Safety always has and always will come first at Northwest Tank Lines. Safety is the basis for every single decision made by every single team member and driver at Northwest. When you’re hauling dangerous cargo, safety cannot be an afterthought, it has to be the first and foremost consideration that is driving your business. Northwest’s reputation for our commitment to safety is known far and wide and is the number one reason our partners and clients prefer working with Northwest Tank Lines over our competitors. It all boils down to a single statement: Northwest believes that everyone, from all our drivers and team members, to everyone we share the road with, and everyone we interact with along the way, deserves to get home safe to their families.
Innovative Safety Technology
Over the years Northwest has proven to be a leader in the industry by being the first to innovate on driver safety training and the implementation of new technology, specifically to ensure the safety of everyone involved. This includes being one of the first North American trucking companies to implement satellite tracking to ensure a continuous connection between the drivers and dispatch, and then further expanding this program in 2012 to include electronic logs, hours of service, and the ability to monitor critical events such as hard braking and roll stability. Shortly after this, Speed Gauge was also implemented, which monitors overspeeds for the entire fleet. Northwest is also proud to have installed forward-facing dash cams on all our trucks in 2016 to ensure we have recordings of any safety incidents that do occur so that everything in our power can be done to prevent them in the future.
TransCAER For Community Safety
Northwest is one of the founding members of the Transportation Awareness and Emergency Response (TransCAER), which is a nationwide community outreach program. TransCAER was founded to address community concerns about the transportation of hazardous materials through planning and cooperation. It also provides assistance to communities for the development and evaluation of their emergency response plan for hazardous material transportation incidents, and we’ve been an active participant in TransCAER workshops and exercises in over 25 BC and Alberta communities.
Responsible Care® For The Safety Of The Planet
Northwest is the only carrier with the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association “Responsible Care® Partner” credentials in Western Canada. Responsible Care® provides a clear set of guiding principles and codes of practice that Northwest is committed to following, including the areas of occupational and operational health and safety, environmental care, and security. Responsible Care® was created by the chemical industry as a global commitment to the responsible management of chemicals throughout their entire lifecycle, including their transportation.
Leading The Way In Emergency Response
In 1979 Northwest launched its Emergency Response Plan, which was the first of its kind for a bulk carrier in Western Canada. Our Emergency Response Team is part of an elite, highly-trained group of first responders in Canada, dedicated to protecting our communities and our environment, and assists in highway, rail, and site incidents involving hazardous materials.
From our people to our communities to our planet, our commitment to safety guides us in all aspects of our business. The entire Northwest family is incredibly proud of our dedication to safety over the last 65 years and is looking forward to all that we can do to make the industry safer in the years to come.
This blog is part two of our Foundations series, celebrating the values that have made Northwest a leader in the trucking industry for 65 years. You can read part one, Our Foundation: The Northwest Family here, and keep your eyes out for part three, Our Foundation: Service Excellence, coming soon!
