FMCSA to conduct study of causes of fatal heavy-duty truck crashes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced plans to conduct a study on key contributing factors into fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles.

In a Notice to be published in the Federal Register on August 28, 2025, FMCSA announced plans to launch a study into the causal factors in truck crashes with fatalities, with results to be shared publicly.

The $30 million study, commissioned by Congress in 2021, requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to “carry out a comprehensive study to determine the causes of, and contributing factors to, crashes that involve a commercial motor vehicle.”

The FMCSA plans to collect heavy duty truck crash data over the course of two years with a target start date of early 2026.

Specifically, the study will:

A. Identify data requirements, data collection procedures, reports, and any other measures that can be used to improve the ability of States and the Secretary to evaluate future crashes involving commercial motor vehicles

B. Monitor crash trends and identify causes and contributing factors

C. Develop effective safety improvement policies and programs

As part of the study, FMCSA will collect data “aimed at identifying key driver, vehicle, motor carrier, and environmental factors that may contribute to fatal crashes involving heavy-duty trucks” from “30 State jurisdictions that were identified as key sampling locations for a nationally representative study sample of 2,000 fatal crashes involving heavy-duty trucks.”

The FMCSA will target collecting data on 3,333 fatal crashes to ensure at least 2,000 crashes are recorded into the study.

A part of the study, officials will collect an electronic Heavy-Duty Truck Study Initial Incident Form (to be completed by a State Inspector within 24 to 48 hours after a qualifying crash occurs), complete police crash report (PCR) data, and detailed post-crash investigation and reconstruction data. 

FMCSA will accept public comments on any aspect of the proposed study, including whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA’s functions, and on ways for FMCSA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information.