As organizations face a stricter regulatory environment in 2024, understanding the key trends influencing driver risk is essential for ensuring safety and compliance with motor carrier laws.
Our 2024 Driver Risk Report: Key Trends Shaping Automotive Mobility provides a comprehensive analysis of these patterns, leveraging insights from our first-party motor vehicle record (MVR), court record, telematics and Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) data.
Read on to explore some of these trends below, and be sure to watch our on-demand webinar, “The State of Driver Risk in 2024: Critical Discoveries for Fleets and Insurers” to dive even deeper into the current landscape of regulatory compliance.
Evolving Motor Carrier Laws and Their Impact on Safety
The following developments highlight the importance of staying informed and collaborating on emerging safety and compliance issues within the industry.
FMCSA SMS Updates
In 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed significant revisions to the Safety Measurement System (SMS). These revisions aim to refine the process of identifying carriers in need of the most urgent oversight. Additionally, these changes intend to help motor carriers better understand and use the data to foster safer driving habits.
You can explore these updates in detail and learn valuable strategies from industry experts on how to best prepare by watching our free webinar, "Expert Perspectives: Navigating FMCSA’s Proposed Methodology Changes."
Lowering CMV Age Requirements
In 2020, the FMCSA also proposed a new pilot program to reduce the minimum age for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers from 21 to 18 to address driver shortages.
“This action will allow the Agency to carefully examine the safety, feasibility and possible economic benefits of allowing 18 to 20-year-old drivers to operate in interstate commerce. Safety is always FMCSA’s top priority, so we encourage drivers, motor carriers and interested citizens to review this proposed new pilot program and share their thoughts and opinions,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck.
While this could alleviate some workforce issues, our industry experts are closely monitoring its safety and compliance implications.
State Traffic Violation Trends
Many cities, such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Denver, have implemented policies that focus law enforcement efforts on traffic stops for serious safety violations like running red lights or reckless driving, rather than issues like expired tags. This approach aims to allocate resources more effectively by concentrating on behaviors that pose a direct threat to public safety. We are tracking this development and evaluating its potential effects on violation trends.
FMCSA Violation Trends
Our analysis of FMCSA data from over 1,000 monitored CMV accounts during 2022 to 2023 revealed significant trends in violation categories.
Monitored Violations
Vehicle Maintenance violations accounted for a staggering 59.1% of all violations. The top four codes that fell into this category included:
- Inoperable Required Lamp
- Tire-flat and/or Audible Air Leak
- Clamp or Roto Type Break Out-Of-Adjustment
- State Vehicle Registration or License Plate Violation (Critical)
These violations pose a risk to driver safety and contribute to vehicle downtime and increased operational costs. The prevalence of these violations underscores the need for regular and thorough vehicle maintenance checks to prevent safety hazards and ensure compliance with federal motor carrier safety regulations.
Of the top 10 violations received by SambaSafety’s FMCSA-monitored drivers, six were in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, and the remaining were related to Unsafe Driving, accounting for 12.77%.
These insights highlight the need for ongoing driver monitoring and training programs to ensure fleets and their drivers adhere to evolving FMCSA safety regulations.
Impact of Invalid Licenses on Fatal Crashes
Our report also underscores the link between invalid licenses and fatal crashes. Drivers with a history of license suspensions or revocations are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes.
In 2021, drivers with invalid licenses were responsible for 18.5% of fatal auto crashes. Of those incidents:
- 31.8% of drivers had previous license suspensions or revocations
- 17.2% of drivers had previous collisions
- 16.9% of drivers had previous speeding convictions
Implementing a robust license monitoring solution can reduce the percentage of unlicensed drivers, improving overall road safety and reducing liability for fleets.
Diver Deeper into 2024 Driver Risk Data
To explore these trends in more detail and discover expert strategies for staying ahead of the curve, download our on-demand webinar, “The State of Driver Risk in 2024: Critical Discoveries for Fleets & Insurers.”
