Werner Enterprises is piloting sideview cameras to improve the safety and legal defense of its operations, President and Chief Legal Officer Nathan Meisgeier said at a Barclays investor conference on Wednesday.
The additional cameras supplement forward-facing cameras, and Meisgeier said they’ll improve operations and provide additional evidence in legal claims.
“Most accidents in the trucking space, and for Werner in particular, are not the fault of our driver or of the company, and so the ability to prove that that's not our driver's fault, is something that's valuable to us,” Meisgeier said.
The company recorded insurance and claims expenses of $49 million in Q4, a 46% year-over-year increase that Werner’s president called an anomaly.
Notably, a $19 million uptick in insurance costs during Q4 came from unfavorable claims, executives said on a Feb. 6 earnings call. But safety metrics remain at near record lows, Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers also noted to investors on the call.
“Safety is a high priority and a core value for Werner,” Leathers said, adding that the pilot of sideview cameras is part of a series of continued investments that include improving weather alerts, rerouting and future safety innovations.
Leathers suggested the additional cameras help with drivers’ ability in reverse and close quarters. But other changes are also taking place.
“The biggest tech improvement, in my opinion, honestly, is the ongoing improvements at the car level,” Leathers said.
The carrier’s CEO has long given up on the idea of stopping drivers of passenger vehicles from texting, he said. But as manufacturers upgrade their in-vehicle technology, that can help with road safety.
When the company and its drivers are at fault, Werner will take responsibility and ownership, Meisgeier said. Still, reform at the state level will need to level the playing field from unfair claims and damages, he said.
“If it's not our driver's fault and not the company's fault, we feel like we should have the ability to fight that on fair grounds, and that's what we're looking for,” Meisgeier said.
Reform could take years, and Werner will focus on the states that have the biggest impact to the carrier, he said.
