FAST DASH: Program overview and key findings from initial technology evaluations

•There is a need for field evaluations of promising safety technologies developed for use in commercial motor vehicles.•Small companies, with promising technologies, often do not have the resources necessary to conduct such evaluations.•Government organizations have an important role by providing resources to facilitate testing so as to realize the promise of these technologies.•Benefits include: trusted third party evaluation; engineering/design feedback to the vendor; and fleet experience with the technology.•The paper outlines a USA-based program and highlights three example technologies that were tested. One focus of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to provide leadership in the testing and evaluation of promising safety technologies developed for use in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). To this end, a program was developed by FMCSA to conduct independent, short-turnaround evaluations of promising safety technologies. Vendors who had promising safety technologies, focused in the commercial vehicle domain, were solicited to participate and submit an application. One technology was selected by FMCSA for each evaluation cycle (lasting approximately 18 months). The technology was tested in both static and dynamic conditions, after which a trucking fleet, and its drivers, were brought in to test the technology in a field operational test (FOT) lasting approximately 6 weeks. During the FOT, 15–20 trucks were instrumented with the technology and other data collection equipment, including sensors and video cameras. A study was then conducted during which drivers used the technology in their revenue-producing operations. Initially, often for the first 2 months, the technology collected data but did but not actively present alerts to the driver. Following this baseline period, a four-month intervention period was conducted. Each evaluation has resulted in more than 1,000,000 km of driving data including continuous video data. Data analyses focused on understanding the efficacy of the technology in terms of (i) safety improvements, (ii) challenges to implementation (e.g., unintended consequences), and (iii) user acceptance (including driver, fleet manager, and other fleet personnel as appropriate). The technology vendors who applied for the first three evaluations can be classified into the following general categories: fatigue/drowsiness, fleet management, visibility safety systems, cell phone policy/enforcement, and other systems.