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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Linking Carrier Descriptive Attributes to Crash Patterns: An Untapped Tool in State Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Programs

Using data from Virginia and North Carolina as a pilot study, this paper explores a set of issues and questions that are believed to be national in scope. To do so, descriptive attributes of motor carriers that were involved in combination-unit truck fatal crashes in North Carolina and Virginia from 2005-2009 have been characterized. Historically, the classic paradigm for studying underlying crash causes has been to focus on driver, vehicle, and highway- and environment-related factors to identify reoccurring or prevalent patterns. There is another, untapped data source, however: data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Motor Carrier Identification Report, MCS-150. All motor carriers that register with FMCSA are required to complete this form to be able to operate in interstate commerce and obtain a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) number. This study linked MCS-150 data with crash data files to add carrier attribute/descriptive information to the list of underlying risk factors that can be studied. Off the Interstates, the fleet size of the carriers was smaller, more of them were domiciled in the state in which the crash occurred, more private and exempt carriers were involved and, in many cases, the crash occurred very close to the carrier’s place of business. For crashes on the Interstates, the carriers tended to be larger, were more likely to be a for-hire carrier located in other states, and had traveled greater distances from their business location before the crash occurred. The crash pattern differences of small carriers (10 or fewer vehicles operated) were the same, but more pronounced compared to the patterns associated with carriers of all fleet sizes. In both states, crash patterns reflected mileage accumulation patterns on the two road types. The results suggest that small local/regional carriers face higher risks and safety challenges due to the highway environments in which they operate and that new ways to assist them be explored.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB70 Truck and Bus Safety.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Transportation Research Board

    500 Fifth Street, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20001
  • Authors:
    • Medina Flintsch, Alejandra
    • Clarke, Robert M
    • Hughes, Ronald G
    • Trimble, Tammy
    • Scott, Jeremy
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2013

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 19p
  • Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01476881
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 13-3505
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Mar 27 2013 9:39AM