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12 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | September/October 2025 DRIVER CAMERA SAFETY PROGRAM MAKES BETTER DRIVERS Davey strives to keep employees and communities safe, and the company's newest safety-first initiative, the Davey Motive Telematics/Camera Driver Safety Platform, will soon be doing just that in 8,000 company vehicles. The AI-assisted tool can detect driving violations while company vehicles are running, such as drivers not wearing a seatbelt, using their phone while driving and following other vehicles too closely. "It has made me a better driver," Matt Jakopak, technician, Utility Vegetation Management (UVM), Davey Resource Group, said. "As somebody who has spent the last decade driving 100-miles-plus a day, that's a big deal. Telematics improves the entire team and does not just focus on a company-first mentality." If a violation is detected by the technology's driver-facing camera, in-cab audible alerts will provide drivers with the opportunity to self-correct to prevent a recording of certain incidents from being documented. All employees who are approved drivers who drive a vehicle as part of their work duties will be trained on the platform. "We will never see you on camera if there's never any events generated by breaking the rules or not following the guidelines," Derek Huntsman, Fleet Operations Manager, corporate office, said. "Absolutely give it a chance. Listen to it, follow it, and use it. Talk to your managers about it. Talk to the Telematics team. We're here to answer any questions. This is intended to be a tool to help you to become a better, safer driver." The ability for employees to receive real-time information when a violation occurs and to then make positive changes in their driving habits is a helpful aspect of the program, Jakopak said. Telematics also tracks vehicle location, which can aid in finding an employee experiencing an emergency alone, and includes a front-facing camera, which can help drivers avoid animals or other hazards in the road, among other features. "I love it so much, I would use it for my own family," Jakopak said. "With the ability for employees to make real-time adjustments, and the fact that the program's team was working so diligently in its creation and making improvements along the way, I only see the net benefit in it." After a pilot program started in July 2024, the Davey Motive Telematics/Camera Driver Safety Platform installations started this year with Davey Resource Group vehicles. The program rollout will continue later this year with Eastern Utility, Wolf Tree, Davey Tree Surgery Company, Residential/Commercial and Commercial Landscape Services vehicles. SAFETY Neil Cowden, Telematics coordinator, Fleet Department, corporate office, installs a camera in a company vehicle, demonstrating how all company vehicles will be outfitted. Pat Adolph, UVM lead specialist, Enbridge Gas account, Davey Resource Group, drives a Davey truck while Telematics technology works to keep him and drivers around him safe on the road.

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