Research on the Safety Impacts of Speed Limiter Device Installation on Commercial Motor Vehicles

The Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) intends to issue a Request for Proposal to conduct research on the Safety Impacts of Speed Limiter Device Installation on Commercial Motor Vehicles. The anticipated completion date of the research is 24 months after date of award. In late 2006, FMCSA received separate, but similar, petitions for rulemaking from (1) the American Trucking Association, and (2) RoadSafe America, a public safety interest group, and a group of nine motor carriers to require devices that would (a) limit the speed of trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight Raring (GVWR) of greater than 26,000 pounds to no more than 68 miles-per-hour (mph), (b) prohibit owners and operators from adjusting the speed limiting devices in affected vehicles in a way that enables the vehicles to exceed a speed of 68 mph. The petitioners contend that reducing speed related crashes involving trucks is critical to the safety mission of both FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and that the proposed requirements are necessary in order to reduce the number and severity of crashes involving large trucks. The objective of this research is to determine the impact of motor carriers implementing speed limiter programs by the motor carrier industry. These can be economic, through increased fuel economy and reduced maintenance, as well as related to safety through a reduction in the number and severity of crashes. The study envisioned is a before-after evaluation using an advanced methodology to control for a number of confounding factors. Data will need to be collected from carriers that have implemented speed limiters in recent years and also from carriers that have not implemented speed limiters to control changes over time that have influenced highway safety. Another method of conducting this study would be to compare within each motor carrier the impact on performance before and after speed limiter program is implemented. A third possible comparison of carriers that implement speed limiters to carriers that have not implemented speed limiter programs during the same period will provide a control for changes over time have influenced highway safety. The contractor will be expected to submit their proposed methodology upon submission of their proposal. The contract will be a Labor Hour contract. The government intends to award a contract for a base period of one year (date of award and one year option year. The Statement of Work will address additional technical requirements and the opening and closing dates will appear in the RFP. Offerors will be asked to provide a written proposal and an oral presentation. Instructions will be provided in the RFP. It is anticipated that the solicitation/RFP will be released on or about Friday, May 16, 2008.