UMTC-TAC News Archives

Save the Date: 2024 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

UMassSafe, with support from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, is proud to announce the 2024 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit - Preventing Commercial Vehicle Crashes through University & Law Enforcement Partnerships

Recording and Slide Decks Now Available for Two New CMV Safety Webinars

UMassSafe recently held two webinars on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety, one on CMV Driver Distraction and another on CMV Safety in Work Zones. Click here to learn more.

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Webinar: The Mountain Rules - Colorado's Safety Communication Efforts with the Trucking Industry

The Mountain Rules campaign is a comprehensive, strategic and safety-focused effort to inform and educate in-state and inter-state trucking companies and drivers on the challenges of driving in Colorado’s mountains. This webinar on September 26th, 2023 will introduce the safety campaign videos followed by a discussion of the process to partner with different agencies to get this safety message out and save lives. Learn more here.

Update: CMV Driver Attitude and Behavior Survey

UMassSafe, with support from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, recently conducted an online survey of large truck operators entitled Understand Driving Attitudes and Behaviors Among CMV Drivers. Learn more here.

Briefing Report Now Available: 2022 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

The briefing report for the 2022 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit is now available to read here.

Updated Features for the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Crash Report E-Manual

The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Crash Report E-Manual is a comprehensive and centralized guide and data dictionary to assist with the completion and review of crash reports. Read about the new features recently added here.

Driver Distraction Best Practices

Driver distraction can take many forms - using a mobile device, adjusting an interface, and even fatigue can take driver's attention away from the road. This behavior not only endangers the driver who is distracted, but poses a risk to all road users. Here, find resources for addressing driver distraction in commercial vehicle operation.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Technology Best Practices

Technology will always play an enormous role in commercial vehicle safety. From apps that assist drivers in finding safe and legal parking, to fully automated vehicles, advanced technologies are changing the ways vehicles are operated, roadways are navigated, and businesses are run. Here, a number of resources are provided to help navigate emerging technologies for improving commercial vehicle safety.

Attendee Feedback Report: The 2022 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

Following the Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit: Advancing Technology to Prevent Truck & Bus Crashes, UMassSafe solicited feedback using a survey sent to all attendees, in order to improve future Summits and programming. View the results here.

Presentations Now Available from the 2022 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

Presentations and photos from the 2022 Northeast Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit have now been added to CV-STAC

We Can't Do It Alone: Effective Partnerships Toward Large Truck and Bus Safety

When you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. And while that may be fine for some tasks, you’re going to want a broader set of tools if your aim is to improve safety for large trucks and buses.

UMassSafe Receives FMCSA Grant to Hold a New Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

The Summit will emphasize safety technology.

Comprehensive CMV Safety Resources Available

The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute and The University of Alabama's Center for Advanced Public Safety have organized comprehensive resources and materials for advancing CMV safety.

COVID-19 Impacts on the Trucking Industry

The American Transportation Research Institute and The OOIDA Foundation recently released its analyses of COVID-19 Impacts on the Trucking Industry.

Marijuana Legalization Has No Impact on DOT Drug Testing Regulations

To clear up confusion surrounding statewide marijuana legalization's impact on commercial driver regulation, the Department of Transportation Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance released the following notices.

T-Force Analytics: Tools for CMV Crash Data

T-Force Analytics provides a suite of advanced crash and inspection data tools for addressing Massachusetts commercial motor vehicle safety with the intent of assisting users users (law enforcement and state drivers licensing agencies) in implementing programmatic safety efforts, as well as specific regional programming by troop, barracks and high crash corridors.

Marijuana Decriminalization Best Practices

CV-STAC is currently hosting resources for addressing the impact of marijuana decriminalization on the trucking industry.

Briefing Report & Attendee Feedback for the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

View or download the Briefing Report and Attendee Feedback Report for the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit: Best Practices for Industry & Law Enforcement Partnerships.

Quarterly Focus into the Most Important Issues Facing CMV Safety

A more detailed look into the top three topics in which Summit attendees were seeking more resources and information. These supplemental sharing initiatives will consist of articles and webinars highlighting recent developments and research, as well as in-practice examples.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

The 2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit brought together 158 attendees from 86 agencies and organizations involved in truck and bus safety.

2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

This event will bring together truck/bus safety stakeholders from across the Northeast, including those from state trucking and bus associations, law enforcement, state drivers licensing agencies and government, and will consist of plenary sessions, workshops, and demonstrations of innovative programming and technologies.

CMV Safety Summit - Call for Abstracts

We are currently accepting abstracts in order to select speakers and presenters for the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit: Best Practices for Industry and Law Enforcement Partnerships.

Best Practices for Developing Troops to Trucks Programs

Troops to Trucks (or Troops in Trucks) describes any program with the purpose of expediting the commercial driver's licensing process for military veterans and service members. This best practices guide outlines the various ways states can implement services to simultaneously address issues of veteran unemployment and the commercial motor vehicle driver shortage.

Webinar: REACH - eCVSP Metrics Monitoring Project

On Wednesday March 20th, Jeremy Pate of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at University of Alabama gave a fascinating and informative presentation on REACH, their eCVSP Metrics Monitoring Project.

Webinar: Troops in Trucks

On Wednesday March 13th, Greg Escobar of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles gave a fascinating and informative presentation on Virginia's Troops in Trucks program.

Blog: Poor Truck Driver Health is a Risk to Everyone

Recent findings indicate that truck drivers' health issues pose a broader risk to general roadway safety.

Webinar: Autonomous Vehicles and CDL Legislation and Regulatory Implications

On Wednesday March 7th, Bob Rowland of the Massachusetts RMV gave a fascinating presentation on some of the legislative and regulatory implications autonomous vehicles have on CDL practices.

Webinar Series: Enhanced Safety Screening for High-Risk Motor Carriers

On Wednesday February 27th, Jennifer Walton of the University of Kentucky's Kentucky Transportation Center gave a presentation entitled Enhanced Safety Screening for High-Risk Motor Carriers.

Webinar: The Impacts of Cannabis Legalization

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Center at North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute is hosting a webinar on the Impacts of Cannabis Legalization.

Webinar: Improving CMV Crash Reporting and Training of Law Enforcement Officers

On Wednesday February 20th, Dr. Amber Trueblood from Texas A&M Transportation Institute's Center for Transportation Safety gave a presentation entitled Improving CMV Crash Reporting and Training of Law Enforcement Officers.

Webinar: Future Trends and Updates on Commercial Driver Licensing

On Wednesday, February 13th 2019, Kevin Lewis, Director of Driver Programs for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, conducted a presentation for our Innovative Initiatives - CDL Compliance & Safety webinar series, Entitled Future Trends and Updates on Commercial Driver Licensing.

Webinar: Contributing to Louisiana's Green Reporting

On Wednesday, February 6th 2019, Sara Graham and Jeff Dickey from Louisiana State University's Highway Safety Research Group presented a webinar on commercial motor vehicle crash data quality entitled Contributing to Louisiana's Green Reporting for our Innovative Initiatives series.

Webinar: Identifying the Most Important Factors Associated with Severe CMV Crashes

On Wednesday, January 30th 2019, we hosted the first webinar in our series Innovative Initiatives - CDL Compliance & Safety.

NDSU-UGPTI-CVSC Webinar - Update on FMCSA Rulemakings and Programs

On February 12, the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (North Dakota State University) will host the first in a series of NDSU-UGPTI-CVSC follow-up webinars from the Western Commercial Vehicle Safety and CDL Compliance Summit held this past November.

BLOG: Five of the Most Forward Thinking Troops to Trucks Programs

Many trucking companies are looking to military veterans in order to address the ongoing truck driver shortage. Of course, by connecting veterans with career opportunities, this effort serves a dual purpose, as finding a job is one of the greatest challenge veterans face when adjusting to civilian life.

Webinar: COVERLAB Analytics

For the third session of UMassSafe's Best Practices for Crash Data Tools webinar series, Greg Ferrara - Program Manager for the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at North Carolina State University - spoke about the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Resource Lab (COVERLAB).

Webinar Feedback Needed

If you participated in one of the three Best Practices for Crash Data Tools webinar sessions, we'd love your feedback and recommendations for future webinars.

Webinar: Wisconsin Predictive Analytics and Roadway Safety and Enforcement

On December 12th, UMassSafe hosted the second of three webinars on best practices for crash data query tools. The presentation, Wisconsin Predictive Analytics and Roadway Safety and Enforcement, was conducted by Andrea Bill, Program Manager with the Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory (TOPS) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

BLOG: Is Automation Really a Magic Bullet for the Fatigued Driving Epidemic?

While vehicle automation has been positioned as a potential solution to CMV driver fatigue, recent findings indicate the opposite - that when compared to manual driving, automation may increase drowsiness.

Webinar: Inside the Connecticut Crash Data Repository

On December 5th, UMassSafe hosted the first of three webinars on best practices for data query tools. The webinar was conducted by Dr. Eric Jackson, and covered the Connecticut Crash Data Repository developed in collaboration between the state and the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center (CTRSC) at the University of Connecticut.

The Culture of Impaired Driving: A Presentation by Professor Nic Ward of Montana State University

Recently at the Commercial Vehicle Safety and CDL Compliance Summit, Professor Nic Ward of Montana State University gave a presentation on the culture of impaired driving for the Decriminalization of Marijuana and its Impact on Drivers plenary session.

A Major Success: The Western States Commercial Vehicle Safety and CDL Compliance Summit

Attendees praised the summit for providing deep discussions of topics "geared toward creating partnerships and collaboration with other stakeholders."

A Major Success: The 2018 Southeast CMV Safety Research Summit

The 2018 Southeast CMV Safety Research Summit, hosted in Tuscaloosa, AL, proved to be a major success, with 155 attendees representing 22 states.

BLOG: Troops to Trucks - Trucking Companies Look to Military Veterans to Address Truck Driver Shortages

Law makers and industry leaders look to military veterans as a possible solution to the truck driver deficit.

BLOG: Lawmakers and CMV Operators Take Steps to Combat Truck Stop Sex Trafficking

Truck stops and highway rest areas are inherently transient spaces, and as such they are commonly used as sex trafficking sites.

UMassSafe Awarded FMCSA Grant to Promote Safety, Compliance and Business

UMassSafe was recently awarded a grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to promote safety, compliance and business through advancing best practices through partnerships between law enforcement and industry.

BLOG: The Impact of Driver Fatigue and Parking Shortages on CMV Safety

There are federal regulations in place to restrict commercial truck drivers from being behind the wheel for more than 11 hours at a time and requiring drivers to take mandatory rest breaks. Nonetheless, truck driver fatigue is often a contributing factor in truck crashes.

Two New CMV Safety Summits Announced

This fall two Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Research Summits will take place serving the Western Service Center and the Southern Service Center.

Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center Awarded FMCSA Grant

The Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center has been awarded a FMCSA grant to train 60 Law Enforcement Officers in the area of Commercial Vehicle Crash Investigation.

BLOG: Latest Data on Large Truck Crash Fatalities

In December 2017, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) updated its summary on large truck crashes and fatalities to include 2016 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) maintained by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The FARS data show that though the number of deaths from large truck crashes has decreased nationally over the past 30 years, there has been a recent increase over the last few years.

Past Webinar: Planning for the Impacts of Decriminalized Marijuana on CMV Safety

UMassSafe recently conducted a webinar on the legalization of Cannabis and changing landscape around impaired driving. On April 2nd, Darrin Grondel, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, presented at UMass on the impacts of legalization on both CMV drivers and companies as well as law enforcement and drivers licensing, from the Washington State perspective.

BLOG: Top Five Principles of Great Partnerships

Partnerships between universities and government, law enforcement, and state drivers licensing agencies can promote incredible change. These unions pair the discovery and dissemination of knowledge with the application of that knowledge. The result is simple: safer roads, fewer crashes, and lives saved.

Webinar Series: Best Practices for Crash Data Tools

This webinar series will provide information about best practices for developing and using these tools to decrease the incidence of crashes.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Technical Assistance Center

UMassSafe kicks off CV-STAC with a resource-driven website. On the site, stakeholders can share their work and access information about commercial vehicle safety initiatives and issues.

UMassSafe Seeks Information on Safety Projects

UMassSafe will use the Commercial Vehicle - Safety Technical Assistance Center (CV-STAC) to share state and university research and initiatives around commercial motor vehicle and commercial drivers license safety.

2016 Commercial Vehicle Safety Research Summit: Best Practices for Advancing Safety through Partnerships with Universities

UMassSafe releases the summary report for the 2016 Commercial Vehicle Safety Research Summit: Best Practices for Advancing Safety through Partnerships with Universities. This report outlines the content of all the presentations.

Midwest Roadside Safety Facility: Tanker Truck Crash Test Livestream

The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility will be conducting a full-scale crash test of their newly designed, high-containment barrier on December 8, 2021 at 1:00 PM CST, viewable via Zoom livestream.

FMCSA Clearinghouse

The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Commercial Vehicle Safety Center will be hosting webinars on Wednesday-Thursday, November 17-18 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time (12:00 CT, 11:00 MT, 10:00 PT). Each day FMCSA representatives will present updates on the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations, and the Training Provider Registry.

Survey of Human Trafficking Knowledge and Perceptions in the Trucking Industry

The Alabama Transportation Institute (ATI) at the University of Alabama is working with an international coalition led by the Tennessee-based non-profit United Against Slavery (UAS) on a USDOT Impact Award to engage the transportation industry in the fight against human trafficking.

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Examines the What and Why of Distracted Driving

On June 6, 2023, the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute held a webinar on The What and Why of Distracted Driving. Learn more and access the presentation video and Power Point here.

Beliefs Become Behaviors: Insights Into Traffic Safety Culture

UMassSafe, with support from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has begun conducting an online survey of large truck operators. The purpose of this initial exploratory survey is to better understand how traffic safety culture influences drivers to engage or not engage in dangerous behaviors.

2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

The University of Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program (UMassSafe), with support from the FMCSA, will be hosting the Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit - Best Practices for Industry & Law Enforcement Partnerships on November 19-20, 2019 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit

Webinar Series: Innovative Initiatives - CDL Compliance & Safety

This nine-week webinar series will provide information and stimulate dialogue on innovative initiatives and best practices on commercial drivers' license compliance and safety. Speakers from across the country will present research and program findings, as well as future trends.

Webinar Feedback Needed

If you participated in one of the nine Innovative Initiatives - CDL Compliance & Safety webinar sessions, we'd love your feedback and recommendations for future webinars and projects.

Free Upcoming Train-the-Trainer Workshops: Just Drive - Deliver Distraction-Free

Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS) is hosting two free train-the-trainer workshops with curriculum for increasing driving safety awareness and decrease distracted driving behaviors among CMV drivers.