Projects/Heavy Vehicle Research Center
H01 Heavy Truck RolloverHeavy truck rollover crashes are not frequent occurrences. They represent approximately three percent of all crashes for combination trucks. Although this percentage is low, fatalities associated with heavy truck rollovers are inordinately high. Truck rollover is a factor in about 13 percent of all fatal crashes of combination trucks. The research conducted in this project initiated a long-term focus on truck rollover efforts under the National Transportation Research Center, Inc. The ultimate goal is to improve the roll stability of heavy trucks to reduce fatalities and injuries. Additionally, avoidance of truck rollover crashes will help stabilize the profit margins of the trucking industry more.. | H03 Heavy Vehicle Infrastructure Asset Interaction and CollisionThis research was performed to update and enhance the kinematic and structural accuracy of the National Crash Analysis Center's Ford F800 single-unit truck Finite Element (SUT FE) model. The research evaluated the model's ability to accurately simulate interaction with roadside safety hardware and to identify areas of possible improvements. The research also aimed to establish a methodology for validation and verification of the finite element models used in roadside hardware analysis so that it could be applied to other vehicle finite element models currently under development. more.. |
H02 Trusted Truck™This research project demonstrated the potential to improve safety, efficiency, and security for both government and the transportation industry. This research was performed to demonstrate an advanced real-time system using wireless local transmission of brake diagnostics information from a moving truck traveling through a roadside inspection station. The system will use wireless communication to locally broadcast brake, engine, and other vehicle diagnostic information to an inspection station. more.. | H04 Brake Performance CharacterizationReducing the disparity between the stopping distances of heavy trucks and the lighter vehicles with which they share the road continues to be one of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) high priority areas. Current truck designs typically take between 1.5 and 2 times as far to stop as passenger cars from highway speeds. Truck brake performance has been identified as a major factor contributing to crashes involving large trucks. The purpose of this research is to provide objective test data to further refine the database of single-unit truck braking systems. The data will support NHTSA future rulemaking activity in determining the feasibility and benefits of reducing single-unit truck stopping distances. more.. |