ALPHARETTA, GA - AmeriFleet Transportationwas represented by Juan Perez, Senior Vice President at last week's 2nd Distracted Driving Summit, as a member of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). NETS member companies and its benchmarking partners were recognized for their efforts to address the issue of driving while distracted, particularly talking and texting behind the wheel.
"NETS has been a terrific partner in helping us encourage the business community to adopt distracted driving policies," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "By putting these policies in place, businesses across the country are helping us protect tens of millions of more drivers and reduce preventable deaths and injuries."
In his opening remarks, Secretary LaHood commended NETS and announced in partnership with the organization, the DOT had identified 1600 companies with a combined 10.5 million employees that have already put a mobile device policy in place and an additional 550 companies that plan to do so in the next 12 months. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis also recognized the efforts of NETS.
"AmeriFleet applauds NETS for their efforts in raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and for their initiatives within the business community to encourage companies such as ours to adopt mobile device policies," said Juan Perez, Senior Vice President, AmeriFleet Transportation. "As a company with safety as a primary concern for its employees, and in cooperation and support of NETS safe driving initiatives, we have recently enforced a company wide mobile device policy for all of our employees to sign including our more than 800 service delivery professionals."
AmeriFleet's employee mobile device policy does not tolerate texting or talking on a hand-held phone while operating a company vehicle or while using a company issued cell phone while operating a personal vehicle. This includes, but is not limited to, answering or making calls, engaging in phone conversations and reading or responding to e-mails and text messages. In agreement with the policy, AmeriFleet Transportation employees are required to:
Turn cell phones off or put them on silent or vibrate prior to starting a car
Pull over to a safe place if a call must be made or received while on the road
Inform clients, associates and business partners of this policy as an explanation of why calls may not be returned immediately
In the months leading up to the Summit, NETS partnered with the DOT to launch the 2010 Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) campaign, Focus...Safe driving is serious business. Campaign materials are designed to help prepare employees for the launch of a new mobile device policy, reinforce an existing policy or to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. Materials have been made available at no charge and can be downloaded via the NETS website at www.trafficsafety.org. DSWW is recognized nationally Oct. 4-8. AmeriFleet Transportation will be conducting a 2010 Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) campaign with details to follow.
About NETS
NETS is a 501(c)3 organization, a partnership between the U.S. Federal government and leading companies including board of directors members: Abbott, AmeriFleet Transportation, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Chubb Group of Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Monsanto Company and UPS. Established in 1989, NETS is dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work by preventing traffic crashes that occur both on- and off-the-job. For more information on NETS, visit www.trafficsafety.org.
About AmeriFleet
Founded in 1997, Alpharetta, Georgia-based AmeriFleet Transportation provides total logistics solutions and transportation services to the fleet management and corporate fleet industry. Through more than 16 company-owned North America locations, AmeriFleet provides the industry's most consistent high-quality transportation and ancillary services to its clients which include some of the largest fleet management/leasing companies and self managed corporate fleets in the U.S. and Canada. For more information visit www.amerifleet.com.
