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Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program

BACKGROUND

The Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) is a new cooperative research program sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and administered by the Transportation Research Board. The program was authorized in late 2001 and began in 2002 in support of the FMCSA's safety research programs.

The program initiates several synthesis studies annually that address concerns in the area of commercial truck and bus safety. A synthesis report is a relatively short document (40 to 60 pages) that summarizes existing practice in a specific technical area based typically on a literature search and a survey of relevant organizations (e.g., state DOTs, enforcement agencies, commercial truck and bus companies, or other organizations appropriate for the specific topic). The program is modeled after the successful synthesis programs currently operated as part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The primary users of the syntheses are practitioners who work on issues or problems using diverse approaches in their individual settings.

SUGGEST A TOPIC

A program oversight panel governs the CTBSSP. Major responsibilities of the panel are to (1) provide general oversight of the CTBSSP and its procedures, (2) annually select synthesis topics based on an industry-wide solicitation, (3) refine synthesis scopes, (4) select researchers to prepare each synthesis, (5) review products, and (6) make publication recommendations.

Electronic copies of CTBSSP publications in pdf format are provided below. Research Results Digest (RRD) No. 75 summarizes the CTBSSP and its status of March 2009. Syntheses 1 through 16 provide information regarding commercial truck and bus safety management techniques; security measures; highway/heavy vehicle interaction; "high-risk" commercial drivers; driver training; operational differences and similarities among the motorcoach, school bus, and trucking industries; effective motorcoach industry hours of service and fatigue management techniques; commercial vehicle driver seat belt usage; a literature review on health and fatigue issues associated with hours of work; alternative truck and bus inspection strategies; behavior-based safety techniques; carrier safety management certification; and training curricula and delivery methods.

Electronic Publications
CTBSSP Synthesis Reports
CTBSSP Research Results Digests
Instructions to Consultants Preparing Syntheses for CTBSSP (PDF)
CTBSSP Liability Statement (PDF)

Four CTBSSP synthesis topics are in process:



For additional information, please contact:

Donna Vlasak
Senior Program Officer
Transportation Research Board
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202/334-2974
202/334-2081 FAX
dvlasak@nas.edu


Please send comments on the Synthesis Programs website to jwilliams@nas.edu.
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