Motive releases new AI-powered positive driving model to reward good driving

Technology and telematics provider Motive recently announced the release of Positive Driving, a new AI model that automatically identifies good driving behaviors. Some of the positive driving behaviors being recognized include quickly reacting to obstacles to avoid collisions or creating a safe following distance when cut off by another vehicle.

The tech is part of a larger trend by fleets to incorporate more positive driver coaching. In the past, most driver coaching was negative feedback, as the technology at the time forced fleets to be reactive, either from a customer complaint, an accident, a speeding event or being pulled over. With developments in cheaper hardware, better computing power and greater data bandwidth, positive behaviors are able to be identified and celebrated.

Motive notes that with the new AI-powered recognition, fleets saw a 64% decline in safety incidents and 43% lower turnover.

“Rewarding exceptional driving performance is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic lever,” said Karol Smith, director of transport safety at Estes Forwarding Worldwide, in the release. “One of our drivers avoided what could have been a really bad accident when a truck made an illegal U-turn right in front of him. Motive Positive Driving gave us instant visibility into his quick thinking, and we were able to praise him for his defensive driving.”

Another benefit goes beyond recognition to rewards. Fleets are now using safety scoreboards and adding employee incentives, which can range from gift cards and safety bonuses to company merch, depending on the company.

An inside look at the Thomas Built school bus factory

During my travels this week, I had the opportunity to tour the Thomas Built school bus factory in High Point, North Carolina. I normally report on heavy-duty Class 8 trucking but could not pass up the chance to report on specialized heavy-duty vehicles. I also happen to share the first name Thomas with the company, but unfortunately no relation to the Thomas family who built the company.

The school bus market is an interesting one. School districts have two budgets, one for things like teacher wages and another for capital expenditures like buildings or, in this case, school buses. Unlike a large trucking fleet that trades in its tractors in three- to four-year intervals, school buses last much longer, between 10 to 15 years.

When touring the plant, I learned that it takes roughly a day and a half from start to finish to construct a school bus. Additionally, the color of the roof and hood matters depending on the climate. A white-colored roof is more favored by southern school districts, due to its ability to lower temperatures by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. For school districts up north in colder climates, they may use darker matte or black tops for the inverse, taking less time to heat up. Unfortunately for school-age kids, air conditioning remains a luxury, with many school district budgets constrained and focused on no-frills features.

Thomas Built Buses also showcased its electric school bus, which I was able to drive around the lot next to the plant. School buses are a great test case for EV capabilities, with the average mileage driven by a bus during a shift being less than 80 miles. Additionally, despite the smaller 250-kilowatt-hour battery, there are only two shifts needed, one to pick up kids and the other to drop them off. This allows for opportunity charging in between the rush.

An average school bus that is a Type C, the one with a long hood, can cost between $135,000 and $165,000. An EV bus can cost three times as much, but there are still incentives to help districts afford them.

Finally, there are three major bus brands in the U.S., and each has a different shade of yellow. Thomas uses 3M paint for its signature color. The color yellow, I was told, was not federally mandated but based on an agreement in the 1930s that the buses should be yellow.