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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new Entry-Level Driver Training regulation goes into effect on February 7, 2022. The goals of this project were to (1) provide training materials and resources that will allow Clear Roads member agencies to provide entry-level commercial driver’s license training that complies with 81 FR 88732, 84 FR 8029, and 49 CFR 380; and (2) develop and document a process for member agencies to follow in order for each of their training locations to be added to the training provider registry by February 7, 2022, and to comply with all federal requirements to remain on the training provider registry. This project resulted in the development of the following ELDT materials: (1) complete curriculum to meet the instructor-led classroom and behind-the-wheel components of the ELDT rule focusing on obtaining an initial Class B CDL, upgrading from a Class B CDL to a Class A CDL, and obtaining the hazardous materials endorsement for the first time; (2) all training materials and resources necessary for states to execute the training program; (3) train-the-trainer materials to assist agencies in implementing the training program; and (4) reference guides and timeline to join the TPR.

This research brief was created as part of Clear Roads project CR20-01, "Entry-Level Driver Training (CDL) for Maintenance Equipment Operators," published September 2021.

Modern roundabouts have been shown to be one of the safest methods of control for at-grade intersections. An evaluation of traffic safety at roundabouts published by MnDOT in 2017 shows substantial decreases in fatal and serious injury crashes at intersections after installation of a roundabout. Despite these benefits, concerns have been raised from citizens, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, and other stakeholders about the propensity for roundabouts to cause more rollover crashes for larger vehicles. The purpose of this evaluation is to further evaluate the safety of heavy commercial vehicles at roundabouts, investigate whether rollover crashes are more likely to occur at roundabouts, and break down the most common characteristics for CMV crashes at roundabouts in Minnesota. This report includes the results of an analysis comparing roundabouts to signalized intersections. The results of this evaluation indicate that roundabouts continue to be one of the safest forms of intersection control for heavy commercial vehicles, especially when compared to traffic signal control. Although roundabouts have experienced a greater number of rollover crashes compared to intersections with traffic signal control, their installation results in a decrease in high-severity crashes.

Conventional methods for detecting vehicles for permanent travel monitoring stations have relied on detecting physical attributes of vehicles without correlating these with the specific vehicles and/or motor vehicle freight operators. However, by using a license plate reader camera, information can be gathered and cross referenced to other known data related to the specific vehicle assigned to the license plate. This could provide additional tools for enforcing overweight vehicles or targeting enforcement communication with freight carriers that consistently violate weight limits. The analysis conducted during this project compared machine-read license plates to manually collected license plates. The license plates were read as vehicle travelled highway speeds in a generally uncontrolled environment. Analysis is also provided that correlates hours of direct sunlight with accuracy of the automated reader. A second analysis was conducted as an effort to improve the accuracy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's weigh-in-motion classification scheme and bring it in line with the Department's classification scheme for automatic traffic recorder stations (sites with axle-based detection that do not collect weight information).

This study examines the interface between state and regulatory agencies and commercial vehicle operators regarding the application of electronic technology. The various processes followed by the state agencies are documented. In addition, a survey of both freight and passenger commercial vehicle operators (CVO) is analyzed. Significant findings are that CVOs are capable of exchanging information with the state electronically although formal EDI methods appear somewhat distant. A significant portion of CVOs are also prepared to adopt basic IVHS technology which would allow trucks to bypass weigh stations. A summary of barriers to the widespread adoption of these technologies is also included as is a literature review.

CTC & Associates conducted a search of published research, state policies and industry white papers, and conducted interviews with representatives of the trucking industry and state transportation and revenue agencies in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana. CTC & Associates did not identify any quantifiable projections of the impact of natural gas conversion on fuel tax receipts in Minnesota. However, it appears that the impact is likely to be small, because natural gas is currently taxed at approximately the same rate as diesel fuel and gasoline.

This Technical Summary pertains to Report 2015-17, “Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Innovation,” published April 2015.

This research summary accompanies Report 2024-14, "Evaluation of Traffic Safety for Heavy Commercial Vehicles at Roundabouts in Minnesota," published in May 2024.