Safety. Service. Success. In that very order those three words put together make up the foundation of a great company. Within that foundation, the structure of McLeod Express, is made up of individuals with a passion and desire to succeed, but most importantly, the passion to make safety the priority. That priority does not happen overnight, but with the knowledge passed on from those who have been a part of that experience, to help keep our drivers safe and successful for so many years, along with reaching out for new and additional training to build on and support what we already know. Safety is not just a word in the dictionary with an educated definition, it is a way of life.
To achieve this lifestyle it takes experience, knowledge, and the most important piece, training. Whether we are working with a new driver to enhance their knowledge of the basics, providing further training to experienced drivers in our fleet, or training a new staff member to our operation, it is crucial for those who are learning these skills, to continue to grow and learn through not only the initial training period, but also continuous and remedial training, to avoid becoming complacent with those skills we know.
In 2021 Safety Team Specialists Josh Walters and Adam Pijanowski continued this pattern of training by attending Smith System. Smith System is the leading program aimed at teaching defensive driving skills to drivers at all levels of experience. The program aims to build awareness of what is going on around your vehicle as you are driving, focusing on driving and not distractions, and building a space cushion around the vehicle, which allows time to make better decisions. Both have shared from this experience and have spoke highly of both the classes they attended, the presenters, and what they learned.
Adam Pijanowski attended a 2-day virtual recertification program in the fall of this year, having already completed the full course and earning his certification to teach and train Smith System. Adam has been a crucial piece of not only our safety team but also many of the training programs and has been teaching Smith System as part of our orientation process for several years. Josh Walters attended a remote 4-day training class shortly after, earning his initial certification with Smith System. He was able to utilize that knowledge recently teaching both the classroom and on-road portion with our orientation class. In both situations, Josh, and Adam, not only believe in and teach this philosophy, but they also utilize this defensive driving in their everyday lives. Commutes to work, home, or errands, no matter for what purpose or length of the drive, this course has made them better aware of “how” they are driving, to keep themselves, and other motorists safe. They both enjoyed the experience throughout this class and are excited to grow as both coaches and advocates for this defensive driving technique.
Many times, especially from the perspective of the drivers behind the wheel for carriers, it feels like all the training is passed on to them, whether it is hands-on, or through online modules and accessibility, but it does not and it can’t just stop there. Members of our entire team and staff in the office also must continue to grow and learn through the term that has been used throughout this piece, training. And pass that knowledge on to others to be successful. We can all be open to learning not just from these different means, but also from each other, and learn together how we can grow and become better, and continue our goal of:
Safety. Service. Success.
Click the link below to check out our Safety Page for the latest tips, tricks and reminders on all things safety!