Dana Achartz: An Enthusiastic Spirit of Safety

Many elements come into place in the world of trucking when it comes to safety. With proper training and awareness, bad situations can be lessened or even eliminated with proper manoeuvres.

There are many things that can happen in the day-to-day life of a truck driver. If faced with unsafe events on the roads and without proper training, things could get ugly fast. Such events could be improper spacing around a semi-truck, proper following distance between vehicles, distracted drivers [are everywhere], and aggressive motorists, are just a few examples than can be very dangerous if not handled correctly. Drivers who are properly trained stand a better chance of getting themselves safely out of these situations.

Companies who practice safety and engage their drivers in a good culture, often find themselves in working great as a team and building success together.

Trucking moves America forward. Without trucks, we wouldn’t have food on our tables or shelves stocked at the stores. Especially for Dana Achartz, who works in the safety sector of the trucking industry. If, for any reason, the trucking industry underwent a shutdown; there are consequences that would result in severely cutting the supply of important resources.

So, safety for Dana, being the Safety Director at Commercial Transport Incorporated, isn’t a job as much as a goal she must continuously and relentlessly pursue. There are more than 125 drivers whose lives depend on her, along with 138 tractors and 247 trailers she must manage.

Her role demands that she oversee critical safety functions such as accident prevention, investigation, root cause analysis, injury prevention, and audits. Teach orientation and safety training on food-grade pneumatic trailers that are “Kosher Certified” and dedicated to hauling food-grade dry bulk products. Assure strict compliance with all Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Effectively maintain outstanding CSA scores as dictated by FMCSA and customer requirements. Assess current operations for safety conscious and loss prevention practices. And create and execute new policies and procedures, as well as revise current ones.

Let us dive into Dana’s journey of persistent pursuit of safety.

Challenge Accepted

Dana never considered working in the trucking industry. When she grew up, you just didn’t see women in the industry. She was with a limousine company when Tim Brakstad, the Safety Director of an OTR trucking company offered her a position in the safety sector of the trucking industry due to her attention to detail. Now, Dana has been in trucking safety for almost two decades and can’t imagine doing anything else. “I truly enjoy what I do. My personal motto is ‘my passion is my superpower,’” she says.

Once Dana got into trucking, it was like learning another language. It is one of the most regulated industries by the government, and the regulations are not easy to understand. Dana says, “I looked at this like it was a challenge. And for me, “challenge accepted.” I wanted to know and learn everything I possibly could to be a better resource for my team and our drivers, so I could help them follow the laws and rules of the road. Throughout my career, I have conquered many obstacles simply by learning, listening, and getting involved as much as I can to grow my knowledge to be better for my team.”

Read More: https://ciolook.com/dana-achartz-an-enthusiastic-spirit-of-safety/