety Professional of the Year.