Weather and Climate Impacts on Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Rossetti, Michael; Johnsen, Michael · 2011 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Summary

This 2011 report, commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), analyzes how adverse weather conditions and projected climate change impacts affect the safety and operations of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The study was motivated by the FMCSA’s need to understand trends in weather-related crashes and to prepare for future risks posed by climate variability. While human error remains the primary cause of CMV crashes, adverse weather contributes significantly to safety risks, and the agency sought to determine if regulatory or operational interventions could mitigate these hazards. The methodology involved a comprehensive literature review on weather’s impact on surface transportation and climate change projections from sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The core analysis utilized data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) covering fatal CMV crashes from 1975 to 2006, specifically isolating incidents involving adverse weather or wet/slippery pavement. These crash data were normalized by vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) alongside meteorological data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) to identify regional patterns and correlations with specific weather events. The findings indicate that while the overall rate of fatal weather-related CMV crashes declined from 1975 to 2009, this trend leveled off after 1999. Rain and wet pavement were identified as the most common adverse conditions, accounting for over 60% of weather-related fatalities. GIS analysis revealed persistent clusters of weather-related crashes along specific interstate corridors, aligning with regional climate patterns. The report highlights that CMVs are particularly vulnerable due to their mass, longer stopping distances, and less discretionary trip schedules, which increase exposure to mesoscale weather events. Furthermore, the study notes that climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, potentially reversing the historic decline in weather-related crashes. The significance of this report lies in its recommendations for FMCSA to adapt to these evolving risks. The authors suggest that the agency should examine vulnerable interstate corridors, expand driver training for inclement weather, and integrate weather information into CMV telematics technologies. Additionally, the report recommends reviewing hours-of-service regulations to accommodate extreme weather events and conducting further research to isolate weather effects from other crash factors. By addressing these areas, the FMCSA can better position itself to reduce weather-related crashes and ensure the safety of the trucking industry amidst changing climatic conditions.

Key finding

Fatal weather-related CMV crashes normalized by vehicle miles of travel showed a declining trend from 1975 to 2009, but this improvement leveled off after 1999.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• weather rain fog snow