The true test of a driver training program comes when a driver gets behind the wheel. Will they recognize and respond appropriately when risks arise?
Technology, from telematics and cameras to driver-assist systems, helps with alerting to risks. Yet without proper training, fleets will not get the safety outcomes they expect.
Despite heavy investments in technology from 2014 to 2022, the fatal-crash involvement rate for large trucks rose by about 31%, and the number of people killed in crashes involving large trucks increased by about 52%, according to FMCSA and NHTSA data.
Not all onboarding is equal. A significant difference exists between a program that checks the boxes and one that gives drivers a strong behavioral foundation.
The strongest training programs teach drivers principles they can apply to countless situations on the road.
Smith System has spent more than 70 years building that behavioral foundation, and today more than half of the Fortune 500 rely on the Smith5Keys® to put it into practice.
Let’s look at how fleets using the Smith5Keys® training program achieve measurable results by establishing a foundation in behavior-based safety principles from day one.
Training that Drives Measurable Results
A national food and beverage retailer with 22 distribution centers and more than 2,200 drivers had telematics and other safety technologies in place. What it lacked was a consistent behavioral training program.
Each distribution center used different programs to onboard drivers, leading to mixed messages and inconsistent expectations.
The lack of consistency became clear to the company’s new safety director in December 2023. A review of accident data showed that most incidents occurred during the final mile on city streets, in parking lots, and around loading docks, where technology was not helping to prevent risky behavior.
In March 2024, the company adopted Smith5Keys as its standard driver training program. It certified more than 60 trainers in the first year, covering 88% of its drivers.
The framework established a shared safety language. By integrating behind-the-wheel training, behavioral scoring, and coaching around the Smith5Keys, the company reinforces the principles through daily coaching, post-incident reviews, eLearning, and hands-on instruction.
Over the first two years, preventable accidents declined by 38%, and the average indemnity cost per incident fell from about $43,000 to $1,134.
Connect Technology to Driver Decisions
Visibility into risky behaviors does not automatically lead to change.
Consider a supervisor telling a driver that they had 14 hard-braking events in the past month. The driver knows what happened but may not understand why. If trained in the Smith5Keys, the driver has a framework for identifying the underlying behavior. For example, they may be failing to scan far enough ahead to recognize an emerging hazard.
Connecting the event to a principle learned in training reminds the driver of the specific behavior to improve. Data alone does not change how a driver thinks. Behavior changes when fleets create a through-line from the event, to the decision behind it, to the principle the driver can apply next time.
That’s the difference between a training company and a Driver Risk Management platform: Smith System pairs the Smith5Keys with monitoring and analytics, so the data behind an alert and the coaching that follows come from the same system.
Turn Safety Principles into Everyday Habits
The Eastern Region of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) demonstrates how consistent training yields sustained results.
The region experienced approximately 75 to 80 vehicle incidents annually. Rules and compliance systems were in place, but classroom training was not consistently influencing real-world driving habits. Some incidents, including collisions with stationary objects, had become accepted as part of the job.
WSDOT adopted the Smith5Keys using a peer-led, train-the-trainer model. Instructors were selected from the driving workforce to build trust and reduce resistance.
Annual incidents fell by about 30% in the first year and stayed at that level even as the workforce grew from roughly 425 to nearly 500 employees.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, training paused, and incidents rose back toward baseline levels. When training resumed, incidents declined again. In 2025, the region recorded its best year, with 58 incidents.
Reinforce Safety Through Culture
WSDOT’s experience shows that teaching safety principles and consistently reinforcing them helps drivers turn those principles into behaviors and habits.
WSDOT reinforces the Smith5Keys through peer-led instruction, behind-the-wheel training, and eLearning. Leadership also frames safety as a personal responsibility rather than as something driven solely by enforcement.
Driver feedback reflects engagement. Classroom training received 94% positive feedback, and behind-the-wheel training received 95%. All surveyed drivers agreed that evaluations were fair and balanced, and 89% reported improved driving skills.
The Eastern Region’s success helped drive broader adoption. Five of WSDOT’s six regions now participate in the program, and eLearning is helping extend it statewide.
Make Onboarding the Foundation for Performance
The effectiveness of an onboarding program ultimately shows in performance: fewer preventable incidents, lower costs, and coaching conversations that address the decisions behind risky events.
Onboarding establishes safety principles that fleets can reinforce throughout a driver’s tenure. The same behavioral framework introduced at the start can carry through behind-the-wheel instruction, eLearning, technology, coaching, and post-incident reviews.
When these elements reinforce one another, drivers are better prepared to recognize hazards, assess risk, and make sound decisions behind the wheel.
That’s how onboarding moves beyond training completion to deliver measurable improvements in safety performance.
Ready to turn onboarding into measurable safety outcomes? Contact Smith System — the data to drive different.
