Giving an elementary school student a gold star is a time-honored way for teachers to reward students’ classroom achievements. It also helps to discourage unwanted behavior by pupils who fail to earn the special stickers.
According to Netradyne, a California-based provider of fleet safety technology, a similar strategy is an effective way to incentivize truck drivers’ behavior too. Netradyne’s Driver-i platform uses edge computing and real-time analysis to recognize safe driving behaviors as they happen; the system then awards “DriverStars” for such actions as increasing the following distance on the road or achieving streaks of consecutive days or miles of safe, incident-free driving. The DriverStar designations boost individual performance scores, serving as a catalyst for reducing accidents and improving driver safety, engagement, and retention, the company says.
That approach is different from traditional driver-training models that emphasize safety violations or mistakes. Instead, it takes advantage of individuals’ desire for positive reinforcement. By rewarding drivers for consistent, responsible performance, the platform helps fleets establish a culture of accountability, motivation, and continuous improvement, the company says.
“Recognition of safe driving is a reflection of where culture is shifting,” Avneesh Agrawal, CEO of Netradyne, said in a release. “It shows us that safety isn’t just managed from the top down—the drivers themselves own it.”
