The Safest Stat of All

It goes without saying that trucking is one of the most challenging industries today, and to succeed carriers need to be aware of new innovations and information that can identify and solve current problems while avoiding problems down the road.

The US SafeStat is an online service provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation that collects critical data on fleet operations. It’s like an electronic ongoing report card of fleet-safety performance and I wish Canada had a similar system.

It works like this: SafeStat collects information on all U.S. roadside inspections, vehicle collisions, moving violations, hours-of-service violations, and fleet audits.

The information is then used to assign three general ratings: Pass; Optional; and Inspect. These ratings are used by the DOT to specify the action a DOT officer should take with a specific carrier.

A carrier with a Pass rating has a ratings score between one and 49 points. A carrier with a Pass rating is “waved through” at a roadside scale by a DOT officer because of the carrier’s excellent safety performance. Doesn’t that sound more efficient than what we’re accustomed to in this country?

A score of 50 to 74 earns an Optional rating. This rating advises the DOT officer that the truck might be worth a look, at the officer’s discretion. If traffic at the scale is slow, chances are good that you will get an inspection.

If you arrive at a scale with a score of 75 to 100, plan on spending a minimum of one hour at the scale. Congratulations. Your inspect rating earns you a DOT officer’s full attention.

The last rating category is “Insufficient Data,” which means the DOT simply have little or no data on a fleet. The officer is required to conduct an inspection to capture information to build and establish a carrier’s safety profile and rating.

SafeStat helps identify problem carriers and encourages safer operations. For carriers, SafeStat is an essential tool that helps you anticipate your drivers’ interactions with DOT officers while operating in the U.S. No carrier can afford to operate without knowing its rating. You don’t have any reasons not to. After all, it’s free to use.

To use SafeStat, visit www.ai.volpe.dot.gov and enter either your U.S. DOT number or company name. The site returns a graph measuring your fleet performance and links to accident, driver, and mechanical vehicle inspection details on your fleet.

The driver violations-portion of a SafeStat report is critical for fleet managers. First, it identifies every moving violation assigned to a specific driver. As a result, SafeStat can help identify problem drivers, prompting you to take corrective action.

Hours of Service violations are given substantial weight in a SafeStat rating calculation. Again, this information can identify drivers who require further training and attention.

Unfortunately, in my experience a surprising number of fleet managers are not familiar with SafeStat. Once they are, the site is quickly bookmarked in their Favorites.

As a fleet manager, I regularly reviewed the mechanical defects report noted on the company’s SafeStat report with garage and maintenance vendors. It was an effective way to spot problem trends and to improve our inspection checklist. It also helped us identify potential driver training needs.

Fleets can also leverage their SafeStat rating as a driver recruiting tool. Any carrier who’s earned a “Pass” rating should be mentioning that fact in their driver recruiting efforts. It’s a perk for prospective drivers to know that they won’t be delayed at U.S. scales. In many instances, I’ve seen the SafeStat rating used to “close” the hiring of a quality professional driver.

Finally, a Pass rating can serve as a powerful marketing tool. In the same way that the site is free for you to use and access, SafeStat also makes your safety information freely available to anyone wanting to scrutinize your safety history. Not surprisingly, many U.S. shippers don’t conduct business with a carrier without first looking at their SafeStat rating — another big reason to earn and maintain a Pass rating.