Sunchip, one of Queensland’s largest wood chipping and transport companies has introduced an innovative online system for inducting and training drivers. Designed to deliver up-to-the-minute safety information directly to every driver’s smartphone, the system means that Sunchip no longer has to get its drivers together in one place for ‘toolbox’ training sessions.
“In the forestry industry, the legislation in each of the states of Australia changes constantly,” said Mark Blackberry, Sunchip’s Managing Director. “With 30 B-doubles in continual operation at remote sites in Queensland and NSW, we were struggling to keep our drivers informed of everything they needed to know, so we looked to technology to provide a better way.”
Teaming up with Fat Fingers IT Solutions, Sunchip developed a system that delivers training, legislation updates, safety information and more, directly to the drivers, wherever they are.
“It’s virtually impossible to get all our drivers together,” said Blackberry. “Now, we don’t have to. The beauty of this system is that it’s instant and everywhere at once. The driver can read the message, answer the questions right then and there and send us a confirmation that he or she has read and understood it.”
According to Sunchip, when compared with getting all the drivers together for training, the system represents a huge saving in cost, time and effort.
“Forestry never stops, so pulling drivers off a job to give them a training update is very costly,” said Blackberry. “This system has more than paid for itself already, and we have some great things planned for it over the next 12 months.”