At Little Guys Delivery, CarriersEdge training turns drivers into instructors

When Little Guys Delivery Service Inc. first introduced CarriersEdge online safety courses, there was some hesitancy among the drivers at the Toronto-area company. Some didn't have much experience with computers at all, never mind getting training through one.

Within six months of launching the program, they were converts, says Ahmed Fadul, general manager. “They liked it,” he recalls. “It provided them with a lot of information they didn't know. For some of the drivers it refreshed information they knew earlier but didn't put into practice. It helped to shake the complacency and get them back to safely driving the truck.”

Little Guys Delivery Service Inc. company was founded by a former truck driver, Fawaz Frig, in 1990. It specializes in expedited delivery of less-than-truckload freight in the Greater Toronto Area, sometimes in as little as a few hours. A sister company, LG First Transport and Logistics, brokers long-haul freight. Little Guys has its own fleet of 15 trucks; all but one are box trucks. It also contracts with operators of 35 light vehicles. Its business-to-business and dock-to-dock deliveries range from printed materials to medicine. Little Guys has more than 500 active customers.

Fadul is a recent hire, brought in by Frig to look for innovative ways to improve the company's safety training program, which before then consisted of safety talks with drivers. He was introduced to CarriersEdge through Shane Cutler, a transportation compliance and risk-management company that uses CarriersEdge online training programs for its clients.

CarriersEdge courses made a definite impression on the 15 regular drivers who took its courses, Fadul says. Those drivers not only absorbed and put into practice what they learned, they began making sure others were operating safely. That was especially true with one critical course subject, the proper handling of hazardous materials. Little Guys Delivery drivers had been cited for improperly displaying the placards indicating what hazardous materials are being carried by that vehicle or trailer.

It's a tough course, Fadul says; even he didn't pass the first time he took it. But Little Guys Delivery backed the course with in-person instruction so that drivers understood the requirements fully.

The result: “Our drivers became more knowledgeable than the shippers,” Fadul says. Drivers would tell shippers how to display the right placards. “My drivers became instructors.” Having the training, he adds, gave them confidence and credibility.

Through the use of courses on topics including vehicle inspection, cargo securement, hours of service and logbooks, “Our performance has improved big time,” Fadul says, including a 40-percent improvement in the Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration accident, inspection and safety rating.

“Little Guys Delivery has unique operating challenges from operating in a big metropolitan area like Toronto,” says John Oldfield, risk consultant with insurance brokerage Dalton Timmis. “Every day their drivers face congestion, construction, aggressive and distracted motorists, and they have to watch out for cyclists and pedestrians as well.

“It's essential that their drivers are expertly trained and understand their work environment. The CarriersEdge program has been instrumental helping them improve their risk profile and stay safe on the road. It's an important tool for us and our clients in risk management.”

Fadul plans to make further use of the CarriersEdge program for even more improvements, including assigning courses to drivers, and having managers take the courses as well. By having everyone go through the same training, he explains, “It helps managers talk to the drivers.”

And, according to Fadul, that's been the beauty of training. “Everyone is on the same page and knows the proper methods and requirements for hauling our loads,” he says. “Even our customers, who were instructed by our drivers.”