During the Transport Topics Newsmakers event, “In Service of Safety,” Robert Sumwalt, Former Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, recounted his career developing national safety policy. During the presentation, which you can watch a full recording of here, Sumwalt highlighted three things the trucking industry can learn from the success of the aviation industry:
#1: Monitor the Data of All Your Drivers, Not Just Those At Risk
Major airlines once suffered at least one large accident per year, but now, the last large incident from a major airline was over 20 years ago. Robert Sumwalt credits continuous monitoring of all flight data, even of flights that experience no issues, with this major improvement in safety.
By highlighting what goes well in situations where a driver responds to an unfavorable event, fleets can give their drivers a positive vision for how to avoid an accident, rather than coaching them on what they should have done after the fact.
#2: Allow Drivers to Submit Anonymous Incident Reports
The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is a way for pilots to report issues they experienced on flights—including issues they themselves caused—anonymously and without incident. The ASRS gives pilots the freedom to admit to their mistakes and seek advice on how they can improve without fear of reprimand, a system that Robert Sumwalt believes truck drivers could benefit from as well.
Importantly, this reporting is handled by NASA, and not the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), so that these reports cannot be used to penalize fleets or drivers.
#3: Share Safety Data With Other Fleets
Safety isn’t a competition, which is why the major airlines began sharing safety data with one another to reduce risk in the industry as a whole. As a result, there is a broad understanding of best practices among pilots and new, innovative procedures are quickly implemented by all major airlines once developed.
With truck driving remaining one of the most deadly professions in the United States, the trucking industry could surely benefit from sharing best practices among fleets.
How to Implement Best Practices From the Airline Industry
Implementing the advice above can seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be with the right tools.
The Idelic Safety Suite® is the most comprehensive driver management platform in the trucking industry, consolidating all of a fleet’s disparate technology systems under a single platform. Gain a 360° view of your fleet’s safety performance with Safety Suite’s Fleet Performance Dashboard and reporting functions. Instantly access canned reports on your fleet’s compliance, accidents, and claims, as well as build custom reports on any and all safety data within the platform.
If you’d like to learn more about how Safety Suite helps fleets break down barriers between their departments, watch a 2-minute demo video or sign up for a deep dive here.