The Crash Causal Factors Program (CCFP) is a detailed crash data collection and analysis effort intended to:

1. Identify the key factors that contribute to crashes involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), 
2. Inform countermeasures to prevent these crashes, and 
3. Establish a foundation for continued data collection, sharing, and analysis. 

The CCFP pursues a nuanced understanding of crashes involving CMVs so that policymakers, law enforcement agencies, regulators, and other interested parties can implement effective crash prevention strategies and programs.

Despite several decades of positive progress, the last few years have seen a concerning rise in fatal crashes in the United States, with fatal crashes involving CMVs increasing 17 percent from 2020 to 2021.¹ Authorized by Congress, the CCFP is part of the DOT and FMCSA’s heightened effort to reverse this trend and reduce roadway fatalities. 
 
The CCFP Heavy-Duty Truck Study focuses on fatal crashes involving heavy-duty trucks (Class 7/8 trucks) and will leverage existing State and local jurisdiction crash data collection processes to streamline data collection efforts.

The Heavy-Duty Truck Study will collect and analyze a nationally representative sample of crash data. Importantly, data protection measures will be in place to protect drivers, motor carriers, and others who may be contacted by officials for information following a crash. The study data will be used primarily for research purposes, and any data that is made publicly available will be anonymized. 

^1. 2021 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Accessible through A&I Crash Statistics.

Background

The CCFP expands on the original Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) that investigated nearly 1,000 injury and fatal crashes involving large trucks from 2001 to 2003. However, an increase in fatal crashes involving CMVs in the last few years, along with changes in technology, vehicle safety, behavior, and roadway design, has created the need for a new study. The CCFP takes these changes, as well as the growth of the CMV industry, into account and pursues an updated understanding of the causal factors contributing to crashes today.

What’s Happening Now

The CCFP team is working with States and select local jurisdictions to establish sampling locations for the Heavy-Duty Truck Study; qualifying crashes that occur in these locations will be included in the study sample. Additional efforts include creating a CCFP database, establishing data protection measures, and developing tools and training to support data collection. 

CCFP Timeline

Timing approximate; schedule subject to change.

 

2020–2021 

Funding & Authorization 

Congress appropriates $30 million for a causal factors study on large trucks.  

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) expands its scope to include all CMVs. 

 

2022–2025 

Program Establishment

FMCSA establishes the CCFP to carry out a study of crashes involving CMVs. 

Heavy-Duty Truck Study Preparation 

The Heavy-Duty Truck Study is planned and developed. 

FMCSA identifies in-scope States for a nationally representative sample and finalizes the analysis plan. 

 

 

2026–2028 

Heavy-Duty Truck Study Execution 

FMCSA collects data for two years, leveraging State and local jurisdiction resources, and then analyzes the data. 
 

 

2029 

Heavy-Duty Truck Study Results 

FMCSA releases a database of anonymized crash data for public use.

FMCSA releases the Heavy-Duty Truck Study final report. 

Note: Partial data findings and analysis will be released prior to the final report.