Off the grid and into harm’s way?

Truck drivers can be tracked wirelessly throughout their workday in most urban settings, but that all changes once they drive out of cellphone range, jeopardizing their safety, a new study shows.

Over half (57%) of “lone workers” within the sector have been in a situation where they needed to contact someone but were unable to, due to lack of cellphone reception, according to a survey from TracPlus, a developer of real-time tracking and communication platforms, and Ground Control, a satellite and cellular IoT (internet of things) solutions specialist. The survey was conducted among 250 people in North America who were either lone workers or individuals responsible for their safety and supervision.

The study likewise found that less than a third (28%) of managers or dispatchers had a means of tracking a driver’s location while they were out of cellphone range, and all respondents stated they had no tracking system that enabled lone workers to check themselves in. Perhaps not surprisingly, 43% of these drivers reported feeling unsafe at work.

“Ultimately, remote worker protocols are still evolving, and we know firsthand that for them to remain effective, they need to be continually reviewed,” Ben Travers, group product director at Ground Control, said in a release. “We’ve seen many organizations embrace technology to better safeguard their drivers. And to be frank, given the rapidly changing needs and increasingly challenging environments faced by lone workers today, this must continue.”