J.R Stephens & Co: One System. Total Visibility

J.R Stephens & Co Pty Ltd is one of South East Queensland's most diversified waste and recycling and container handling transporters, running a fleet of 70 Prime Movers, 174 Trailers including A Double Tippers and Skels and Swing Lifts, plus 20 Plant Equipment and 15 Light Vehicles.

The Blackstone and Wacol-based operator moves around 3,000,000m³ of waste and recycled material each year, with specialised equipment servicing CSG, desalination and bio-solid plants, as well as waste transfer stations.

The challenge

J.R Stephens has always been committed to improving safety across their operation. However, the business lacked visibility.

Before partnering with Active Fleet, J.R Stephens had developed and implemented a fleet safety program built from a range of different systems. Each did its job, but together they left gaps - and no single, clear picture of what was happening on the road.

• The existing dashcam system gave the team a starting point, but not the fleet-wide visibility they were after
• Driver coaching relied heavily on work diary records and after the fact reporting from the drivers. Providing retrospective intervention rather than in real time
• Safety and performance data sat across multiple sources, so building a complete picture took time the team didn't have
• Driver terminals were difficult to manage at fleet scale — keeping devices updated and access restrictions consistent was a manual job
• The business wanted to modernise and unify the whole programme, rather than keep patching individual gaps

The roll out

The collaboration between Active Fleet and J.R Stephens resulted in a seamless staged roll out across the entire fleet.

Drivers and staff were trained on the platform so they could access footage, review previous trips, and download key incidents and events, all through the same user-friendly online platform and mobile app used across Active Fleet's fleet safety solutions.

The features

• Driver Fatigue Monitoring
• ADAS Following Distance coaching
• Remote evidence playback and download
• Event management and audit trail
• Telematics data
• Canbus data (Fuel, DTC, ODO)

“We identified a coaching opportunity around following distance. OKORIS gave us an effective coaching tool and footage as the source of truth. We’re now getting following distances with real time footage as the source of truth”
Sam Ward, Operations Manager, J.R Stephens & Co

What we deployed

• DVR 8 Channel
• Forward Camera ADAS AI
• 2 in1 Blind Spot & Rear Camera
• Duress Button
• Driver Safety Monitoring Camera
• Driver Alert Screen
• Seat Vibration Module
• Samsung Active 5 Tablet
• Live-view
• Driver Safety
• Remote Playback
• Evidence Cloud Storage

The outcome

Since integrating OKORIS, the shift hasn't just been technical - it's been cultural. Drivers have gone from viewing the cameras with suspicion to treating them as an ally, and the business now has the visibility it was missing and a tool drive change.

• An effective training tool for safe following distance. Footage from the alarms lets the team coach drivers on the specific behaviour, using what actually happened on the road.
• Fast claim resolution and driver back-up. Drivers feel supported by the system, and footage has cleared them of fault by providing a reliable single source of truth.
• Nothing gets missed. Full 360 view coverage, with remote access gives fleet managers the control they need.
• A system that saves lives. Driver Safety Monitoring provides real time safety breach intervention, supporting the drivers by keeping them alert at all times.
• Fewer accidents. Since implementing the OKORIS System to the J.R Stephens coaching programme, the team has recorded fewer incidents across the fleet.
• Supported HW. Active Fleet actively manages the hardware servicing and software through pro active support, ensuring no safety breaches are missed and the team and drivers are supported.

“For our drivers there has been a change culturally. Our drivers are thinking about their behaviour on the road and we can see the change through the reduction of alerts from the OKORIS Platform”
Nathan Stephens, General Manager, J.R Stephens & Co

A programme, not a project

The value hasn't come from the hardware. It's come from a fleet that now sees what's happening on the road, drivers who trust the system, and a management team with evidence to back their decisions.

That combination keeps compounding - every alert reviewed and every conversation had with a driver makes the next trip safer than the last.