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Research Results Digest 7 Subject Areas: IV Operations and Safety, VI Public Transit, and VIII Freight Transportation CTBSSP Manager: Donna Vlasak March 2009 COMMERCIAL TRUCK AND BUS SAFETY SYNTHESIS PROGRAM Sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration COMMERCIAL TRUCK AND BUS SAFETY SYNTHESIS PROGRAM: A STATUS REPORT This is a staff digest of the progress and status of the Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program, which is administered by the Transportation Research Board. Individual studies for the program are managed by Donna Vlasak, Manager, Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program. BACKGROUND The Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) is a cooper- ative research program sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminis- tration (FMCSA) and administered by the Transportation Research Board. The pro- gram was authorized in late 2001 and began in 2002 in support of the FMCSAâs safety research programs. The program initiates two to four syn- thesis studies annually that address con- cerns in the area of commercial truck and bus safety. A synthesis report is a relatively short document (40 to 60 pages) that sum- marizes existing practice in a specific tech- nical area based typically on a literature search and a survey of relevant organiza- tions (e.g., state DOTs, enforcement agen- cies, commercial truck and bus companies, or other organizations appropriate for the specific topic). The program is modeled after the successful synthesis programs currently operated as part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The primary users of the syntheses are practitioners who work on issues or problems using diverse approaches in their individual settings. Suggestions for synthesis topics may be sent to the CTBSSP at any time. These are submitted electronically at the TRB web portalâhttp://www.trb.org/Studies/ Synthesis/SynthesesSubmittal.asp. Topics suggested must be accompanied by a title and a brief scope statement, includ- ing a discussion of the problem (a para- graph or two). The name, affiliation, and e-mail address of the submitter are also necessary. Identification of the intended synthesis audience, agencies to be sur- veyed, and information sources is appreci- ated. The CTBSSP Oversight Committee meets periodically to select new topics based on funding available. The CTBSSP manager, Donna Vlasak, may be con- tacted by e-mail (dvlasak@nas.edu) for any further information about submitting proposed topics. A program oversight committee has been formed for the CTBSSP. Major re- sponsibilities of the committee are (1) to pro- vide general oversight of the CTBSSP and its procedures, (2) annually select synthesis topics based on an industry- wide solicitation, (3) refine synthesis scopes, (4) select researchers to prepare each synthesis, (5) review products, and (6) make publication recommendations.
INTRODUCTION Administrators, commercial truck and bus car- riers, government regulators, and researchers con- tinually face problems on which much information already exists, either in documented form or in terms of undocumented experience and practice. Unfor- tunately, this information is frequently fragmented, scattered, and underevaluated. Often it is unknown to the person normally responsible for making deci- sions related to the topic. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a prob- lem is frequently not brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due considera- tion may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem. A storehouse of information exists on nearly every subject of concern to commercial truck and bus safety. Much of this information has resulted from both research and the successful application of solutions to the challenging issues faced by prac- titioners in their daily work. Because there has been no systematic means for compiling such use- ful information and making it available to the entire commercial truck and bus safety community, the CTBSSP was established to undertake a series of studies to search out and synthesize useful knowl- edge from all available sources and to prepare doc- umented reports on current practices in the subject areas of concern. Reports from this endeavor consti- tute the CTBSSP synthesis series, which collects and assembles the various forms of information into single concise documents pertaining to specific commercial truck and bus safety problems or sets of closely related problems. THE CTBSSP This synthesis series reports on various practices in specific technical areas. Each document is a com- pendium of the best knowledge available on mea- sures found to be successful in resolving specific problems. To develop these syntheses in a compre- hensive manner and to ensure inclusion of signifi- cant knowledge, available information assembled from numerous sources, including a large number of relevant organizations, is analyzed. The program oversight committee guides the researchers in orga- nizing and evaluating data collected on each topic and reviews each synthesis report. For each topic, the project objectives are (1) to locate and assemble documented information; (2) to learn what practice has been used for solving or alleviating problems; (3) to identify all ongoing research; (4) to learn what problems remain largely unsolved; and (5) to organize, evaluate, and docu- ment the useful information that is acquired. Each synthesis is an immediately useful document that records practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As advancement continues, new knowledge can be expected to be added to that now on hand; eventually the synthesis may need to be updated or redone. Selection of Topics The CTBSSP Oversight Committee meets periodically to select topics for study as funds are made available. The membership of this commit- tee is given in Table 1. Current funding allows for initiation of approximately two to four syntheses per year. The following factors are considered in the selec- tion process for synthesis topics: ⢠The problem should be widespread enough to generate broad interest in the synthesis. ⢠The problem should be timely and critical. ⢠The problem is appropriate if current practice is non-uniform or inconsistent from agency to agency or if the validity of some practices appears to be questionable. ⢠The quality and quantity of useful available information should indicate a need to organize and compress that which has already been learned and written on the topic. ⢠The topic should not be one for which ongoing research or other activities in progress might be expected to render the synthesis obsolete shortly after completion. The continued success of this program depends on a constant supply of worthy synthesis topics. Candidate topics are suggested by members of the program oversight committee and various other sources, including commercial truck and bus carri- ers; regulatory enforcement agencies; state DOTs; equipment and service suppliers; research organiza- tions; FMCSA; relevant associations such as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, American Bus 2
Association, American Trucking Associations, and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; organized labor; and TRB committees. The interest of those who have recommended topics is sincerely appreciated, and they are urged to continue to sug- gest topics. Conduct of the Studies Throughout the year, following the program oversight committeeâs selection of topics, studies are initiated in the order of priority assigned by the committee. An agreement is negotiated with a consultant to gather information on the topic, synthesize it, and draft a report. Typically, the agreement covers a period of 10 months. Information gathering and preparation of the first draft of the synthesis report usually takes 8 months. This draft is then reviewed by the program oversight committee. A revised final synthesis report is subsequently submitted. This revised final report is then published in the CTBSSP synthesis series. Studies in Progress as of December 2008 Work is currently under way on the topics listed in Table 2. Questions on these topics should be addressed to Donna Vlasak, CTBSSP Manager (e-mail: dvlasak@nas.edu and 202/334-2974). Available Publications The syntheses completed under this project are listed in Table 3. Electronic copies of these synthe- ses can be found at http://www.trb.org/crp/ctbssp/ ctbssp.asp. Hard copies of these syntheses can be obtained from the Publications Office, Trans- portation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001; by calling 202/334- 3213; and through the Internet at www.trb.org/ bookstore. Please send check orders to TRB, Lockbox 289, Washington, D.C., 20055 or fax to 202/334- 2519. 3 Table 1 CTBSSP Program Oversight Panel Name Affiliation Chair Stephen Campbell Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Washington, DC Member Thomas M. Corsi University of Maryland, College Park, MD Member Nicholas J. Garber University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Member Alex Guariento MV Transportation, Inc., Fairfield, CA Member Scott Madar ORC Worldwide, Washington, DC Member David Osiecki American Trucking Associations, Alexandria, VA Member John Siebert Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Grain Valley, MO Member Larry F. Sutherland TranSystems Corporation, Dublin, OH Member R. Greer Woodruff J. B. Hunt Transport, Inc., Lowell, AR Liaison Martin Walker Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC Liaison Albert Alvarez Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC Liaison David Smith Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC Liaison William Mahorney Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC Liaison Christopher Zeilinger Community Transportation Association of America, Washington, DC Liaison Greg Hull American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC Liaison Leo Penne American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, Washington, DC Liaison Richard Pain Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC Liaison Charles W. Niessner Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC Table 2 SYNTHESIS STUDIESâIn Progress as of December 2008 No. Title MC-18 Older Drivers: Do They Pose a Safety Risk? MC-19 Chemical Substance Effects on Driving/ Performance: Stimulants, Hypnotics, and Nutritional Aids MC-20 Operator Drug and Alcohol Testing Across Modes
4Table 3 Published CTBSSP Syntheses No. Title/Pages/Price 1 Effective Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Management Techniques (2003) 100 pp., $17 2 Security Measures in the Commercial Trucking and Bus Industries (2003) 50 pp., $15 3 Highway/Heavy Vehicle Interaction (2003) 96 pp., $21 4 Individual Differences and the âHigh-Riskâ Commercial Driver (2004) 88 pp., $22 5 Training of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers (2004) 46 pp., $19 6 Operational Differences and Similarities Among the Motorcoach, School Bus, and Trucking Industries (2005) 47 pp., $15 7 Motorcoach Industry Hours of Service and Fatigue Management Techniques (2005) 46 pp., $15 8 Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Safety Belt Usage (2005) 52 pp., $16 9 Literature Review on Health and Fatigue Issues Associated with Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Hours of Work (2005) 196 pp., $29 10 Alternative Truck and Bus Inspection Strategies (2006) 43 pp., $31 11 Impact of Behavior-Based Safety Techniques on Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers (2007) 67 pp., $48 12 Commercial Motor Vehicle Carrier Safety Management Certification (2007) 52 pp., $45 13 Effectiveness of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Training Curricula and Delivery Methods (2007) 33 pp., $34 14 The Role of Safety Culture in Preventing Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes (2007) 49 pp., $36 15 Health and Wellness Programs for Commercial Drivers (2007) 80 pp., $43 16 Safety Impacts of Speed Limiter Device Installations on Commercial Trucks and Buses (2008) 43 pp., $37
Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 These digests are issued in order to increase awareness of research results emanating from projects in the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP). Persons wanting to pursue the project subject matter in greater depth should contact the CRP Staff, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
