Safety doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by choice.
It’s an often used truism and was most recently voiced by Goran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North American sales and marketing, in presenting this year’s Volvo Trucks Safety Award.
And judging by how often Canadian fleets go up against their larger US counterparts and manage to come away with the industry’s top safety awards – Kriska Holdings was one of this year’s winners while Bison Transport and MacKinnon Transport have been regular winners of the Truckload Carriers Association’s safety awards – it would seem Canadian carriers are pretty darn good at it.
But just as safety doesn’t happen by chance, it also doesn’t thrive under complacency. It’s critical to be continuously learning about new approaches and insights on safety so that safety practices at your organization are always kept fresh.
To that end, I hope you will join me in what is becoming one of my favourite industry events: the Fleet Safety Council’s Annual Educational Conference. We’re proud to be the official media sponsor for the event, coming up Nov. 7-9 in Niagara Falls, Ont.
The conference will explore a variety of issues, ranging from improving driver files to better understanding court proceedings.
I will be hosting a panel discussion on the latest efforts to improve road safety, looking at the latest technological advancements, risk management procedures, and regulatory expectations.
There will be a workshop on accident investigation and evidence gathering. John Oldfield from Dalton Timmis Insurance is back to discuss how to ensure your driver files are trial ready.
Particularly interesting is a mock trial to be held on the final day of the conference.
Jodi Burness, president and lead paralegal of Burness Paralegal Services, will be bringing the drama of the courtroom – and the important lessons to be learned from it – right to you.
Burness and her paralegal team of experts will be conducting a Mock Trial where safety professionals will witness firsthand the proceedings and workings of a courtroom and what to expect and prepare for.
The Annual Educational Conference brings together fleet safety professionals from the truck, bus and courier industries as well as insurance and many other related businesses across Ontario looking to learn valuable safety-related skills and information that can be directly applied to the workplace.
This is exactly the kind of information that eventually leads to industry-leading safety practices. To find out more go to: fleetsafetycouncil.com. I hope to see you there.