Regulate and eliminate?

Despite data suggesting truckers are among the safest drivers on the roads, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is mulling over more regulations and preparing for the arrival of self-driving trucks.

FMCSA officials spent four hours discussing what their respective departments are up to during the agency’s annual Analysis, Research, and Technology Forum. Long term, FMCSA is gearing up for a future with self-driving trucks. Short term, proposals for more safety regulations are on the horizon.

Truckers among safest drivers

Much of the first half of the FMCSA forum was spent going over the numbers, which continue to suggest that truck drivers are safe drivers.

Jack Van Steenburg, FMCSA’s executive director and chief safety officer, gave an overview of trends in commercial motor vehicle safety. On average, fatal crashes involving large trucks are going up. However, detailed crash data suggest truckers may not be at fault for many, if not most, of those crashes.

When you eliminate passenger vehicles from the road, fewer large truck-involved crashes occur. Take the beginning of the pandemic for example. Overall, traffic fatalities increased in 2020 despite a drop in vehicles miles traveled.

In fact, nearly every category and subcategory saw some sort of increase in traffic deaths, except for one: crashes involving a large truck.

In 2020, there was an estimated 2% decrease in fatalities in large truck-involved crashes. That is despite a 44% increase in fatal crashes involving trucks weighing from 10,001 to 14,000 pounds. Fatal crashes decreased among trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds. The number of large truck occupants killed also decreased despite an upward trend in the years prior.

Furthermore, drunk driving fatalities increased by 14% in 2020 and accounted for 30% of all fatal crashes. However, less than 3% of large truck drivers in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher.

Traffic fatalities have been on the rise since the ELD mandate went into effect in December 2017, despite the mandate being touted as an effort to increase traffic safety. Land Line asked Van Steenburg and Tome Keane, FMCSA’s Office of Research and Registration associate administrator, about the efficacy of the ELD mandate.

“To me, the ELD mandate was necessary,” Van Steenburg said. “It addressed the hours of service issue that we kept hearing about.”

Keane said any single rulemaking may get lost in “broader noise.” In other words, ELDs may have increased safety, but other factors have buried those results.

FMCSA’s upcoming rulemakings

Although much of the conversation at FMCSA’s ART Forum dealt with issues that are many years away, Larry Minor, FMCSA’s Office of Policy associate administrator, explained what the agency has brewing.

The below actions are in the pre-rule stage, which consist mostly of FMCSA asking questions before deciding how to move forward. For more information, go to RegInfo.gov.

Safety Fitness Procedures (Regulation Identification Number: 2126-AC52)

FMCSA is seeking information on how to use its data and resources more effectively to identify unfit motor carriers and to remove them from the nation’s roadways. FMCSA is looking for public comments about the use of available safety data, including inspection data, in determining carrier fitness to operate.

Additionally, FMCSA seeks public input on possible changes to the current three-tier safety fitness rating structure (satisfactory/conditional/unsatisfactory). The action would also include a review of the list of regulations FMCSA uses in its safety fitness rating methodology.

Unique electronic identification of commercial motor vehicles (RIN 2126-AC54)

The safety agency requests public comment on potential amendments to FMCSRs to require every truck operating in interstate commerce to be equipped with an electronic device capable of communicating a unique identification number when queried by a roadside system.

Automatic emergency braking systems (RIN 2126-AC49)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to seek comments on a proposal to require and/or standardize equipment performance for automatic emergency braking systems on heavy trucks (2127-AM36).

That rulemaking is expected to propose performance standards for automatic braking systems on heavy trucks and accompanying test procedures for measuring the performance of the systems in NHTSA compliance testing. In support of that rulemaking, FMCSA is seeking information and comments concerning the maintenance and operation of automatic brakes by motor carriers.

Safe integration of automated driving systems-equipped commercial motor vehicles (RIN 2126-AC17)

FMCSA proposes to amend certain regulations to ensure the safe introduction of automated driving systems-equipped trucks. The proposed changes to the truck operations, inspection, repair, and maintenance regulations prioritize safety and security, promote innovation, foster a consistent regulatory approach to automated driving systems-equipped trucks, and recognize the difference between human operators and automated driving systems.

Preparing for self-driving trucks

The entire second half of the forum focused on automated vehicles and the challenges they face ahead.

Missy Cummings, NHTSA’s senior adviser for safety, briefed attendees on artificial intelligence and transportation. Taking a more practical look at self-driving trucks, Cummings noted some of the issues that need to be addressed before they are introduced commercially on the roadways.

Among the biggest issues is what Cummings referred to as “erroneous object detection,” cameras not correctly recognizing a certain image. For example, one of the most common neural networks used by autonomous truck manufacturers identified a bus as a train, suggesting that some of the most-important functions are flawed.

Similarly, automated vehicles are having difficulty detecting and navigating work zones. Cummings suggested that artificial intelligence software undergo a “vision test,” much like what is required of human drivers.

Cummings also suggests that Level 4 and 5 automated trucks be clearly labeled as such. According to Cummings, student drivers in England are required to have a green “P” on their vehicle, allowing nearby motorists to adjust their driving accordingly. That same kind of attention is needed for autonomous trucks, Cummings argued. LL