The American Transportation Research Institute announced this week it is seeking motor carrier data to measure the effects of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours of service
provision that substantially altered the sleeper berth exception affecting drivers’ ability to split sleeper berth time.
ATRI began collecting quarterly data this year in an effort to track changes in driver safety performance and measure it against the overall safety impacts of the 2004 hours of service rules, which included a more flexible sleeper berth provision. This data collection is for carrier safety data from the second quarter of 2006.
“The response to ATRI’s first quarter call for carrier data demonstrated how strongly carriers feel about the latest HOS change,” said Dave Osiecki, ATA’s vice president of Safety, Security and Operations. “With continued participation from those carriers and more, the industry is certain to be provided with a detailed analysis of what the HOS rules changes have meant for safety.”
ATRI’s study represents the second stage of data collection as part of its continuing research to measure the safety impacts of the hours of service rules changes. Information required includes collision and driver injury data covering the period April 1 through June 30, 2006. Data by participating motor carriers should be submitted no later than Aug. 4, 2006. ATRI will be collecting this same data on a quarterly basis throughout 2006. Carriers interested in providing data can contact ATRI’s Virginia Dick at (770) 432-0628 or at vdick@trucking.org.
ATRI published the findings from its first hours of service study, “Safety Impacts of the New Hours of Service,” earlier this year, analyzing the safety effects of the 2004 rules. The study compared the data with previous hours of service rules that had governed driver health, safety and carrier productivity for decades. This research found that the 2004 driver work and rest rules generated significant improvements in driver safety performance.
ATRI is the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.