Every carrier with a safety technology program eventually learns the same lesson: the hardware is the easy part. Cameras can be mounted, collision mitigation can be specified on new tractors, and telematics can be switched on. What’s harder to install is the belief, among people who spend their working lives behind the wheel, that the technology is on their side.
That gap between deployment and acceptance is where many programs succeed or stall. A fleet can invest heavily in sensors and software and still see limited results if drivers view the tools as surveillance instead of support. Carriers that close the gap tend to treat technology as one piece of a larger system that includes training, fair coaching and clear accountability.
Werner has spent years building that kind of system. Ryan Gass, Vice President of Safety and Terminal Management at Werner, walked through how the carrier approaches its safety program, from equipment decisions to driver trust to the role artificial intelligence is beginning to play in coaching.
A philosophy before a technology stack
For a carrier with a reputation as a safety leader among truckload fleets, the starting point isn’t a product. It’s a principle.
“Safety is one of our core values. It starts with the foundational belief that nothing we do is worth getting hurt or hurting others,” Gass said. That belief shapes how Werner approaches the tools it puts in front of drivers and safety staff.
According to Gass, the company relies on a combination of technology, training and accountability, with the goal of giving associates the tools to work proactively and giving drivers the best possible in-cab experience.
The order matters. Technology is positioned as a means of delivering on a value the company already holds, not as a substitute for it. That framing has practical consequences. When a fleet’s safety program starts with a commitment, every technology decision gets tested against a simple question: does this help keep people from getting hurt?
Newer equipment, more tools
One of the more direct ways Werner delivers on that commitment is through the equipment itself. Fleet age is often discussed in terms of maintenance cost and uptime, but it also determines which safety systems are available to drivers.
“We made a commitment to provide our drivers with a best in class experience with their equipment and that is reflected by the low average age of our tractors and trailers,” Gass said.
A younger fleet means the latest collision mitigation technology is more widely deployed across the company’s tractors. Werner is also in the process of outfitting its tractors with sideview cameras, adding to the forward-facing camera technology it adopted several years ago.
That layering reflects a broader pattern in fleet safety. Individual systems each address a specific risk, such as a following-distance event, a lane change or a backing maneuver. Combined, they give a carrier more complete visibility into what is happening around the truck and inside the cab.
What changes for the driver
For a driver, the question about any new system is practical: what does it change on the road?
Gass described collision mitigation as a “belt and suspenders” approach, an added layer of protection on top of the skills and judgment drivers already bring to the job. “Collision mitigation technology provides a belt and suspenders approach to our drivers adding in a layer of safety for our drivers,” he said.
There is in-cab coaching that provides active feedback and coaching to the driver. The sideview cameras also feed a monitor the driver can watch, which helps with blind spot monitoring during lane changes and while backing.
Those are everyday moments, and they’re where many incidents start. Giving drivers real-time information in the moment shortens the distance between a risky behavior and a correction.
Werner reports results on both sides of the ledger that safety leaders watch most closely. “We have seen a reduction in our accident/incident frequency as well as the severity,” Gass said.
The same data also serves the back office. Real-time information captured in the cab is available as evidence to assist with claim resolution, which turns a safety tool into a claims tool as well.
Trust is the real installation
Cameras raise a fair question for any driver: what happens to the footage? Gass was direct that the answer determines whether a program works. “Driver trust is extremely important to the success of any safety technology program,” he said.
Werner acknowledges drivers may initially have concerns about cameras and how the information collected will be used. Gass called those concerns understandable and said the company takes them seriously. The carrier’s response is to be explicit about intent.
“At Werner, our focus is on using technology to improve safety, not to micromanage our drivers,” Gass said.
In practice, that means transparency, consistent coaching and helping drivers understand how the systems can protect them. Video is a central part of that argument. When an incident occurs, footage can help establish what actually happened, which can protect a driver from a false accusation. Gass noted that driver acceptance improves when technology is used fairly and drivers see the benefits firsthand.
Privacy is part of the equation, too. Werner says it works to be thoughtful about what information it collects and how that information is used. Gass summed up the approach this way: “Ultimately, trust is earned through actions, not just policies.”
The goal, he said, is an environment where drivers see safety technology as a tool working for them rather than something working against them. For carriers weighing similar investments, the lesson is that rollout and communication deserve as much planning as the hardware.
Coaching at the scale of 8,500+ trucks
Technology generates data, but data only changes behavior when someone acts on it. At Werner, camera and telematics systems help identify behaviors so the company can address potential risks before they result in an accident.
The challenge is scale. “When you’re managing a fleet of 8,500+ trucks, delivering timely and consistent coaching across the organization is a significant undertaking,” Gass said.
Werner’s answer is to begin incorporating AI-generated coaching that uses the actual likenesses of its safety team. The idea is to deliver consistent, personalized coaching while keeping a familiar connection between drivers and the safety professionals they work with.
It’s a notable approach because it addresses a tension that many large fleets face. Personal relationships make coaching more effective, but personal relationships don’t scale easily. Gass sees AI as a way to resolve that tension rather than deepen it. “AI provides an opportunity to expand our coaching capabilities without losing the personal relationships that are so important to a successful safety program,” he said.
The company is still early in that effort, which Gass described as beginning to incorporate AI coaching. But the direction is clear: use technology to extend the reach of the safety team, not to replace the people on it.
Recruiting, retention and the business case
In a tight driver market, carriers naturally ask whether safety technology helps or hurts hiring. Gass offered a measured answer. “Technology alone isn’t necessarily going to recruit or retain a driver. However, a company that demonstrates a genuine commitment to driver safety, provides fair coaching, and invests in tools that help drivers succeed certainly has an advantage.”
That distinction is useful for fleet leaders. The tools themselves aren’t the selling point. The commitment behind them is.
The same logic applies to the financial case. Werner views safety technology as an investment in its drivers, its equipment and the long-term performance of its business, and Gass said the return goes well beyond the initial cost of the equipment. The company evaluates improvements in driver behavior, accident frequency, accident severity, claims expenses and overall operational efficiency.
According to Gass, Werner has seen significant reductions in critical safety events, DOT accidents and accident-related costs through its operations. Those results reinforce the importance of pairing the right technology with consistent coaching and accountability.
He was careful not to overstate what technology can do. “The technology itself doesn’t prevent every accident, but when it’s used effectively, it can make a measurable difference,” Gass said.
Then there’s the math of severity. Preventing even a small number of serious accidents can have a substantial impact, Gass said, both financially and, more importantly, on the lives of drivers and the motoring public.
What comes next
Looking ahead, Werner will continue looking at ways to leverage artificial intelligence. Beyond virtual coaching, the company is exploring predictive analytics, enhanced driver communication, and tighter integration among its camera systems, telematics and driver platforms.
Gass expects those connections to pay off over time. As the technologies evolve, he believes there will be more opportunities to identify emerging risks and intervene before an accident occurs.
He also drew a line around what the company will and won’t pursue. “Our focus isn’t on adding technology simply because it’s available. It’s about finding solutions that genuinely improve driver safety and make our operations more efficient,” Gass said.
That discipline may be the most transferable idea from Werner’s approach. Fleets face a steady stream of new safety products, and the temptation to adopt tools for their own sake is real. Filtering every option through a practical test, whether it improves safety and efficiency for drivers and the business, keeps a technology program focused.
The takeaway for fleet leaders
Werner’s experience points to a few consistent themes. Start with a safety commitment the whole organization can repeat. Invest in equipment that gives drivers current tools. Be transparent about how video and data are used. Pair every system with coaching that drivers experience as fair. And treat the data as a starting point, not a finish line.
Gass framed the larger goal this way: “The future of safety technology isn’t just about collecting more data. It’s about turning that data into meaningful action that prevents accidents and keeps America’s roads safer.”
For carriers still deciding how to build or expand a safety technology program, that may be the most useful measure of success: not how much information the fleet collects, but how reliably it turns that information into action, and whether the drivers on the receiving end trust it enough to use it.
