Senior Reporter
FMCSA Driver Training Panel Grapples with Data Challenges
A failure to not make that connection could be a “kiss of death” for a new rule, Alan Strasser, a regulatory attorney for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told an agency stakeholder advisory committee meeting here March 20.
The 26-member committee was told during its second round of meetings that so far the agency does not possess the needed data to roll into a “cost-benefit analysis” that would withstand a rigorous review by the White House Office of Management and Budget of the agency’s first-ever “negotiated” rule.
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To secure the needed data, the agency is counting on the committee members to seek help from motor carriers, bus companies and driver training schools.
The agency also plans to soon send out requests for data from industry stakeholders who might be able to show that first-time commercial driver’s license holders who attended truck driver schools tend to demonstrate excellent driving records.
At the March 20 meeting, Strasser told the committee that FMCSA would keep private any confidential business information offered by carriers. Such material would not be subject to Freedom of Information requests, Strasser said.
“Is there a relationship between training and safety?” Brian Dahlin, FMCSA’s chief economist, asked committee members. “We all hope the answer is yes, and we believe the answer is yes.”
The challenge will be finding compelling evidence that there is a relationship, Dahlin said.
Committee member Boyd Stephenson, director of commercial driver licensing for American Trucking Associations, said he plans to conduct a telephone conference with several large fleet executives as early as March 26 to see if any have data that might help show the safety benefits of an entry-level training rule.
“I have a former chief economist with the Federal Railroad Administration who can present on some of these issues to our carriers in layman’s terms an explanation on what’s actually useful,” Stephenson said. "We’ve had several carriers step up and say that they’re willing to give us some data and information.”
John Frey, assistant vice president of driver assistance for Werner Enterprises, told TT that the fact that there are so many different variables will make it difficult for the agency to offer compelling evidence of how training translates into better driving.
“You almost need twins, one who went to driver school and other who didn’t, and they would have to drive the exact same routes,” Frey said.
The March 19-20 committee meetings were the second round of six meetings the committee is scheduled to conduct though late May.
The March 20 meeting concluded with the members breaking up into subcommittees to begin the difficult work of ironing out the details of a proposed rule.
Robert Armstrong, an FMCSA economist who led the data needs subcommittee, said he had concerns that the lack of data could require the agency to issue a “break-even” cost-benefit analysis.
That’s what the U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Railroad had to do to convince the White House to support their training rules, Armstrong said.
