Kia Mexico Uses Readi® to Guide Fatigue Countermeasures for Vehicle Test Drivers

Industry

Manufacturing

Challenge

Kia Mexico needed a consistent way to identify fatigue risk and guide supervisor responses for vehicle test drivers working alternating day and night shifts.

Results

Readi adoption reached a 97% sync rate across both crews, including users who sleep at home. The pilot established shift-specific risk thresholds and a documented countermeasure process.

www.kia.com/mx/main.html

USERS

CREWS

97%

Sync rate across both crews

Kia Mexico

Kia Mexico’s test drivers evaluate Kia vehicles on a proprietary highway. For the Readi pilot, two weekday crews alternate day and night shifts each month.

The Challenge

Kia Mexico described fatigue as a critical safety risk for test drivers. Interviews conducted during accident investigations indicated fatigue had contributed to approximately 60% of recorded accidents. Long shifts, variable schedules, and demanding conditions are factors that can build fatigue over time.

Kia Mexico set a three-year goal to eliminate fatigue-related accidents through a proactive, data-informed approach.

The Solution

Kia Mexico's Readi pilot included 50 users. Drivers are organized into crews A and B. One crew works days while the other works nights; they switch shifts monthly, and both crews work Monday through Friday.

Training for supervisors and dispatchers included reviewing high-risk drivers, logging countermeasures, and reviewing analytics in Readi. Safety and operations training covered reviewing high-risk drivers and using Readi to establish an objective fatigue-risk baseline.

Kia Mexico uses different ReadiScore thresholds for each shift so supervisors can follow a defined response at each risk level:

Day shift

80–70: Low risk; keep the driver under observation during the shift.
70–60: Medium risk; interview the driver, offer coffee or a snack, or encourage physical activation.
60–50: High risk; alternate U-Robot/PIT assignments during hours when ReadiScore is lower.
Below 50: Critical risk; driving is prohibited.

Night shift

70–60: Low risk; keep the driver under observation during the shift.
60–50: Medium risk; interview the driver, offer coffee or a snack, or encourage physical activation.
50–40: High risk; alternate U-Robot/PIT assignments during hours when ReadiScore is lower.
Below 40: Critical risk; driving is prohibited.

Scores of 80–100 are listed with no action for both shifts.

Success Criteria

The pilot criteria included 100% wearable adoption within three months, 100% supervisor satisfaction measured through a post-implementation questionnaire, and 100% completion of supervisor training. Kia Mexico also planned to establish an objective high-risk fatigue baseline at six months. For the expansion, the target was a 50% reduction in fatigue events during the first year.

The Results

Kia Mexico reached a 97% sync rate across both crews, including users who sleep at home. The pilot also established a clear, shift-specific countermeasure process and included training for supervisors, dispatchers, safety, and operations. The expansion will focus on tracking the reduction in fatigue events.