Overview of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Safety Training Research for New Entrant Motor Carriers [Research Brief]

United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrationhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15028892015PDFBriefUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationUnited StatesMotor carriersHighway safetyRegulationsCommercial driversTrainingCurriculaDemonstration projectsEvaluationRecommendationsFederal government agenciesFMCSA-RRR-13-015In 2002, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued the New Entrant Program Interim Final Rule in response to the requirement in the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999. The requirement in the Act was based on research findings indicating that new entrant motor carrier operations are significantly less-safe than experienced motor carriers. Research shows most new entrant motor carriers are generally very small; for example, a carrier with as few as four power units is a relatively large new entrant applicant. Generally, new very small carriers lack the resources to employ a safety professional or to develop a safety assurance program. It appears that many new entrant carriers do not understand either how to run a business or that adherence to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) contributes to safer operations and maintenance procedures. Untrained, untested new entrant motor carriers continue to be statistically more likely to cause and/or be involved in crashes than larger, more experienced carriers.131