POTENTIAL SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE USE OF LARGER TRUCKS ON NORTH CAROLINA HIGHWAYS

Until the passage of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA), North Carolina did not allow the use of twin trailers, 48-foot trailers, or 102-inch wide trailers as a matter of routine practice. With the advent of the STAA, all of these configurations must be allowed on the interstate system and certain designated routes. This change in practice elicited some concern regarding the safety of these larger configurations on North Carolina roads and highways, and the project reported in this publication was undertaken to examine potential problems that may arise in their use and how such problems may be minimized or avoided altogether. A survey was conducted of motor carriers who operate in the State and who were likely candidates for the use of the larger configurations. In addition, a very small group of drivers was interviewed. The motor carriers and the drivers provided information freely, and it is on the basis of their input, as well as on information gleaned from the literature and professional organizations, that this report is based.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599

  Governor's Highway Safety Program

  1100 New Bern Avenue
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27611
• Authors:
  • Waller, P F
  • Council, F M
  • Hall, W L
• Publication Date: 1984-12

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References;
• Pagination: 73 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Highway safety; Interviewing; Laws; Length; Motor carriers; Surveys; Tractor trailer combinations; Trailers; Trucks; Width
• Identifier Terms: Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982
• Geographic Terms: North Carolina
• Old TRIS Terms: Truck laws & regulations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00450233
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HSRC-PR140, HS-038 611
• Contract Numbers: Proj 84-06-613-05
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 30 1985 12:00AM