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

Assessing the Use of Navigation Systems in the Trucking Industry Phase 1: Driver and Carrier Survey Analyses

There is a dearth of information and understanding on the role and scope of navigation system use in large trucks. Furthermore, the relationship between “nav” system use and safety is unclear; both in terms of safety benefits and consequences. Anecdotal evidence suggests that using nav systems that are not specifically designed for large truck operations has a detrimental impact on safety. Given that little crash data exists that directly ties large truck crashes to nav system usage, ATRI researchers explored alternative methodologies for investigating this important safety issue. The two new approaches will 1) assess nav system usage in the industry, and 2) attempt to identify the technical basis for nav system failures and inadequacies from a truck operations perspective. The increased popularity and use of nav systems in the trucking industry have resulted in new nav system-related safety concerns. These concerns primarily center on truck driver use of nav systems that are principally designed for passenger vehicles, which may result in a truck driver following directions and routes that are inappropriate for large trucks. The majority of driver respondents (54%) who used a nav system used one specifically designed for commercial trucks. However, nearly one-third (31%) used a car-oriented nav system. Stand-alone nav units were the most commonly used nav systems according to both driver and carrier respondents. Numerous news articles provide anecdotal support for the proposition that nav systems may have been a contributing, or even primary, factor in many large truck crashes. According to the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI) survey respondents however, these crashes may occur at a negligible rate. Only two percent of driver respondents indicated that, at some point in their career, they had been involved in a crash that they believe was caused by directions or information provided by a nav system. Responses from carriers imply a similarly low rate. In a two-part question, carriers were asked 1) how many crashes their drivers reported as being the result of a nav system error and 2) how many crashes they, the carrier, believed were due to nav system errors. According to the carriers, an average of four nav system-related crashes were reported per year for their entire fleet. However, carriers believed that, on average, only two of the four reported crashes were actually the result of nav system use. This Phase 1 research provides an overview of the current environment of nav system use in the trucking industry, including system type and scope of use, as well as the levels of trust associated with the efficacy of navigation technologies. ATRI anticipates conducting a Phase 2 analysis that will collect and compare quantitative data on nav system-generated routes with known global positioning system- (GPS-) based truck routes and restrictions.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 50p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01479779
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 24 2013 4:46PM