Safety-focused TNT Express expands global best practice

A new training programme for managers at TNT Express will be rolled out globally next year as part of its commitment to road safety.

The managers’ one-day module has been developed to provide value to every country in which TNT operates and is expected to be launched in January 2009.

All managers of fleets and drivers will have to go through the module, which is intended to help them deliver the TNT Express target of creating common best practice safety standards in every one of the 200-plus countries in which it operates.

Plans for the training programme were revealed at the Fleet Van Conference, which took place at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, yesterday (December 2).

TNT Express, a ‘business champion’ under the Department for Transport’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme, which is managed by RoadSafe, is one of the world’s leading business-to-business express delivery service providers and has comprehensive occupational road risk management measures in place in mature markets, such as the UK.

But it is also investing heavily to reduce the number of road crash fatalities and injuries in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India and eastern European nations.

In 2004 TNT Express saw 19 fatalities involving its vehicles around the world, but it has seen that figure cut to one fatality a month on average in mature markets.

It is focused on a zero-tolerance approach to fatalities, but as the company embarks on a strategy of acquisition in emerging countries it has seen a significant rise in road crashes - last year there were 39 fatalities of which sub-contractors accounted for 31 of the incidents with many in the emerging markets.

Birmingham-based health and safety manager Kevin Cook said: “TNT Express does not focus on the financial impact of road traffic accidents.

“Its primary reason for enhanced road safety performance is the moral benefit to society as a whole and the company feels that to proportion costs is inappropriate compared to the cost of human life and a family’s suffering.

“In addition, the company as a whole is already aware of the costs and business implications of accidents within an express delivery service and therefore it is considered unnecessary to further identify them.”

TNT Express, a division of the Netherlands-based TNT business, delivers 4.4 million parcels, documents and pieces of freight each week - and the figure is rising as the business continues to expand, particularly in emerging markets.

The division operates almost 15,000-owned vehicles - HGVs, sub-7.5 tonne vehicles, company cars and motorcycles - and around a further 16,000 vehicles are operated by contractors at a national level.

In the UK, TNT Express operates 2,002 vehicles above 7.5 tonnes, 370 small trucks and vans below 7.5 tonnes and 988 company cars. TNT Express also operates 47 aircraft and has the single largest door-to-door air and road express delivery infrastructure in Europe.

Mature business units such as the UK, France, Italy and Germany already have well-established road safety policies and procedures for all drivers getting behind the wheel of a vehicle built around well-developed health and safety and employment legislation, and those structures are now being rolled out worldwide.

Initiatives include standards around driver recruitment, on-the-road driving assessments being carried out prior to a post being offered, defensive driver training courses being completed within three months of employment with a refresher after three years, and possible additional training for drivers following a blameworthy crash and when a commercial vehicle driver has been absent for more than three months.

Crucially, contractors are also expected to meet similar high standards - although this presents greater challenges in the developed world than in emerging markets.

“Globally, contractor compliance is the single biggest issue we face,” explained Mr Cook, whose role is to help implement and enforce similar standards and approaches to road safety on a country-by-country basis across the world and provide support through auditing global policies and recommending best practice.

“In the emerging markets we tell contractors the safety standards we expect and if they don’t comply then they don’t get the work. In Europe and the developed world there are legal issues and it is more difficult.

“However, we explain the TNT Express standard and what we expect of contractors and, where appropriate, provide training and information. We then monitor the contractors and if we are not happy we then go elsewhere.

“We will endeavour to work with the national businesses that we acquire to reduce road deaths and crashes and educate drivers. That is why we are giving managers and staff in these countries hands-on support and advice and rolling out best practice from the UK and other mature markets into these countries.”

TNT Express has strong links with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) and has signed up to the European Road Safety Charter as well as being a promoter of the ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme, which is designed to share best practice within other vehicle operators.

By making its policies and procedures and road safety-related materials available to other like-minded organisations, Mr Cook said: “We all share the road; we all share the globe and we all work together.

“The at-work driving safety measures taken by one organisation may stop a TNT Express vehicle from being involved in a crash and that will help everyone, including our business, which is why we are happy to share best practice.”

He added: “By joining organisations and becoming involved in campaigns and initiatives such as ‘Driving for Better Business’ we can lobby governments for change and promote road safety. We want to reduce road casualties globally and we believe we can make a difference.”

The aim of programme is to develop a network of employers and champions to promote good practice focused on a reduction in the deaths and injuries caused by cars and vans used for business purposes.

Business champions, drawn from public, private and voluntary sectors, both company directors and fleet decision-makers, work through various networks and associations to deliver awareness to their fellow businessmen.

The target audience is those businesses operating company car and van fleets, as well as those who rely on staff who use their own vehicles on work-related journeys.

‘Driving for Better Business’ programme manager Caroline Scurr said: “TNT Express maybe a huge global fleets, but there are many aspects of its pro-active approach to managing road safety which can be adopted by all fleets.

“The company is fine example of how a range of occupational road risk management initiatives and targeted solutions can be used to put in place a cycle of continuous road safety improvements that will benefit employees, their families and the wider community.”