Ensuring Safety
The Titanic is fascinating. Its sinking led to new laws and regulations for radio communication, lifeboats, and victim compensation. These rules shaped safety standards across transportation, including trucking. Today, transportation is much safer, and major incidents are rare.
In June 2023, OceanGate’s Titan submersible lost contact with its mothership, becoming a global news event. Deep-sea submersible travel is generally safe, with decades of exploration and no major accidents. Sadly, the Titan wreckage was found a week later. The crew included Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman. What caused this tragedy, and what can trucking learn from it?
Stockton Rush co-founded OceanGate in 2009 to make ocean exploration accessible. The Titan was built with inexpensive, untested materials and a third-party wireless controller. Think of it like making a truck from motorcycle parts. Safety compromises were made to simplify use for everyone.
How OceanGate Relates to Trucking
Regulations often have a bad reputation. Stockton Rush understood this, as rules can add costs and slow development. But rules exist to protect people and encourage safety. Buchanan prioritizes safety while running a $350M+ business, maintaining a "Satisfactory" safety rating since 2011 and a claim ratio below 0.5%.
The Titan implosion report could not identify a single cause. Issues included the carbon fiber hull and glue failures. Employees who raised safety concerns were fired. Rush allowed paying tourists as "mission specialists" to bypass regulations, and dives were unmonitored. At Buchanan, 600 employees work safely every day, with dedicated teams for customers, heavy haul, and expedited loads. We maintain a 5 Diamond ITS rating and a 4.1-star DAT rating.
Buchanan's Core Values
Buchanan follows D.I.S.C.: Determination, Integrity, Safety, and Community. These values guide everything we do and highlight where OceanGate went wrong.
Determination: Rush pursued success despite safety risks. Buchanan seeks success while ensuring safety.
Integrity: Rush misled passengers about safety. At Buchanan, we uphold honesty and compliance as industry standards.
Safety: OceanGate ignored inspections and expert advice. Buchanan ensures proper planning, tools, and safety protocols for every operation.
Community: Buchanan aims to set an example and support industry growth. OceanGate’s actions risked lives and harmed public trust.
The Titanic and OceanGate disasters remind us of the importance of safety and integrity. Cutting corners can have a tragic human cost.
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