Bison Transport Recognized as a 2023 Trimble Ovation Award Winner
As we announced last year, a number of Trimble’s transportation and logistics customers were recognized in our 2023 Ovation Awards for their innovation and industry leadership. And with those awards, we had the opportunity to speak with the winners to discuss their business, the technology behind their innovation and how they’re growing toward the future.
Bison Transport was honored with a win in the category of “Safety Superteam: Best in Advancing Safety.” This award recognizes organizations that have achieved improvement in overall safety by reducing accidents and improving operations to make the roads safer for everyone.
Since 1969, Bison has become one of the largest cross-border transport and logistics providers in North America, with more than 3,000 tractors, 10,000 trailers and thousands of trucks in their fleet. Alongside their growth, Bison has been a leader in prioritizing safety solutions that keep their drivers, assets and others on the road as safe as possible.
“Driving is a heavy responsibility. It takes knowledge, experience, and skill as well as safe and reliable equipment and technology,” said Magali Lacerte, Senior Director of Process Excellence for Bison. “The driver being able to recognize when conditions are becoming hazardous and having the foresight to make the decision to stop in a safe place is equally as important.”
The goal at Bison was to take their safety and driver considerations to the next level. They wanted to find a way to manage their fleets and drivers all at once, taking into account the vehicles’ needs and the drivers’. And with many of their trucks transporting hazardous materials, high value commodities, temperature sensitive products and more, ensuring a high standard of training and compliance among their more than 4,000 drivers was paramount. But with such a large operation, Bison USA needed a solution provider who was able to scale with their business and needs, so they turned to Trimble for help.
By implementing a combination of Trimble’s TMW.Suite TMS, PC*Miler mileage tracking and routing and TMT Fleet Maintenance tools, Bison has created a system of driver training and compliance built on insurance expiration notifications, qualification verifications, maintenance service notifications and more analytics. All together, these data points help Bison not only track the longevity and status of their vehicles, but to monitor and enforce their drivers’ certifications and training practices.
Through a rigorous program built on the data Trimble’s solutions provide, Bison has also expanded upon their training and informational courses for each driver, and trusts that each driver knows how to best navigate any situation. As a result, Bison has been able to implement what Bison calls its “Right to Decide” policy. This policy means that in the case of an extreme situation, such as dangerous weather or threatening road conditions, the driver has full authority to stop the vehicle and seek safety.
On the back of these enhancements to their operations, Bison has continued to cultivate a friendly, comfortable and educational environment for all employees. This program resulted in a 48% decrease in loss of control events from 2021 to 2022. And in the first half of 2023, Bison saw a 38% decrease in preventable accidents, as compared to the same time frame the year before.
“Although Bison has achieved remarkable outcomes with our safety program, the success is not finite,” added Lacerte. “Our enthusiasm to continually improve our safety program has not been dampened by successful outcomes. It has only served to push us to find new and innovative ways to overcome obstacles and achieve new boundaries.”
We’re honored to support transportation leaders like Bison Transport. To learn more about how Trimble’s solutions can help improve your fleet’s safety, contact our team.