August 23rd, 2021 | Sterling

Transforming Safety and Compliance Through MVR Monitoring

An Interview with Mike Nastri from Herc Rentals by Nick Herstich; Product Leader, Sterling Industrials, Government & Education

You’ve made a considerable investment on equipment and people. You work hard every day to ensure your customers have the best experience. Whether your company’s core focus is Transportation or you simply have employees who drive as part of work responsibilities, you assume considerable risk each time one of them sits behind the wheel.

In good faith, you pre-screen drivers and re-screen them every year. By pulling a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) report only once a year, though, there is a big gap. You may have individuals driving for you with a serious violation. The implications on your workflows, profitability, and hard-earned reputation can quickly spiral downward.

MVR reports that are checked at least monthly can help to pre-empt and mitigate against dangerous driving violations that lead to costly crashes, claims, potential litigation, and negative brand exposure. With today’s technology, constant MVR monitoring is no longer an administrative nightmare nor an expensive financial burden. By automating the MVR check process, you can identify and proactively intervene with at-risk drivers.

We recently sat down with Mike Nastri, Recruiting Programs Manager for Herc Rentals, to hear about his experience with MVR Monitoring and the positive impact it has had. Herc Rentals is a premier, full-service equipment rental firm, providing customers the equipment, services, and solutions they need to achieve optimal performance safely, efficiently, and effectively.

1. What would you say has been the most significant impact of MVR Monitoring for Herc Rentals?

As part of our culture, we care deeply about our employees, our communities, and our customers. While we are a rental company, we are also a driving company, with a considerable percentage of our employees behind the wheel at one time or another in a company assigned vehicle. If there’s a Herc logo on a vehicle, we want to make sure everyone is safe.

Some of the most significant impacts of MVR monitoring are improved insurance costs and protection of our brand and reputation. It is not seen as a punitive program, but is instead intended to identify any problems while they are still small enough to consider retraining, or other support we can provide to our valued employees.

2. Prior to rolling out MVR Monitoring, can you talk a little about the process you had in place and some of the challenges you faced?

Prior to the inception of MVR monitoring at Herc, we would conduct MVR checks at pre-employment and then on an annual basis. As we looked at our business a few years ago, we realized the ongoing gap in real-time records was a critical area to address. As an example, as concerning as a DUI violation is, that can be an indicator of other underlying problems. Once addressed with the employee, we can then continue to receive that employee’s positive contributions to our company.

3. We often hear about the upfront costs or hurdles to budget for a monitoring program. Can you talk a little about how Herc initially approached this, and how the long-term compliance benefit may outweigh the cost?

Improved insurance costs and savings is certainly one of the most beneficial effects of long-term monitoring. Ensuring protection of our brand and reputation also leads to future revenue growth and consumer trust in our services and employees.

4. How has the culture changed at Herc Rentals and what other impacts on driving have you seen since you started monitoring employees’ driving behavior?

As mentioned, this is not seen as a punitive program but rather a way to identify possible problems within our workforce when they are still small enough to address and improve our employees performance. Our purpose is to equip our customers and communities to build a brighter future. Monitoring some of our most valuable assets, our employees, ensures we increase employee retention by addressing issues right from the start.

5. If you could summarize your overall experience with MVR Monitoring, what would you say?

As part of our commitment to safety, it all starts with pre-employment background, drug screenings, and driver requirements. For these reasons, we prioritize ongoing MVR screening to maintain that safety level, so critical to our business, on day one of employment and throughout the employee’s tenure with us.

Learn more about Sterling’s Transportation solutions.

About Herc Rentals: With more than 50 years of equipment rental expertise, approximately 4,800 employees and approximately 277 company-operated locations primarily in the United States and Canada, Herc Rentals serves a broad range of customer markets, including large and small companies in construction; industrial customers such as large industrial manufacturing plants, refineries and petrochemical operations; and other customers such as governmental entities and government contractors, disaster recovery and remediation firms, infrastructure, railroads , utility operators, individual homeowners, entertainment production companies, agricultural producers, special event management and facility management firms.

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.