Large Truck Safety Trends

The trucking industry, due to its significant share of U.S. freight tonnage moved, is a principal component of the U.S. economy. Hauling 9.2 billion tons of freight in 2011, this $604 billion industry moved 67 percent of the nation’s freight, by tonnage. However, inherent safety risks are associated with travel on U.S. roadways and the trucking industry’s exposure to these risks is a major transportation system concern. With 276,000 large trucks involved in crashes in 2010, continual safety improvement is a primary industry objective. To fully understand the possible causation of truck crashes, it is important to examine accident trends based on various associated factors. As shown in previous research, it is clear that a variety of large truck crash patterns exist. For example, though the rate of fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has steadily decreased over the past 30 years, the total number of fatal crashes has remained relatively stable. While there is a general understanding of crash patterns, there are research opportunities to further explore more nuanced safety trends. Previous research has produced reports displaying data on large truck crashes. However, various distinctions in trucking industry operations, vehicle configurations and severity of crashes exist between two general types of large trucks: (1) Medium Duty Trucks (Class 3-6) 10,001 lbs – 26,000 lbs; and (2) Heavy Duty Trucks (Class 7-8) 26,001 lbs +. The task of distinguishing Heavy Duty trucks from Medium Duty trucks, which are often coupled in safety research, is therefore important in determining the nuances of current large truck safety trends. This research identifies notable safety trends specific to the Heavy Duty and Medium Duty truck populations. Using a decade of Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash data, the ATRI research team separately evaluated Medium Duty and Heavy Duty truck crash records to better ascertain the nature of safety trends in the trucking industry.