Customer Stories > Dairy Farmers of America

From Classroom Compliance to Distributed Safety Intelligence:

How Dairy Farmers of America Operationalized a Culture of Safety at Scale with Skyllful 


90%

Completion Rate

94%

Knowledge Check Pass Rate

DFA Dairy Brands modernized driver safety training (1)
DFA Logo Color

About

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a leading national dairy cooperative owned by nearly 11,000 family farmers. The organization manages every step of the dairy supply chain, from farm to consumer, producing, marketing, and distributing milk and dairy products across the United States and internationally.

Industry

Food & Beverage

Use Case

Tech Deployment

Software

AFS by Telus

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Overview

DFA Dairy Brands operates one of the largest direct store delivery (DSD) fleets in the United States. Thousands of drivers deliver dairy products every day to grocery stores, distribution centers, and retailers across the country. Because these drivers work independently and often operate from remote depots, maintaining consistent safety training across the organization has always been a challenge. For years, environmental health and safety (EHS) training relied on classroom sessions, printed materials, and paper sign‑in sheets. Safety leaders would deliver the same presentations repeatedly, while local teams were responsible for collecting signatures to document attendance. In practice, that process was inconsistent. Sign-in sheets were often incomplete, difficult to read, or not properly stored—creating gaps in documentation when it mattered most. 

This became especially risky in the event of an incident. When litigation occurred, DFA needed to prove that drivers had received proper training, but paper records didn’t always provide reliable evidence.  

Initially working with Skyllful to support digital adoption of a new software rollout, DFA expanded Skyllful’s internal use to modernize how health and safety training is delivered and tracked across its logistics workforce. Today, more than 3,000 drivers receive structured monthly safety training through Skyllful, with digital records, knowledge checks, and real-time reporting that strengthen both training effectiveness and compliance documentation.  

Key Metrics

3000+ drivers receiving monthly training

3,000+ Drivers Receiving Monthly Training

90% Assignment Completion Rate

90% Assignment Completion Rate

94% Knowledge Check Pass Rate

94% Knowledge Check Pass Rate

65% of Safety Training Consistently Completed in the First Half of the Month

65% of Safety Training Consistently Completed in the First Half of the Month

50% of Training Content Accessed Offsite

50% of Training Content Accessed Offsite

Nationwide Visibility into Training Participation

Nationwide Visibility into Training Participation

Reduced Administrative Workload for Managers

Reduced Administrative Workload for Managers

The Challenge

DFA Dairy Brands operates a large logistics network with drivers working in a wide range of environments. Some drivers are based at major production facilities with dozens of employees, while others operate from small depots or remote satellite yards where they may be the only driver assigned to that location. 

Because drivers operate on different shifts and routes, gathering everyone for traditional classroom training was difficult. Safety leaders often had to repeat the same presentation dozens of times to reach drivers coming on and off shift. 

In some cases, safety leaders arrived at facilities around midnight and delivered safety sessions repeatedly until early morning in order to reach different driver schedules. Even with this effort, many drivers working in remote locations received only printed PowerPoint presentations and quizzes. 

This process created several challenges including inconsistent training delivery, limited reach to remote drivers, paper‑based documentation, and minimal visibility into participation across the fleet. 

The Solution

DFA implemented Skyllful as the platform for delivering monthly driver safety training across its logistics operations. Instead of gathering drivers in classrooms, safety lessons are now delivered digitally through devices drivers already use in their daily work. 

Drivers complete training independently within a set time window each month. Each lesson includes structured content and knowledge checks covering topics such as distracted driving awareness, accident reporting procedures, inspections, seasonal road hazards, and regulatory compliance.  

“At the very least, we’re giving every driver the opportunity to watch training and retain that information. We never had that before.” 

Jonathan Rothgeb
Director of EHS Logistics

Greater Visibility and Accountability

Previously, training documentation relied on handwritten rosters collected at each location and later uploaded into compliance systems. These records were often incomplete or difficult to verify. 

Skyllful provides real‑time reporting that allows leadership to monitor training participation across the organization. Safety leaders can quickly identify which drivers have completed training, which locations may be falling behind, and where additional support may be needed. 

“I can go into Skyllful and see every driver who has or hasn’t completed training. If someone’s falling behind, we can address it immediately.” 

Jonathan Rothgeb
Director of EHS Logistics

Cultural Impact

The shift to digital training has also created a broader cultural change. Instead of safety training being owned solely by the EHS department, responsibility is now shared across managers and frontline drivers. 

Drivers have the flexibility to complete training when it fits best within their schedules. Because drivers often work independently, this autonomy aligns well with the way they already approach their jobs. 

If you ask our drivers what they like most about their jobs, independence is always in the top five. They’re used to being out on their own, making decisions throughout the day. Giving them control over when they take their training fits that mindset perfectly, and that’s why they respond to Skyllful so well.” 

Jonathan Rothgeb
Director of EHS Logistics

That autonomy is showing up in the data. On average, 65% of all monthly safety training is completed in the first half of the month; a pattern that has held consistently month to month. Drivers aren't waiting to be reminded. They're choosing to complete their training early, which speaks to something deeper than adoption of a new tool. 

DFA's goal was never just to modernize a process. It was to give drivers a training experience that matched the commitment to safety they already had. When Rothgeb started receiving calls from drivers asking when delayed training materials would be available, it became clear that Skyllful had done exactly that. The platform didn't create a safety culture; it enabled their culture to thrive. 

Looking Ahead

DFA continues expanding how it uses Skyllful to reinforce safe behavior across its workforce. Future initiatives may include short safety reminders delivered throughout the workday, targeted training assignments following incidents, and a growing library of safety content. 

These efforts will allow managers to assign training that directly addresses real‑world situations and help the organization move from scheduled safety training toward continuous reinforcement. 

Strategic Takeaway

For Dairy Farmers of America, implementing Skyllful did more than digitize safety training, it created a scalable system that delivers consistent safety education to thousands of drivers while improving visibility, accountability, and engagement across the organization. 

By reaching drivers at every location and integrating training into daily workflows, DFA has strengthened its ability to maintain a safe and compliant logistics operation. 

Skyllful surprised me. From where we started to where we are now, it’s become a true partner in helping us build the safety culture we want.” 

Jonathan Rothgeb
Director of EHS Logistics

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