Development of a Predictive Model To Ascertain Probable Safety Ratings for Motor Carrier Firms: A Nation-Wide Perspective

US Transportation Collection1994PDFTech ReportLantz, BrendaNorth Dakota State UniversityUpper Great Plains Transportation InstituteUpper Great Plains Transportation InstituteNorth DakotaUnited StatesDatabasesHighway safetyInspectionLegislationMathematical modelsMotor carriersRoadsideTruckingIn every industry, safety is a top priority. This is particularly true in the trucking industry, as evidenced by the increases in roadside inspections and safety reviews conducted each year and new legislation implemented. However, some costs to the industry, and ultimately society, from these requirements may be able to be diminished. Safety reviews, in particular, can be very time consuming. Previous research has shown, however, that many other data items that the Federal Highway Administration collects are highly correlated with the outcome of these reviews. Therefore, this project examines the feasibility of developing a model from this other data to ascertain the likelihood of a certain safety rating. This would enable efforts to be concentrated on the motor carrier firms with the least probability of achieving a Satisfactory rating and reduce the need to visit every firm. A preliminary analysis is conducted using only information from North Dakota to get a feel for the data; then a comprehensive analysis is performed utilizing all motor carriers in the data base. In addition, reviews of other related research are given.125