FMCSA to study how detention time impacts truck driver safety

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is kicking off a new study to determine how detention time impacts truck driver safety.

The FMCSA recently put out a call for public comments on a planned study to collect data on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver “detention time,” which is defined as extra time CMV operators wait at shipping and receiving facilities due to delays not associated with the loading and unloading of cargo.

The study will collect data for 12 months from 80 CMV carriers and 2,500 CMV drivers using electronic logging devices (ELDs), transportation management systems (TMS), vehicle telematic systems, safety records, and answers to questions delivered through the carriers’ dispatching systems.

The agency says that the purpose of the study is to gain a “better understanding of the impact of driver detention time on driver safety and CMV operations and inform strategies that may be used to mitigate driver detention time.”

FMCSA suggests that cutting down on detention time could increase profits for carriers and pay for drivers, while also reducing the likelihood that drivers violate hours of service regulations.

“…Drivers who experience less detention time may be more likely to drive safely to reach their destinations within the HOS limits and less likely to operate beyond HOS limits and improperly log their driving and duty time to make deliveries on time,” the FMCSA said.

The study will also estimate the cost per year associated with detention time, including lost productivity, disruptions to the supply chain, and any increases in fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes.

Comments are due by March 18, 2024.

You can click here to submit your comment online.