Goal
To demonstrate whether early, proactive training of new entrant motor carriers makes a significant difference in their safety performance, including crash rate.
Background
“TRB Synthesis Report 14” reported that motor carriers with a safety culture have fewer crashes and better safety performance. However, it could not prescribe how to foster adoption of a safety culture in very small motor carriers. The recent research was applied to new entrant motor carriers because 99 percent of them operate fewer than 15 power units and are too small to employ a safety professional. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) also has a new entrant program that reaches 100 percent of new entrant carriers.
Building on lessons learned from a previous FMCSA-sponsored new entrant training and testing initiative in 2005–06, enhanced curriculum and partnering procedures were applied during years 2010–12.
Summary
This project demonstrates that it is possible for small new entrant motor carriers to foster adoption of a safety culture via training and testing. Upon completing the training and testing program, new entrant carriers exhibited a number of improvements, including reduced number of safety audit failures, reduction in roadside violations and crashes, greater driver retention, and improved business survival rate. A blended curriculum that incorporates electronic learning (e-learning) with in-person sessions is currently being developed.
Outcomes
This provides important documentation as input to support a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) amendment that modified the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act (MCSIA) Section 210(b) requirement.
Milestones
July 2015 Final report published
Funding
$675,000
Status
Final report is published and available at: http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55300/55335/RRA-13-015_-_Overview_of_FMCSA_Safety_Training_Research_for_New_Entrant_Motor_Carriers__508C_.pdf. Development of blended curriculum proceeding (see project description here).
Contractor
The SAGE Corporation