This study characterized the descriptive attributes of motor carriers that were involved in combination-unit truck fatal crashes in North Carolina and Virginia from 2005-2009. In both states, there were more fatal crashes off Interstate highways than on the Interstates and the characteristics of the carriers involved in crashes on the two types of roads were markedly different.
Off the Interstates, the fleet size of the carriers was smaller, more of them were domiciled in the state in which the crash occurred, more private and exempt carriers were involved and, in many cases, the crash occurred very close to the carrier’s place of business. For crashes on the Interstates, the carriers tended to be larger, were more likely to be a for-hire carrier located in other states, and had traveled greater distances from their business location before the crash occurred. The crash pattern differences of small carriers (10 or fewer vehicles operated) were the same but more pronounced compared to the patterns associated with carriers of all fleet sizes. In both states, crash patterns reflected mileage accumulation patterns on the two road types.
The results suggest that small local/regional carriers face higher risks and safety challenges due to the highway environments in which they operate and that new ways to assist them be explored. Recommendations are offered to address the findings.
