AmeriPride Installs ‘Safety Driven’ Telematics Technology in Entire Fleet for Drive Safely Work Week

Minneapolis, Minn. (PRWEB) October 06, 2014

AmeriPride Services^[1], a leading textile services and supply company in North America, today announced it has installed a new ‘Safety Driven’ telematics technology across its entire fleet in conjunction with Drive Safely Work Week^[2]. The inthinc®^[3] technology has been incorporated into more than 1,800 vehicles companywide and the new platform promotes safe driving among more than 1,500 drivers and service managers through real-time driver monitoring and voice coaching, while also increasing fuel efficiency and reducing fleet and delivery costs.

“The safety of our employees and others out on the roads is a priority for us,” said Banny Allison, fleet manager for AmeriPride. “This new telematics technology allows us to monitor driver behavior and proactively modify unsafe habits so we can reduce accidents and the many related expenses that go along with them. Furthermore, cutting down on speeding and idling allows us to increase fuel efficiency, which ultimately translates into cost savings for our customers.”

Installed in each vehicle and activated by radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards carried by each driver, the Safety Driven telematics units collect information about the driver’s behavior – such as speeding, seat belt usage, harsh braking or idling – and verbally coaches the driver in real time. The system also alerts managers of unchecked safety violations or accidents and provides daily reports on performance.

Drivers with low safety scores receive additional safe driving training, while others with top rankings are recognized through a newly established safety award program. An early pilot of the Safety Driven technology in Minneapolis resulted in a 99 percent increase in seat belt usage, 97 percent reduction in speeding and 75 percent reduction in other unsafe driving behaviors.

“Our ultimate goal is to get all of our employees home safe, every single day,” said Allison. “And it made a lot of sense to announce these latest innovations that are helping us to take our safety and service leadership to the next level during Drive Safely Work Week.”

This initiative is a part of AmeriPride’s larger ‘Safety Driven’ program in which the company vigorously strives toward zero injuries and accidents. The program includes employee awareness campaigns, education efforts for safe vehicle operation and other companywide fleet safety initiatives. Further distinguishing itself from industry competitors, the company is also working on a program component that uses customer location and GPS data to help managers plan more effective routes.

AmeriPride’s customer service representatives deliver products ranging from uniforms and safety apparel to linens and towels and cleaning supplies, serving 150,000 customers each week across a variety of industries including F&B (restaurants and bars), industrial (automotive, manufacturing, oil and gas), heath care (clinics and doctors’ offices) and many others.

Organized by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, Drive Safely Work Week is an annual workplace safety campaign that encourages organizations to remind their employees about how to drive more safely. For more information about AmeriPride’s safety and environmental initiatives, visit http://www.ameripride.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/^[4].

About AmeriPride

Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn., AmeriPride Services is recognized as one of the largest uniform rental and linen supply companies in North America. Operating more than 115 production facilities and service centers throughout the United States and Canada, AmeriPride provides linen and towels, uniforms, floor mats, restroom and cleaning products to nearly 150,000 customers every week. Founded in 1889 by George and Frank Steiner, the privately held company is still owned and managed by the Steiner family. Commitment to the customer, personalized service and innovation has sustained the company for 125 years. Additional company information can be found online at http://www.ameripride.com^[5].

References

1. ^{^}AmeriPride Services (www.prweb.net)
2. ^{^}Drive Safely Work Week (www.prweb.net)
3. ^{^}inthinc® (www.prweb.net)
4. ^{^}http://www.ameripride.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/ (www.prweb.net)
5. ^{^}http://www.ameripride.com (www.prweb.net)