FMCSA’s Crash Causal Factors Program (CCFP) conducts in-depth research to better understand the key factors that contribute to crashes involving large trucks and buses. 

Collecting and analyzing an unprecedented amount of data, the program will provide new information resources that motor carriers, States, safety advocacy groups, FMCSA, and others can use to develop effective, targeted strategies to reduce crashes.

From 2016 to 2022, fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses in the United States increased 26.4 percent.¹ Authorized by Congress, the CCFP is part of the DOT and FMCSA’s heightened effort to reverse the trend of increasing crash rates.  

The CCFP also addresses the need for updated information on crash causal factors. It expands on the 20-year-old Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS), which investigated nearly 1,000 injury and fatal crashes involving large trucks from 2001 to 2003. The CCFP establishes a foundation for data collection, analysis, and sharing that makes it easier and more efficient to carry out crash research, both now and in the future.

CCFP Heavy-Duty Truck Study

The CCFP’s current study focuses on fatal crashes involving heavy-duty (Class 7/8) trucks, collecting and analyzing data on driver, vehicle, motor carrier, and environmental factors.

With a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, these trucks include vehicles such as truck-tractor semi-trailers, furniture trucks, garbage trucks, and cement trucks. About 70% of large trucks involved in fatal crashes are heavy-duty trucks, or Class 7/8 trucks, making them a top priority for FMCSA.²

The Heavy-Duty Truck Study will collect a target sample of 2,000 fatal crashes involving heavy-duty trucks from about 30 States that were identified as key sampling locations for a nationally representative sample. Data will be collected over the course of two years, with a target start date of early 2026. 

FMCSA is partnering with State and local agencies and the U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to collect detailed, authoritative data in an efficient way, while protecting confidential information.

After analyzing the data to identify crash trends, FMCSA will publish a final report and a public database of anonymized crash data. Partial findings may be released prior to the final report. 

In addition to the target sample of 2,000 fatal crashes, the CCFP will accept data on serious injury crashes and from States not identified as sampling locations. While this additional data will not be used in the Heavy-Duty Truck Study final report, it will support regional analysis and additional research.

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 Heavy-Duty Truck Study Timeline

Timing approximate; schedule subject to change.

 

2020–2023 

Funding & Authorization 

Congress appropriates funding for a causal factors study on large trucks.  

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

Program Establishment

FMCSA establishes the CCFP to create a foundation for studying crashes involving CMVs, starting with the Heavy-Duty Truck Study. 

2023–2026 

Information Collection

FMCSA collects information from State and local jurisdictions about their current post-crash data collection procedures. 

Study Design

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

Preparation for Data Collection

FMCSA creates a CCFP database, develops tools and training to support data collection, and implements measures to protect interview confidentiality.​​​​​

 

2026–2028 

Study Execution 

Leveraging the work of State and local partners, FMCSA begins collecting data.   

Analysis

After two years of data collection, FMCSA begins analysis.

2029 

Database and Final Report 

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.

^1. 2022 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), data from 2016 to 2022 
^2. 2022 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), data from 2016 to 2022