Dive Brief:
- The American Transportation Research Institute is calling on carriers and truck drivers to participate in a follow-up survey examining the adoption and perception of onboard safety technologies, according to a June 4 press release.
- The survey is part of the second phase TechCelerate, a four-year initiative backed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, studying awareness, deployment and industry attitudes toward advanced driver assistance systems technologies.
- Researchers will compare the latest responses with baseline data collected during the program’s first phase to track changes in adoption trends and technology preferences across the trucking industry.
Dive Insight:
ATRI’s latest survey builds on research first launched in 2019 to establish a baseline understanding of how trucking stakeholders view onboard safety technologies and how those views evolve over time.
The questionnaire focuses on four major categories of ADAS: warning systems, steering assistance systems, camera-based monitoring systems and braking systems. Respondents are asked to rate their familiarity with specific technologies, ranging from “have never heard of it” to “expert on it,” and to identify which systems they believe are most likely to achieve widespread industry adoption.
Results from the first phase of TechCelerate, which surveyed more than 700 drivers and 200 motor carrier executives, found that both braking and warning systems were viewed as the technologies most likely to see broad adoption. Cost considerations emerged as both the leading barrier to adoption and one of the strongest motivators for investing in the technologies.
The follow-up survey is expected to reveal whether industry perceptions have shifted as ADAS technologies have become more widely available and as fleets continue weighing potential safety benefits against implementation costs. TechCelerate has a return-on-investment calculator to help leaders make those decisions.
The FMCSA awarded the contract for the second phase of the TechCelerate program in fall 2023. The research team now includes ATRI, the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
