FMCSA Programs and Initiatives Update

Pamela Pelcovits

Office Director for Policy and Program Development

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

June 7, 2010

Administrator Ferro’s Core Priorities

Raise the safety bar to enter the industry;

Require operators to maintain high safety standards to remain in the industry; and

Remove high-risk operators from our roads and highways.

Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010

FMCSA’s new enforcement business model Separate the safety fitness determination process

from the comprehensive on-site CR Assess the safety performance of a larger population

of carriers than the current CR approach, based on data

Achieve a greater reduction in large truck and bus crashes, fatalities and injuries

Four Major Elements of CSA 2010

Measurement (inspection, investigation and crash data) – Replace SafeStat with Carrier Safety Measurement System (CSMS)

Interventions

Safety Fitness Determination

Information Technology

CSA 2010 - BASICS

FMCSA will monitor 7 key behaviors linked to CMV crash risks:

Unsafe Driving Fatigued Driving Driver Fitness which includes licensing and medical

compliance standards Crash History Vehicle Maintenance Improper Loading and Cargo Controlled Substances - Drugs and Alcohol

CSA 2010 Timeline Carrier preview of violation data (April 2010)

Carrier preview of preliminary BASIC scores, CSMS (later this year)

Use of new CSMS for new interventions (later this year)

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to request public comment on the new Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) methodology (late 2010)

Final Rule to implement new SFD in 2011, pending review of public comments to NPRM

STRATEGIC PLANNING Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee

(MCSAC)

- New Members

- Considering Distracted Driving This Week DOT Draft Strategic Plan

- Review on DOT website

- Comment by June 15 FMCSA Strategic Plan

- Comment Opportunity Planned for this Summer

Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs)

April 5, 2010 – Final Rule on EOBRs Remedial Directive Provision - requires use of

EOBRs for carriers with a 10% or greater HOS violation rate, based on a single compliance review:– Must use EOBRs for 2 years– Failure to comply will result in “unfit” determination– Approximately 2,850 carriers would be issued a directive

each year; 5,700 carriers would be operating under a directive each year, after the first full year the rule is in effect.

– Implementation Date: June 2012

EOBRs (Cont.) The April 2010 final rule provides 2 incentives to

promote the voluntary use of EOBRs:– Relief from HOS supporting documents used to verify on-

duty, driving time (all other supporting documents would still be required);

– Alternative method for driver HOS records sampling during a compliance review— random sampling instead of focused sample.

The Agency will begin a new EOBR rulemaking by the end of 2010 to expand the mandate to a broader population of carriers.

Hours of Service October 2009 – Settlement agreement between

FMCSA and safety advocates to initiate a new HOS rulemaking:– Submit NPRM to the Office of Management and Budget

by July 26, 2010– Publish Final Rule by July 26, 2011

December 2009, February 2010 – Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) ideas and concepts

January 2010, March 2010 – Listening Sessions NPRM is currently under Agency review,

publication later this year.

Distracted Driving• FMCSA Research - “Driver Distraction in

Commercial Vehicle Operations,” October 1, 2009.

• Study investigated the prevalence of driver distraction in safety-critical events (crashes, near crashes, lane departures)

• Data on 200 drivers, 3 million miles of driving

• Texting was the most risky behavior; 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event.

• Texting Drivers’ eyes were off the road for 4.6 seconds during the 6-second interval before the event.

Distracting Activities

Task Odds Ratio

Text message on cell phone 23.24

Other- complex (e.g., cleaning side mirror rummaging through a bag, etc.)

10.07

Interact with/look at dispatching device 9.93

Write on pad, notebook, etc. 8.98

Use a calculator 8.21

Look at a map 7.02

Dial a cell phone 5.93

FMCSA’s Texting Regulatory Guidance

• January 26, 2010, the Secretary and FMCSA Administrator announced regulatory guidance concerning texting by truck and bus drivers

• Guidance is based on current regulation (Section 390.17)

• “Texting” is the review of, or preparation and transmission of, typed messages on an electronic device

• Includes engaging in any form of electronic data retrieval or electronic data communication

• Federal civil penalties for violations of Section 390.17 may be up to $2,750

FMCSA’s Texting Rulemaking Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to

explicitly prohibit texting by interstate truck and bus drivers was published on April 1, 2010

Public comment period ended on May 3, 2010 The rule includes:

– Driver disqualification penalties (60 days for 2nd offense within 3 years; 120 days for 3 or more offenses within 3 years)

– CDL disqualification penalties (violations of State traffic laws concerning texting)

– Civil penalty of up to $2,750

Medical Standards Medical Review Board, active since 2006 Merger of Medical Certification and CDL

– Published final rule in December 2008; – Compliance dates: 2012 for State licensing agencies; 2014

for CDL holder National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners;

– Establish minimum training and testing of healthcare professionals who issue medical cards.

– NPRM was published December 2008, Final Rule will be issued in late 2010.

Initiate series of rulemakings to update medical standards, 2010-2011 (such as diabetes, vision, cardiovascular)

Onboard Safety Systems

31

2

1

2

3

Forward Collision Warning System (with Adaptive Cruise Control)

Roll Stability Control System

Lane Departure Warning System

Adaptive Cruise Control

Uses data from forward collision warning system

Works to maintain separation of 2¼ - 3¼ seconds behind followed vehicle

Decelerates the vehicle by:– Defueling the engine

– Engaging the engine retarder

– Allowing an automated transmission to downshift (if equipped)

Forward Collision Warning Systems

Crashes Preventable by Forward Collision Warning Systems~9,000 – 18,000 rear-end crashes/year

Lane Departure Warning Systems Camera watches road ahead – not driver Tracks road and vehicle position in lane Monitors for weaving and lane drifts Alerts driver before lane departure Blocks warnings automatically if:

– Turn signal is used– Speed is less than ~35 mph

Lane Departure Warning SystemsCrashes Preventable by Lane

Departure Warning Systems– ~4,000 - 8,000 crashes/year where the truck

runs off the road or inadvertently travels over the lane line

Roll Stability Control SystemsSensors monitor vehicle dynamics

(e.g., velocity)Software estimates instability of a large

truck based on– Mass – Velocity

If instability threshold reached, software sends signals to decelerate vehicle by– Reducing vehicle throttle – Applying brakes

Roll Stability Control SystemsCrashes Preventable by Roll Stability

Control Systems– Primarily rollovers of combination trucks on a curve– ~1,000 - 2,000 rollovers/year due to excessive speed

in a curve

Questions

FMCSA’s main web site: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov

CSA 2010 web site: http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/

Participation in rulemakings (submitting comments): http://www.regulations.gov

Distracted driving information: http://www.distraction.gov/