As the practice advances, predictive analytics is not just for predicting future events, but also to glean real-time insights about what happens in a truck cab and alert the back office immediately if necessary. I would rank safety at the top, but retention is a close second in terms of predictive modeling. We are in an industry where attrition is extremely high … [and] we’re focused on making sure that we’re doing everything we can to reduce [it]. Those are all things we can use to enrich our models and have accurate prediction on who is most likely to quit and when.
A trucking company’s success and reputation depend directly on its drivers’ safety performance, but it’s not so easy to determine which drivers are most likely to be involved in a crash or incur a safety infraction.