Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Assessment Tool

The demand for commercial motor vehicle drivers is expected to grow. Motor carriers will hire an estimated 400,000 drivers a year for growth and turnover. For motor carriers, the challenge is how to avoid hiring potentially unsafe drivers or to identify specific driver weaknesses and provide appropriate training.This project seeks to create a driver assessment tool that will help motor carriers screen applicants; identify candidates who would be unsafe drivers; and identify training needs where a candidate¿s assessment indicates his or her weaknesses can be corrected. Validation of the driver assessment tool is important both for its success as a commercially valuable product and to support Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration¿s goal to reduce truck-related accident fatalities by 50%.The driver assessment tool will combine the most effective behavioral, cognitive, and simulation techniques; be readily accessible to the motor carriers (e.g., through the Web); and be easy to use by drivers. It will be developed in accordance with the Instructional System Design system and with the guidance of motor carrier safety advisors.