Potential Safety Benefits of Motor Carrier Operational Efficiencies

This synthesis focuses on motor vehicle safety practices and the impacts of these practices, measured from within the industry, and provides information that may assist motor carriers in deploying their vehicles in ways that minimize crash risk. A major theme is to make travel safer. Motor carrier executives and managers are the principal audience, although government and industry officials involved in highway operations, regulations, or outreach may find some results relevant. The synthesis reports the research rationales and evidence for risk avoidance strategies and reports survey findings on their advisability, use, and perceived safety effects. It includes a literature review covering wide-ranging sources of research, crash and naturalistic driving data, and commercial products relevant to both efficiency and safety. It covered research literature and trade press, crash and naturalistic driving statistics, and vendor products and services. Information was also obtained from motor carrier managers and other safety experts who were surveyed with regard to driver and vehicle deployment practices relevant to both efficiency and safety. A convenience survey of interested, knowledgeable individuals, with 79 respondents out of 130, reports how current fleet safety managers view various driving situations and operational practices. Other safety experts in motor carrier safety included professionals in government, industry trade associations, and safety consulting and research and they were asked their opinions offering a different perspective on driver and vehicle deployment practices. The report also includes 11 short case studies, reporting confidentially, and motor carriers operational practices that might reduce exposure to risk. Several interviewees volunteered that they used commercially acquired software. Research and development gaps that have come to light are included here.