Improvements in truck freight efficiency through such measures as optimized logistics and truck loading, the utilization of other transportation modes, and the reform of federal truck size and weight policy are expected to require fewer truck trips to move the nation’s freight. This reduction in truck travel distance should bring with it reductions in fuel consumption, emissions, and casualties as a result of reduced exposure. This paper discusses truck size and weight policy domestically and internationally and contrasts U.S. mass efficiency with that of the country’s North American Free Trade Agreement partners and, more broadly, with countries outside of North America. The analysis reveals the outdated nature of U.S. federal size and weight policy compared with other nations. The inability of U.S. federal policy to remain current with other countries is a result of a freeze on policy change that has been in place since 1982. An analysis of the societal benefits associated with improvements in truck freight efficiency is provided. Rather than estimating the precise benefits associated with the many options available, the analysis examines the benefits associated with a 10% reduction in truck travel distance. In this way, the paper provides insight into the significance of improved freight efficiency that reduces total truck travel distance, which in turn provides fuel savings, a reduction in emissions, and a reduction in truck crash frequency. The analysis concludes that a 10% reduction in truck distance traveled for a fixed national freight task would generate approximately $16 billion, save 330 lives, and prevent approximately 4,000 injuries per year.
The potential safety benefits of electronic stability control (ESC) systems for motorcoach buses operating within the United States are analyzed. “Motorcoaches” are defined as flat-front, high-platform buses equipped for intercity or long-distance travel. In recent years, ESC has increasingly become available as standard or optional equipment on motorcoaches. However, national crash databases do not include information that can be used to identify ESC-equipped buses. Moreover, even if the buses could be identified, the number of cases in available crash data is not sufficient to evaluate the safety performance of the technology in its current stage of deployment, particularly given the low number of motorcoach crashes. In light of these limitations, all recent fatal motorcoach crashes were examined by using information from the accident reports, formal studies of the National Transportation Safety Board, and information in reconstruction reports to estimate the likelihood that the crash could have been prevented or mitigated had the motorcoach been fitted with functioning ESC technology. Results indicate that, if it is assumed that ESC had been fitted to all motorcoach buses, annual savings of $25 million could have been realized from loss-of-control and rollover crashes prevented. Even though the financial benefits for motorcoaches are limited because loss-of-control crash events are rare, the nonmonetary value of this technology is likely to exceed the financial benefits because motorcoaches transport the public and the reasonable expectation is that effective safety technology should be used even if the exposure is low. In particular, the risk of passenger casualties in a high-speed crash is much greater for a motorcoach than for other vehicles because of the large number of people on board.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.