With over 168,000 heavy trucks on our roads, every day there is a story to be read about the men and women keeping our supply chain going.

Two in particular over the last two weeks caught my attention, for very different reasons but both pointing to the same thing – paying attention. One ended in triumph, with a life saved, one in tragedy with a life lost.

In Auckland this week, quick thinking from NRC member SRL Cargo driver Prabhjot Singh saved the life of a woman hanging off the Penrose over bridge. Driving down the southern motorway he slowed down to 60 km/h, observed a police car behind him, noticed the sign saying pedestrian on motorway, and saw a woman hanging off the bridge.

He slowed down to 10 m/h as he went under the bridge, allowing the woman to fall onto the container on the truck. Probhjot’s situational awareness almost certainly saved the woman’s life. For those who haven’t been on the Auckland motorway, the Penrose bridge is on one of the busiest sections of the motorway.

As a byline, it was disappointing to read that after the event Prabhjot endured relentless racism after a video of the incident aftermath was posted online, with some viewers assuming the truck had become stuck under the bridge. But we won’t let a few cowardly keyboard warriors define us, after all Kiwis are world famous for how welcoming we are. And it certainly won’t take the shine off saving a life for Prabhjot.

Sadly, a week prior we had a story about a truck driver in the Hawke’s Bay who crashed into a car after being distracted by a mobile phone for the previous two hours, causing the death of a 22-year-old man. That truck driver was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for dangerous driving causing death and injury. But that punishment will pale in comparison to the pain caused by knowing her actions caused a person to be killed.

Mobile phones used in the wrong circumstances can be lethal. Mobile phones, or more specifically the apps on them, are designed to distract us, and then keep us distracted as long as possible. The same smarts that go into gambling machines go into designing these apps – I know this because I worked in the mobile phone industry for five years.

This is not to excuse the accident. But understanding just how distracting phones are should make all of us pause for thought and treat the danger they present while driving with the utmost seriousness. We wouldn’t drive with a beer in our hand. So don’t drive with a phone in your hand.

So what do these two events have in common? Contrasting these two events paints a picture. Both are about paying attention – what happens when you do, and what happens when you don’t.

We are now into the relentless run into Christmas. In the transport industry, the deadline pressure comes on, customer demands are long and tempers are short.

Looking after your team when the heat comes on is important. Taking a small amount of time to run a morning brief, a tool box session or just a coffee catch up can save lives.

Here are some tips and tricks to look after your team:

Manage yourself first – lead by example, show the way – the best leaders show by doing not by telling.

Give permission to “get there when you get there”. Yes, deadlines are important. Getting home not dead more so. Safety first, let your drivers know that it is ok to be late if conditions dictate it even with the best planning.

Talk to your drivers about taking the time to slow down on the road – you will always get there.

Get them to think about how they see the other drivers on the road.

Acknowledging one another as human beings – that’s not some idiot in your way, that’s your neighbour…

Motivate them to drive to their best for their families, and for the other person on the road.

Remind them of the golden rule – treat someone as you would want to be treated yourself (even if others don’t).

Talk about these incidents – the importance of paying attention, and situational awareness.

Every day at NRC I’m proud to see examples of all of the ways our members work hard to look after their staff, their customers and the wider public. Every day thousands of deliveries happen without incident – testament to the professionalism of thousands of drivers around the country.

– By Justin Tighe-Umbers, chief executive, National Road Carriers