Impact of Driver Detention Time on Safety and Operations
We need your help! We are looking for carriers to participate in the study.
Email DetentionTimeStudy@vtti.vt.edu to learn more.
Why is studying detention time important?
- Approximately 2/3 of drivers experience detention time each month.
- There is very little data on it, so policymakers don't know what to do about it.
Please participate in this study to help us collect data to better understand why detention time happens, how often it happens, and what can be done about it.
Goal of this Study
The purpose of this current project, funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is to gain an in-depth understanding of detention time, what causes it, and its impacts on safety and operations in the trucking industry. Specifically, the objectives of this study are threefold:
- Collect data on CMV driver detention time that are representative of the major segments of the motor carrier industry and analyze those data to determine the frequency and severity of detention time.
- Assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation system solutions to measure detention time.
- Prepare a final report that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions, and offers strategies to reduce detention.
Study Details
60-80 carriers will participate in a robust data collection effort with a combined 2,500 trucks.
- 12 months of data collection to account for seasonal effects.
- Minimal fleet management interaction and limited driver interactions through the dispatching device to minimize burden.
- Carriers will receive individualized consulting reports on the impacts of detention time on their safety and operations.
A number of motor carriers will be interviewed to collect qualitative data to help understand the impacts of driver detention time on safety and operations.
Participating carriers and drivers will not be identified – FMCSA will not know who participates.
Participate in a landmark study with a direct opportunity to influence Federal guidance on a serious issue affecting the industry.
Seeking Carrier Support
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Telematics and Video Services, and Scopelitis Transportation Consulting are seeking support from providers of transportation management systems (TMSs), telematics service providers (TSPs), and motor carriers to collect the required data to complete the study and for participating in the interviews.
Carriers interested in participating in the interview portion of study will be in one or more of the following categories:
- Carrier size: 1 to 10 power units, 11 to 100 power units or more than 100 power units.
- Carrier business type: For hire, private, or a combination of both.
- Carrier operational type: Truckload, Less-Than-Truckload, or Specialized
- Carrier Commodity type: Dry van, Refrigerated, Tanker, Flatbed or Intermodal.
WE NEED CARRIERS, TMSs, and TSPs TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CRITICAL STUDY!
Contact
To participate in this research or to learn more, please contact the research team at: