Shell promotes safety during its first National Truck Safety Week

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BURLINGTON, Ont. — How can a lubricant company improve truck safety? The answer, at first, may not be obvious. But Shell is taking steps to raise awareness of truck highway safety among the trucking industry and the travelling public alike during its first annual National Truck Safety Week.

The event is being marked in a number of ways. The company is reaching out to the drivers of passenger vehicles through several TV spots that will be shown on local television stations, providing tips on how to safely share the roads with big rigs. The messages are no doubt familiar to commercial truck drivers, things like: leave more space for trucks; stay out of the ‘no zone’; wear your seatbelt; and ensure your car is properly maintained.

Some of the TV spots, featuring former cop turned broadcaster Cam Woolley, will be aired on the popular local all-news network CP24 in the Toronto area.

Mark Reed, Shell Rotella global brand manager says “The hope is that Truck Safety Week will help drivers better understand how to share the roads to reduce collisions and injuries.”

Safety, Reed says, is an important part of Shell’s corporate culture. He told Trucknews.com that the company banned its employees from using cell phones while driving before the law did. The company also pushes 11 “life-saving rules” to employees such as wearing seatbelts.

“We do take it very seriously,” Reed says. “If you choose to break these rules, you choose not to work for Shell.”

The company is also taking steps to help its fleet customers improve safety in their own operations. It has developed a Rotella Moment of Safety card that it encourages drivers to keep in their cab or personal vehicle. It can be customized with a picture of a driver’s loved ones and Shell suggests drivers glance at it before setting out on the road as a reminder they have a good reason to travel safely. The Moment of Safety program was developed internally and is now being rolled out to the industry. Reed himself keeps one in his personal vehicle. The cards are available free of charge to any driver or fleet that’s interested.

Shell also offers site assessments for fleets, which identify potential workplace hazards and offers solutions.

“We’re about engine oil, but we’re also about business solutions,” Reed says. Shell also promotes safety by educating truck operators on the importance of good vehicle maintenance practices and safe driving tips. As winter approaches, the company’s message to professional drivers includes: keeping your distance; driving defensively, not aggressively; being aware of the ‘no zone’; properly maintaining your truck; and wearing your seatbelt.

More information on the programs, including details on how to arrange a site assessment, is available at www.shell.ca/rotella.

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