Chevron –the company responsible for supplying fuels to Caltex garages – reintroduced its award for safety at its recent conference for hauliers.

This was driven by the company’s Zero-Zero-One campaign (zero spills, zero incidents, number one in the hearts and minds of the customer).

By continually improving its SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality) standards, Crossroads was awarded Chevron’s Coastal Area Haulier of the Year award.

Contracted to transport annual volumes of 250 Mℓ of jet fuel from Milnerton to Cape Town International Airport, Crossroads was one of eight Chevron hauliers judged on safety standards at the conference.

The hauliers’ safety standards are measured on volume moved and incidents experienced. From bumper bashings and spills to vehicle write-offs and fatalities, all contraventions of safety policies are strictly recorded.

Jeanne Kruger, fuel distribution contract manager for Crossroads, says: “It’s all down to our long-standing SHEQ strategy of continual improvement.

“We’re obviously OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certified, and all our vehicles on the contract are fitted with Drive Cam cameras to monitor drivers’ behaviour and ensure that every incident or near-incident is recorded and analysed, and becomes the subject of ongoing training.

“Our drivers also get regular training with emphasis on defensive driving and, in addition, driver trainers also accompany the drivers and evaluate them on commentary driving.”

Internal committees conduct annual and quarterly SHEQ audits at Crossroads, and additional audits are carried out on management and operational systems, vehicles and equipment every six months.

“These regular, thorough audits ensure that the highest SHEQ standards are maintained proactively and not reactively,” says Kruger.