Owner-Operator versus Company-Driver Safety Performance Analysis [Tech Transfer Summary]

US Transportation Collection2016PDFTech ReportCantor, David E.Midwest Transportation CenterIowa State University. Institute for TransportationMidwest Transportation CenterUnited StatesCommercial driversTraffic safetyThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported that, in 2013, more than 3,800 fatal crashes and 385,000 non-fatal crashes across the US involved at least one large truck or bus. While the FMCSA has implemented safety practices to reduce the number and severity of accidents, additional work needs to be pursued to improve the safety performance of US motor carriers. Further research is needed to understand how motor carriers are affected by their use of owner-operators versus company drivers. This is a timely issue because carriers often remain competitive by outsourcing their driver and commercial motor vehicle equipment needs to third-party logistics providers to meet customer demands. Meanwhile, previous research has found that the type of driver directly affects a firm\u2019s safety performance. While company drivers have been found to have better safety performance than owner-operators, company drivers are actually involved in more crashes. An owner-operator versus company-driver safety model is needed to enhance our understanding of how the FMCSA can continue to improve the safety performance of commercial motor carriers by exploring the extent to which a carrier\u2019s use of owner-operators and/or company drivers affects safety performance (e.g., state-reportable crashes).96