Analysis of the event data recorder system regarding criteria of safety, operation and consumption in a Brazilian trucking company

•Road transport in Brazil is inefficient and technologically outdated.•Accidents on Brazilian highways generate yearly losses of US$ 3.41 billion.•The use of the EDR improved the safety, operational efficiency and fuel consumption.•The drivers’ behavior improved, with a positive impact on the criteria observed.•The provision training enhanced the results of the technology. Raising the safety and efficiency of trucking in Brazil has been a considerable challenge to industry managers and public officials in Brazil. The high number of injuries and deaths, low qualification of drivers and dependence on this type of transport have combined to create a vicious circle of inefficiency and risk. This article evaluates nine indicators related to criteria of safety, operational efficiency and consumption of inputs, based on analysis of a truck fleet in Brazil, using data collected by an event data recorder (EDR) system. The objective of this analysis is to understand whether EDR systems allow better efficiency of truck fleets with respect to the proposed criteria, and whether the driver training process influences the results. For this purpose, we developed an experimental procedure composed of three monitoring phases – undisclosed (U), conscious 1 (C1) and conscious 2 (C2) – to allow evaluation of the fleet performance and behavior of each driver according to the proposed criteria. The results indicate that EDR systems can be applied to trucking in Brazil to reduce risks and costs and improve transport operation. Besides this, the process of training and feedback enhanced the results obtained in relation to use of the technology alone.