The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awarded a Phase 2 contract for the continuation of its TechCelerate Now (TCN) trucking technology analysis and education program. TCN is an ongoing FMCSA initiative in partnership with the ITS Joint Program Office. The TCN program is focused on accelerating the Adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) by the trucking industry to reduce fatalities and prevent injuries and crashes. This Phase 2 of the initiative is a four-year program that will develop new and updated technical information and guidelines for various ADAS technologies.
According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), many industry leaders are working on TCN under the leadership of the American Transportation Research Institute, ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Foundation and the ATA.
The ATA tells us TCN will incorporate technology data, research and analysis into a suite of innovative marketing tools in order to reduce truck crashes and generate substantial industry ROI. Among other key tasks, the ATA adds that the program will document evolving fleet and driver perspectives, develop an expanded ADAS ROI Calculator, set up a national TCN Service Center and produce informational videos and brochures. TMC will also be producing new ADAS Recommended Practices and a TCN Ambassador Program.
“We’re very pleased to continue the progress TechCelerate Now has made in examining various safety technologies and setting a course for expanding the industry dialogue on the potential safety benefits of these systems,” said Jeff Loftus, chief of the advanced technology division, office of research and registration at FMCSA.
