November 2022

Awareness training can help protect fleets from staged accidents

There is certainly no shortage of safety concerns among fleet managers, as driver safety is among their top priorities. There’s always risk on the road and the responsibility to keep drivers protected comes with real pressure. What makes matters even more challenging is the threat of staged accidents and fraudulent claims.

In a blog post from Roadz Marketplace partner Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, they cover the unfortunate prevalence of staged accidents like t-bone and sideswipe scams, the actors involved and how fleets can protect themselves from becoming a victim.

Infinit-I suggests that these staged accidents may be the consequence of increased verdicts awarding $1 million or more in lawsuits. In a report called Understanding the Impact of Nuclear Verdicts on the Trucking Industry, from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), they cite that these larger payouts have increased 1,054% since 2011, a trend encouraging to fraudsters and daunting to fleets.

According to Infinit-I, “These scams often involve entire teams, including medical and legal personnel working with fake victims and fake witnesses to defraud trucking companies and insurance companies.” 

When you consider the level of coordination and involvement that can go into these scams, it can be difficult for fleets to feel like they stand a chance. However, Infinit-I provides steps that can be taken to help protect fleets from the dangers of staged accidents. These include the use of dash cams, on-scene picture taking and above all, training. Providing comprehensive training around staged incidents can help drivers remain aware of fraudsters on the road and prepare for the possibilities.

Staged accidents threaten the lives of commercial fleet drivers and other innocent victims. Roadz partners with top training solution providers like Infinit-I to help fleet managers mitigate risk and keep drivers safe on the road. 

Infinit-I Workforce Solutions provides fleets with a cloud-based learning management system, an intuitive platform that’s easy to use, track progress and compile reports. To read the full blog post from Infinit-I on the issue of staged accidents and how fleets can protect themselves, click below. 

A unified fleet management environment enables the advantages of EV adoption 

There isn’t a more popular topic in the automotive industry right now than electric vehicles (EVs). As the world focuses its attention on climate and sustainability issues, the markets are closely following suit. According to a forecast from Boston Consulting Group, it’s expected that battery-powered EVs will amount to 20% of global sales by 2025 and 59% in 2035.

For fleet managers, beyond the already intense demands they face on a daily basis, they’re now feeling the pressure to respond to climate issues and manage the strain of rising fuel costs. While EVs seem like an obvious solution, some fleet managers need more convincing. 

On the topic, Brightmile, a safety and sustainability telematics solution provider within the Roadz ecosystem, recently published a guest article from ESG leader Simon King. He discusses the competitive advantage for fleets to incorporate EVs and dispels misconceptions preventing actual adoption. 

King states that “a truly effective sustainability strategy can drive business performance if fully integrated into a business strategy.” While that’s a helpful insight, the problem of EV adoption, according to King, comes down to a lack of understanding among fleets. He illustrates with the common example of ‘range anxiety’, a nickname for the concerns some people have over how far EVs can actually travel before they need charging. What many may not realize is that today most EVs can operate for more than 250 miles at a time. And when you couple EVs with smart solutions like Brightmile that improve driver behavior, vehicles can go even farther. 

Beyond a lack of understanding, we also know there are other barriers fleet managers face. We understand the challenge of adding multiple services required to operate EVs such as charging solutions and battery telematics. We also recognize the challenge to integrate systems that support hybrid fleets utilizing both EVs and ICE vehicles.

The good news is that Roadz is addressing these challenges head on, expanding our ecosystem to play a central role in boosting EV adoption among fleets. The Roadz Marketplace offers fleets a simple way to successfully incorporate EVs by enabling an integrated and unified fleet management environment. 

Through a connected ecosystem of smart solutions like Brightmile, we can remove the barriers of adoption and broaden the opportunities for fleets to evolve and become more sustainable, competitive and profitable.

Brightmile is a driver safety and sustainability platform that reduces fleet collision rates and operational costs. To read the full article from Brightmile on sustainability and the role of EVs for fleets, click below.