Truck Driver Working Conditions and Sustainability Initiatives

Knight Transportation prides itself on being a carrier, leading the industry to reduce its environmental footprint and improve drivers’ safety and working conditions. The following are excerpts from the Knight-Swift Sustainability Report 2020 demonstrating our environmental and workforce commitments.

Sustainability Initiative & Zero-Emissions Vehicle

We plan to continue our strategy of investing capital in new equipment to take advantage of improvements in tractor cab aerodynamic drag, engine efficiency, and developing fuel-saving technologies. We are also committed to completing our initiative to install Start-Stop idle reduction technology in each of our tractors to reduce emissions. We have deployed this technology in 55% of our tractors and plans to complete this project over the next 3 years. Along with our rigorous management and training efforts centered around fuel efficiency, we are also actively working: to implement next-generation trailer aerodynamic solutions, optimize diesel emissions with new cleaner-burning solutions, and implement various other strategies as technology is further developed.

“Sustainability has always been at the core of our culture. While we have made significant strides in improving our environmental footprint over the years, we believe that setting an ambitious public goal to reduce carbon emissions generated by our fleet by 50% over the next 15 years quantifies our commitment. Our passionate and dedicated team members have the knowledge to rally around and execute on this achievable goal that will benefit our families, our communities, and future generations.”

– Dave Jackson, CEO Knight-Swift Transportation

Sustainability Initiatives

Knight-Swift anticipates meeting our goals through various initiatives, including: 

• Implementing next-generation tractor and trailer aerodynamic solutions.
• Continuing deployment of advanced idle reduction technologies.
• Utilizing next-generation clean diesel engines.
• Operating Zero-Emissions vehicles, including battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell technology.
• Executing various other strategies as technology is developed and introduced to the market.

Driver Working Conditions

Knight-Swift’s culture and our commitment to Safety, our employees’ well-being, and the operational success that defines our business are not accidental. We have carefully created a culture where operational excellence and safety go hand in hand. Our expectations are defined by producing consistent, safe outcomes and where our employees can be productive, safe, and secure. Our safety culture has been carefully cultivated through our hiring and screening practices that ensure only competent, conscientious, and capable individuals are put in safety-sensitive functions; where people are trained and prepared to be safe and successful; through an operational approach that simplifies and focuses expectations and which leverages information and technology in ways that support and empower our employees and foster ownership and accountability for safety performance and results.

In our business, we clearly define roles and expectations; we train and educate our employees; we create accountability for performance; we recognize achievement. We constantly scrutinize our results and search for ways to improve. We learn from others, and we are always searching for and investing in technologies that help us strengthen this culture and improve our results. Over the past decade, the company has invested significantly in technologies that improve safety and working conditions for our truck drivers, including:

• Automatic Transmissions
• In-Cab Power Inverters
• Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)
• Electronic Stability Control
• In-Cab Telematics
• Collision Mitigation/Adaptive Cruise Control
• Push-button 5th wheel release
• Forward Facing Cameras with Feedback and Coaching
• Real-time Location Specific Weather Alerts Sitting-duck Alerts
• Speed Too Fast for Condition Alerts
• Automated Hazardous Material Handling Application

These technology enhancements and various safety initiatives have been intended to sustain and improve our overall safety metrics.

We are proud to be part of the VA on-the-job training and apprenticeship program. Approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to assist military veterans as they transition to a civilian occupation, it’s just one way we support Swift veterans. Apprenticeships for veterans are open to Active-Duty members of the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Army, and Air Force and those who have served or are currently serving in either the Reserves or National Guard.

• Medical, dental, and Rx benefits with a variety of coverage options.
• Full suite of voluntary benefits offered, including critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident, disability, and supplemental life insurance.
• Free wellness program includes biometric screenings, health coaches, and education to help drivers maintain or improve their health and prepare for their DOT exams.
• Medical testing within our own dedicated network and series of on-site clinics.
• Sleep apnea screening and treatment.
• Telemedicine and nurse-line services available 24/7 to support driver health needs while on the road.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available 24/7 to support drivers and their families with counseling, financial and legal issues so they can focus on safe distraction-free driving.
• Free life insurance coverage and will preparation services available to full-time employees.
• Fully refurbished and upgraded driver lounge centers to maximize comfort and respite periods.
• Terminals are equipped with state-of-the-art fitness centers.
• Onsite amenities, including mini-markets with healthy food choices.
• Chronic condition management programs.
• Sleep apnea screening and treatment.
• Health and wellness onsite events to foster ongoing wellness education and awareness.

The Knight-Swift family of companies offer a wide array of benefits, services, and amenities to our employees. This enables our drivers to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road, improve their overall health, and receive ongoing support for a long and successful career. Some of the relevant benefits and services include:

At Knight-Swift Transportation, we are committed to our corporate responsibilities as an industry leader and global citizen. To achieve this, we are engaged in continuous improvement efforts across key areas that impact our driving associates, employees, customers, suppliers, stockholders, and the environment.

Workforce Development

Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain, and develop a talented and skilled workforce. At Knight-Swift, we do this by offering learning and development opportunities to all employees through our online corporate universities. These learning experience platforms empower our employees with customized learning content designed for their specific needs. Through our universities, we aim to create a culture of continuous learning, where we focus on learning at every stage of an employee’s career journey.

To build the next generation of leaders, we also create and facilitate customized development programs for our employees, emphasizing people managers and senior leaders. Our talent development work focuses on building high-performing teams that produce results, drive change, and sustain an innovative high-performance culture. 

Our employees completed over 1,188,438 training courses in 2019 on topics including Safety, Regulatory Compliance, Communication, and Workplace Security, among others. We also provide Defensive Driving Training and various training programs for drivers with varying degrees of prior experience.

Interested in driving for Knight Transportation? View Trucking Jobs. 

You may also be interested in 10 Reasons to Become an Owner Operator at Knight Transportation.

Report may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “projects,” “expects,” “hopes,” “intends,” “strategy,” ”focus,” “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “continue,” or similar expressions, and speak only as of the date, the statement was made. Such statements are made based on the current beliefs and expectations of the Company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.

Actual results or events may differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the various disclosures by the Company in its press releases, stockholder reports, and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for information concerning risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may affect future results.