34 Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Association Membership and Trucking Safety By Adam Williamson | OTA’s Director of Training & Development SAFETY IN THESE TIMES where trucking companies are under intense scrutiny, there is really no good reason for carriers to avoid resources that can enhance their safety programs. The next significant accident or DOT audit can trigger a cascade of consequences that threaten the long-term viability of a company. Severe compliance penalties, downgraded safety ratings, revoked operating authority, or prolonged civil litigation are very real dangers that too many carriers find themselves up against when their safety programs fail. Trying to be an island when it comes to safety is simply not a good strategy. In August of 2023, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released the results of a study assessing the role of association membership and trucking safety. The key focus of this study was to gather and analyze data that would help the industry to better answer the following questions: 1. Is there a correlation between association membership and safety? If so, 2. Do associations make motor carriers safer, or do safe, proactive carriers join associations? 3. Does a methodology exist to: a) develop a statistical correlation between membership and safety; or b) statistically confirm that association membership itself creates (any) safety benefits? 4. The results were very telling. After dividing participating carriers into member, former member, and never member study groups, the report determined that association members generally enjoyed an average ratio of crashes per million miles that was significantly lower than that of former and never members (95.10/121.21/146.33). Perhaps the most telling aspect of this report is the implication that comes from the crash ratio of former members tending to on average progressively rise the longer that they are removed from membership. This suggests at the very least a strong correlation between association membership and a carrier’s overall safety record. Association members are generally much more likely to have strong safety cultures and to network with other professionals in a way that enhances the effectiveness of their overall safety programs. To review the full report, please visit ATRI’s website where a digital copy is available upon request. This does not mean that association membership is an automatic guarantee that your company will have a better safety record. As with many things, what Association members are generally much more likely to have strong safety cultures and to network with other professionals in a way that enhances the effectiveness of their overall safety programs. Crashes per 100 Million Miles by State Trucking Association Membership Status
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