Commercial Motor Carriers

There are approximately 4,000 fatalities in crashes involving trucks and buses in the United States each year. Though estimates are wide-ranging, possibly 10 to 20 percent of these crashes might have involved fatigued drivers. The stresses associated with their particular jobs (irregular schedules, etc.) and the lifestyle that many truck and bus drivers lead, puts them at substantial risk for insufficient sleep and for developing short- and long-term health problems. Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health and Highway Safety assesses the state of knowledge about the relationship of such factors as hours of driving, hours on duty, and periods of rest to the fatigue experienced by truck and bus drivers while driving and the implications for the safe operation of their vehicles. This report evaluates the relationship of these factors to drivers' health over the longer term, and identifies improvements in data and research methods that can lead to better understanding in both areas.

To reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor carriers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin. (FMCSA) orders unsafe carriers out of service. To help keep these carriers off the road, FMCSA's voluntary Performance and Registration Info. Systems Management (PRISM) grant program helps states establish info. systems connections between state vehicle registration and FMCSA's safety databases. These connections provide states with up-to-date info. on carriers' safety status when carriers try to register or renew registrations with the state. This report examined: (1) PRISM's effectiveness; and (2) the potential to fully implement the program nationally. Charts and tables.

TRB's Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) Synthesis 12: Commercial Motor Vehicle Carrier Safety Management Certification examines information on existing commercial motor vehicle safety certification, selfevaluation, benchmarking, and best practices programs; identifies major common elements and protocols; and explores the crash-reduction effectiveness of the programs.

TRB's Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) Synthesis 14: The Role of Safety Culture in Preventing Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes explores practices on developing and enhancing a culture of safety among commercial motor vehicle drivers. The report also examines suggested steps for increasing a safety culture through a series of best practices.