Trucking safety price tag tops $9.5 billion a year, says ATA

ATA says driver safety training accounts for 36 percent of the $9.5 billion spent on safety

America’s trucking industry spends about $9.5 billion a year on issues related to safety, according to a new survey by the American Trucking Associations.

That figure breaks down over four categories, according to ATA:

  • On-board technology (25 percent): Collision avoidance and mitigation systems, blind spot warning systems, stability control, video event recorders, electronic logging devices and other safety technologies.
  • Driver training (36 percent): Safety training, staff wages and consultants, safety retraining and coaching and hazardous materials training.
  • Safety-related compensation (13 percent): Awards and bonuses based on improved safety performance.
  • Regulatory compliance (26 percent): Motor vehicle and driver record checks, drug and alcohol testing, voluntary safety audits, safety staff wages and benefits as well as safety consultants.

The association adds that the $9.5 billion does not include routine maintenance costs such as purchasing new brakes, tires or trucks.

“Before this survey, we were only able to conservatively estimate our industry’s commitment to safety,” said ATA First Vice Chairman Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express. “Now, thanks to the efforts of ATA, we can see just how much our industry is investing in safety as well as the results of these investments – improved safety for all motorists.”