Alternative Truck and Bus Inspection Strategies (2006)

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18 CHAPTER 7 KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study show that the nation’s roadside inspection resources are on the verge of being overwhelmed. The increase in commercial vehicle traffic combined with the decrease in enforcement resources and the addition of security- related responsibilities are straining the existing roadside sys- tem. Alternative inspection strategies offer the opportunity to maximize enforcement resources and improve the effective- ness of commercial vehicle safety inspection programs. Key findings from this study include: • Despite significant increases in commercial vehicle miles traveled, there has been only a modest increase in the total number of fatalities over the last 10 years. During this same timeframe there has been a decrease in the frequency of accidents involving commercial vehicles. This finding suggests that the inspection strate- gies that are being employed are having a positive effect on commercial vehicle safety in general. Other factors such as on-board safety devices, driver training, and car- rier safety management programs clearly could be help- ing to improve the overall safety of commercial vehicles as well. • All stakeholders agree that alternative inspection strate- gies should be employed. • Alternative inspection strategies offer benefits to state stakeholders (e.g., increased effectiveness, maximized resources), as well as to the industry (e.g., level playing field, improved productivity). • There are a variety of strategies and automated tools that are being used by the enforcement community today. These strategies and/or tools include selection algo- rithms, software to automatically capture inspection data, and electronic screening systems. Despite the prevalence of screening tools, the decision on whether to conduct an inspection ultimately resides with the inspector and many inspectors continue to rely on their experience to make this decision as opposed to the screening tools at their disposal. • Stakeholders agree that many of the current alternative inspection strategies are not performing at their optimal level because of data quality issues (e.g., accuracy, time- liness, integrity). As such, data quality improvement was noted as a priority for both enforcement and indus- try representatives. • Roughly 60% of stakeholders indicated that their top priority is removing unsafe commercial vehicle drivers from the road because drivers are often at fault when accidents occur. Despite this, few of the inspection and screening tools that are in use today support the identifica- tion of unsafe drivers. • Jurisdictions’ communication networks should be up- graded, in order to provide the level of access to data that is critical for supporting mobile and virtual enforcement activities. • State commercial vehicle enforcement agencies should be actively involved in their state’s CVISN programs and should support the development of state CVISN pro- gram plans that meet the needs of the roadside person- nel. These program plans establish the state’s funding priorities for Federal CVISN deployment grants and are required by FMCSA. • There appears to be strong support for the continuation of research aimed at identifying technology that facili- tates the screening of drivers, carriers, and vehicles at highway speeds. There is growing interest in leveraging on-board sensors for purposes of collecting and assess- ing information about drivers’ fitness for duty, vehicle diagnostics, etc. This information could be factored into the screening process. • Research regarding new alternative inspection technol- ogies (e.g., wireless bus and truck inspections) should continue. • Privacy concerns should be considered when contem- plating new enforcement strategies. • The inclusion of security-related activities in the roadside enforcement process dictates the development of new driver and cargo-based screening tools and the sharing of security-related data. Based on the key findings, the study team has reached the following conclusions: • As inspectors become more mobile, and the amount of information available to them increases, the need for improved wireless communication will grow propor- tionally. When evaluating the wireless communication needs of the enforcement community, it will be impor- tant to consider the best practices for exchanging data

19 and for interacting with on-board systems. To reduce costs and promote standardization, existing and emerging standards such as WiFi, WiMax, existing cellular net- works, etc., should be evaluated. • Research currently is being conducted on the use of on- board vehicle sensors, as part of the inspection process. Sensors that monitor brakes, tires, and lights are avail- able today. The effectiveness of these systems, as well as the potential institutional issues associated with using them for enforcement purposes should be studied further. • The need for timely and accurate information at the roadside is critical. Programs like the Commercial Vehi- cle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) are supporting the deployment of centralized data reposito- ries that contain driver, vehicle, and carrier safety data. The enforcement community should be actively involved in the design and deployment of these systems in order to ensure that their needs are met. In addition, it is important for stakeholders to work together to identify the data that are critical to supporting roadside enforce- ment needs and issues with these data that should be addressed through a structured process. • Although the industry representatives that were inter- viewed during this project are very receptive to increas- ing safety, agencies charged with conducting commercial vehicle inspections should demonstrate to industry that by working together there will be tangible, monetary benefits that will accrue to the trucking industry at large. For instance, enforcement agencies could demonstrate that qualification for participation in an electronic screen- ing program will result in a decrease in the number of inspections for a carrier.