K&B Transportation’s safety game changed overnight when former sheriff’s deputy Lance Evans took the helm of their compliance program. Drawing on his 15‑year stint in traffic enforcement, Evans installed a suite of telematics, real‑time coaching alerts, and a punitive‑free culture that rewards safe driving. The result? A 30% drop in DOT violations and a 12% reduction in crash frequency within the first half‑year.
What happened
In early 2025, K&B hired Evans after a string of preventable accidents and mounting FMCSA fines. Evans immediately audited the fleet’s existing ELD data, discovered rampant “speed‑hunting” and missed rest‑breaks, and instituted a new compliance dashboard that flags risky behavior the moment it occurs. He also instituted weekly driver‑coach debriefs, pairing raw data with practical, law‑enforcement‑style counseling rather than punitive tickets.
Why it matters for dispatchers/drivers
Dispatchers now have a live safety feed that tells them when a driver exceeds 85 mph or skips a mandatory 30‑minute break. That visibility lets dispatchers reroute or pause loads before a violation becomes a fine. For drivers, the shift from “got‑cha” audits to collaborative coaching improves morale and reduces turnover—critical in today’s driver shortage where the average vacancy rate sits at 13% nationally.
My take
Lance Evans proves that putting a cop on the dispatch desk isn’t a gimmick; it’s a necessity. The data‑first, coaching‑first model shaves off dollars in fines and, more importantly, saves lives. If you’re still relying on quarterly safety meetings and paper logs, you’re leaving money and lives on the table. EK Dispatch Academy now teaches this exact framework in our Advanced Safety Module – because every dispatcher should think like a traffic cop.
What you should do
- Integrate real‑time telematics that trigger instant alerts for speed, hard brakes, and missed HOS breaks.
- Replace punitive ticketing with weekly, data‑driven coaching sessions for drivers.
- Enroll your dispatch team in EK Dispatch Academy’s safety curriculum to learn enforcement‑style compliance.
— Ekjot Singh