ExceleRATE’s simplified results helped decrease RBS Bulk System’s onboarding time, while increasing confidence in their drivers.

There was always a gap in driver auditing and review, it was was tough to be consistent. With ExceleRATE, I sleep better at night having confidence in the decisions we are making about drivers.Tyler Morse, Manager of HSSE, RBS Bulk Systems

About RBS Bulk Systems

 RBS Bulk Systems provides high-quality bulk transportation services throughout Western Canada. Their head office is located in Calgary, Alberta and their two main operating terminals are in Fort Saskatchewan and Grande Prairie, Alberta. They specialize in liquid bulk transportation solutions, and are the most diversified bulk carrier in Western Canada. RBS Bulk Systems Inc. carries a broad range of products for customers in the oil and gas, mining, chemical and building products industries. RBS is a proud member of the Reimer World group of companies, a family-owned company with over 50 years of experience delivering exceptional transportation solutions to clients across Western Canada.

The Challenge

As a transporter of dangerous goods, RBS Bulk Systems is committed to delivering their customer’s shipments on time, safely, and at a competitive price. To help them with their commitment, they wanted to be proactive in managing health and safety issues. They noticed a gap in their driver auditing and process review, and wanted a solution that could objectively help with their driver vetting process.

When I heard about ExceleRATE, I thought – I have a use for that!Tyler Morse, Manager of HSSE, RBS Bulk Systems

The Solution

RBS Bulk Systems implemented ExceleRATE to improve their driver auditing processes. ExceleRATE consists of two complementary components; Vitals and CORE. The Vitals cognitive assessment is an in-office screen and the only tool shown to be highly predictive of actual on-road performance, while the Commercial On-Road Evaluation (CORE) is an advanced driver road test that identifies critical errors and trainable bad habits. ExceleRATE provides comprehensive insight into the questions of fitness-for-duty and ensures drivers have the critical skills needed for safe driving.

During Hiring

ExceleRATE is used in the hiring stage as a critical component to determine if the driver will be considered for employment. It helps quantify and qualify their written resume. 

With Existing Fleet

ExceleRATE provides an evaluation that identifies driver risk and empowers management to pro-actively respond. This framework allows RBS to channel their resources to focus on high-risk drivers. 

The Results

ExceleRATE provides confidence to RBS Bulk Systems that they are employing the safest drivers.

Over the years I have investigated many incidents where a driver’s actions were the root cause of the incident. I am confident to say that if the [ExceleRATE] program was in effect for many of these, the outcomes would have been different.Tyler Morse, Manager of HSSE, RBS Bulk Systems

Why ExceleRATE?

Objective, Third Party Test Scores 

ExceleRATE provides tools which add an unbiased and objective measurement of the driver’s fitness-for-duty.

Results Help Make Informed Decisions On Driver Safety 

ExceleRATE results provide RBS Bulk Systems with the data to make informed decisions about driver safety, and assists in tailoring remedial training programs for drivers that may need to brush up on their driving skills.

Strategic Advantage

RBS Bulk Systems is committed to outstanding safety and reliability with goal to deliver unparalleled service and complete seamless transportation solutions. ExceleRATE helps RBS Bulk Systems ensure shipments arrive on time and safely.

Elevated Safety

By enhancing their driver vetting process, RBS Bulk Systems is able to ensure they have the safest drivers for the job!

When Northwest Neurology’s medical team needed a better, more objective and scientific method to assess their patients’ fitness to drive, DriveABLE provided an efficient, cost-effective, and reimbursable solution.

“When I [first] saw DriveABLE, I thought, ‘Here is a test that we can do in less than an hour…and we can make a much better decision about whether this person should or should not be driving.’” Dr. Robert Bashuk, MD

About Northwest Neurology

Founded in 1975 by Dr. Gary Kaplan, Northwest Neurology seeks to provide high quality neurological care for their patients within the state of Georgia. The eight-physician practice is made up of board-certified neurologists dedicated to treating disorders of the nervous system including Strokes, Epilepsy, Headaches, Dementias, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. The group’s neurologists serve as consultants to other physicians as well as provide long-term care to patients with chronic neurological disorders.

The Challenge

One of the most difficult decisions facing physicians today is how to deal with a patient with a medical condition and/or is taking medication(s), which may be affecting their cognitive ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. When a person becomes unsafe to drive it is clear that person must stop driving. The problem for physicians is knowing when to recommend that a patient retire from driving.

Dr. Robert Bashuk from Northwest Neurology had been approached by many family members concerned about their loved one’s driving and safety on the road. He wanted a more definitive way to assess patients. “I didn’t have any scientific basis for making a decision.” Like many physicians, Dr. Bashuk was left to make recommendations about driving cessation based on observation and experience. He would often recommend an on-road assessment but found that patient compliance to his recommendations was low for various reasons.

The Solution

Dr. Bashuk knew he needed a better way to determine his patients’ safety on the road. After much research, he and his colleagues found DriveABLE. Northwest Neurology was the first neurology clinic in the area to implement DriveABLE testing. DriveABLE provides an easy-to-administer, in-office computerized assessment, to objectively and scientifically evaluate drivers at-risk due to any medical or neurological disorder. DriveABLE seeks to protect safe drivers from misidentification, based solely on their medical condition or age, and accurately identify unsafe drivers to protect them, their families and other road users.

“We did our homework… the rest is history. I fell in love with [DriveABLE] and we have literally tested over a thousand people in our area.” Dr. Robert Bashuk, MD

Patients at Northwest Neurology are seen for an initial consultation with a neurologist. After a DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool (DCAT) is ordered, a certified technician meets with the patient to schedule the test and then administer the DCAT. Patients are seen for a follow-up appointment with the neurologist to discuss the results. A follow-up DCAT assessment may be recommended in 6 to 12 months’ time depending on the results and the circumstances of the patient’s medical condition. For the DCAT assessments alone, Northwest Neurology is billing approximately $10,100 per month based on approximately 30 assessments.

The Results – More than 1,100 patients tested

Competitive Advantage

Northwest Neurology is a step ahead of their competition by being the first and only clinic in their area to implement DriveABLE. As a result of administering the DCAT, the number of referrals to the practice has increased from physicians within the referral area as well as new referrals from outside of the referral area. In addition, referrals have been received from private and academic neurologists across the entire metropolitan Atlanta area.

Objective and Unbiased

DriveABLE provides an unbiased and objective measure of the degree to which cognitive skills required for driving may have been compromised.

Results Inform Recommendations and Facilitate Discussion

DriveABLE test results provide Student Transit operations officers with the data to make informed decisions about driving cessation recommendations and facilitate the discussion with their bus drivers. Objective data dispels doubt.

Dr. Bashuk and his colleagues feel confident in DriveABLE as the results highly correlate with their own observations and experience. “The test results typically fit what I [feel] a patient should score” reports Dr. Bashuk.
DriveABLE test results provide Northwest Neurology physicians with the data to make informed decisions about driving cessation recommendations and facilitate the discussion with their patients. Objective data dispels doubt.

Safer Communities

DriveABLE identifies the Medically At Risk Driver and dramatically reduces the potential danger to the driver, their passengers and other road users. Preventing accidents increases community safety and decreases medical expenses and health care costs overall.

In reviewing all of the assessments from Northwest Neurology, 30% of patients tested scored in the highest risk category for failure on a behind-the-wheel assessment.

Testimonial

Northwest Neurology had a patient in her 80’s whom was tested and advised she should stop driving based on the DCAT results. This patient ignored the recommendation and continued to drive. Approximately six months after her assessment she was involved in a minor fender-bender. She was taken to the emergency room and later tried to drive home. She ended up getting lost. Fortunately she was found by police who returned her home safely. Two days later, her family visited the clinic and said, “You were right. We should have taken her keys away.”

The Challenge

A 74-year-old male was hospitalized following a stroke caused by atrial fibrillation. During the hospitalization he had contracted pneumonia and was diagnosed with accelerated hypertension. He underwent one week of inpatient rehabilitation and after being released, the patient wanted to return to driving.

The condition he was in, and the medications he was taking, suggested he could no longer drive safely. He was tested with the DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool and received a 75% probability that he would fail a specialized on-road test. He did not continue driving at that time.

The Solution

• The client spent the next month receiving outpatient physical and occupational therapy. He was then retested with a DriveABLE assessment to determine the current probability of a potential incident in an on-road test.
• The DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool (DCAT) and the DriveABLE On-Road Evaluation (DORE) were developed through 8 years of university research.
• The DCAT is the only cognitive assessment tool shown to be highly predictive of actual on-road performance.
• The test took 39 minutes to complete and was administered by a certified technician who guided the client through the process thoroughly before each task was started.

The Results

For the second DCAT, the client received a score of 15%, indicating that his driving privileges could be safely restored. He worked closely with his physician to ensure that every red flag was considered, and every physiological requirement for driving was examined.

With the help of DriveABLE, the physician was able to recommend the client be allowed to resume driving and, in doing so, restored confidence in the client and his family.

ETS streamlined and refined their hiring processes to ensure a more efficient use of resources and a more effective hiring.

About Edmonton Transit Service

Founded in 1908, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) is a fully integrated, easy-to-use public transit system. With over 1600 operators, ETS offers a safe, reliable and affordable public transit service linking people and places.

The Challenge

ETS streamlined and refined its hiring processes to ensure a more efficient use of resources and a more effective hiring process for all applications.

Through ExceleRATE, ETS was able to implement a cost saving strategy that helped reduce recruitment and training costs, in some cases, by up to 85%. ETS wanted an objective, third party test that enabled them to assess applicants’ cognitive driving ability before spending thousands of dollars on costly medical and functional testing, as well as any associated training costs.

“ExceleRATE proved that the bigger investment at the beginning of the process pays off for the end. Now overall we have better candidates to go through our classes.”Valeria Palladino, Edmonton Transit Supervisor Hiring and Training

The Solution

ETS implemented ExceleRATE to streamline their screening and selection process. Our fleet risk management program consists of two different assessments; Vitals and CORE. Our Vitals cognitive assessment is the only tool shown to be highly predictive of actual on-road performance. While our Commercial On-Road Evaluation (CORE) is an advanced driver road test that identifies the errors made by cognitive impairment and ones made by bad habits. These assessments combine to ensure you have the safest drivers on the road.

ETS Hiring Process

1. ETS posts jobs online.
2. The candidate completes pre-screening questionnaire.
3. Successful candidates move on to complete an assessment survey (STRATA) and if successful, a 15-question map reading test.
4. If the applicant passes both tests, they are scheduled for ExceleRATE, which includes Vitals and CORE.
5. The test results are thoroughly reviewed by the team and the chosen candidates proceed to the interview.

“Economically speaking, ExceleRATE saves a lot of money and maintains that level of objectivity. The instructors feel more directly involved.”Valeria Palladino, Edmonton Transit Supervisor Hiring and Training

Results

ETS Operator Hiring Cycle

• Trained ETS staff have performed ExceleRATE assessments in-house on more than 530 potential candidates.
• 59% of those candidates were screened out and did not proceed to the next step. Six of those candidates scored extremely poorly on the Vitals, and would be considered a high-risk, hazardous driver, on the road.

Why ExceleRATE?

Objective, Third Party Test Scores

ExceleRATE provides tools which add an unbiased and objective measurement of the cognitive skills required by ETS operators. Being a tax funded, public service, ETS must maintain a level of objectivity in their hiring practices. Objective data dispels doubt.

Results Inform Hiring Teams, Streamline Processes, and Save Money

ExceleRATE test results provide the ETS recruitment team with the data to make informed decisions about hiring operators. It also ensures the highest quality recruits are being chosen, while reducing costs.

Strategic Advantage

Edmonton Transit Service draws in applicants from all over Canada and outside the country. The ETS HR department has been approached by other jurisdictions and asked to share their hiring practices.

Elevated Safety

By enhancing their hiring practices, ETS is able to hire the best drivers, keeping everyone in the bus and on the road safer.

Student Transit needed a better, more objective, and scientific way to assess their drivers’ fitness to drive…they chose DriveABLE.

“Safety is of paramount importance at Student Transit. Our drivers transport America’s most precious cargo — our children. We are confident the technology and industry expertise of [DriveABLE and] SafeWay Driver Fitness Centers helps us put the safest school bus drivers on Wisconsin’s roads.” Jim Fey, Vice President of Student Transit, President of the Wisconsin School Bus Association

About Student Transit

Student Transit has been serving the Eau Claire community since 1939. Now a fourth generation family business, it strives to provide safe, efficient, and economical transportation to the families in the Eau Claire and, more recently, the Altoona school districts. As a family operation, its philosophy has always been to treat employees and customers like part of the family.

The Challenge

For over 75 years, Student Transit of Eau Claire has taken very seriously its responsibility to get every passenger to the destination safely, on time, and ready to learn, work, or play. That is why the community trusts Student Transit today with their most precious assets—their children. 

In order to promote safety and risk management, Student Transit sought to ensure that drivers transporting children were cognitively competent to safely operate their busses. The company wanted a way to better understand any risk involved in transporting its clients and improve its onboarding process for future hires. 

Student Transit continually strives to utilize any and all tools to help the company improve.

The Solution

Student Transit sought out a better way to determine their drivers’ safety on the road. The solution they found was DriveABLE, the global leader in evidence-based assessment technology for the fair and accurate assessment of cognitively at-risk drivers. Through award-winning university research, the DCAT —The DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool — was developed. It is the only cognitive assessment tool shown to be highly predictive of actual on-road performance. 

Through SafeWay Driver Fitness Centers, a DriveABLE provider in Wisconsin, the Student Transit team was the first to implement the cognitive testing of their entire fleet of drivers.

“The DCAT is an innovative tool; it could revolutionize how we hire, train and maintain our driver pool!” Jim Fey, Vice President of Student Transit, President of the Wisconsin School Bus Association 

The Results

Test Results

Assessment of Student Transit’s 117 drivers found: 

• 78% of those tested fit the profile of a normal, healthy driver. 
• 25% of drivers who obtained results consistent with a normal, healthy driver were over the age of 60. This illustrates that factors other than age, such as an underlying medical condition or medication use, can cause a driver to become unsafe. 
• 22% of drivers were found to be of higher risk requiring further testing and/or medical follow-up. 
• Three (3) drivers scored well outside the range of normal, healthy drivers indicating a high probability of failing an on-road driving test. 

Objective and Unbiased

DriveABLE provides an unbiased and objective measure of the degree to which cognitive skills required for driving may have been compromised.

Results Inform Recommendations and Facilitate Discussion

DriveABLE test results provide Student Transit operations officers with the data to make informed decisions about driving cessation recommendations and facilitate the discussion with their bus drivers. Objective data dispels doubt.

Risk Management

DriveABLE was able to pinpoint the “needles in the haystack” that needed to be reviewed and managed in order to reduce potential danger to passengers, other road users, and the bus drivers themselves.

“A majority of our drivers scored very well, as we expected. However, there were some who scored poorly and we are proactively working with them to manage the risk. We feel that Safeway/DriveABLE offers the potential of becoming a tool that we can use for managing risk for both current drivers and potential new hires.”Jim Fey, Vice President of Student Transit, President of the Wisconsin School Bus Association