Crashes involving large trucks can have a disproportionate impact on the safety and reliability of the transportation system. The size and weight of large trucks can have deadly impacts for occupants of passenger motor vehicles as well as unprotected road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Large-truck crashes also can result in closure of one or more lanes of highways, particularly for rollovers or cargo spills. Large-truck crashes also have the potential to damage pavement, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Growth in e-commerce and shifting locations of manufacturing and distribution activities are adding more trucks to regional and local roads and streets that were not designed for substantial truck flows. Demand for last-mile delivery is expected to increase by 78 percent globally from 2019 to 2030, while the number of delivery vehicles in major cities is expected to increase 36 percent (World Economic Forum 2020).

The responsibility for reducing the frequency and impacts of commercial vehicle crashes typically is spread among multiple agencies and planning processes with multiple related plans being developed by different agencies within the state department of transportation (DOT), such as the Highway Safety Plan, Highway Safety Improvement Program, and the State Freight Plan. This distribution of responsibilities may lead to potential conflicts, gaps, or missed opportunities across plans and programs. Research is needed to enhance freight safety and mobility through an integrated approach that leverages and strengthens existing statewide planning activities and identifies projects that meet both safety and mobility needs.

The objective of this research is to develop a guide for state DOTs and other transportation agencies on the integration of commercial vehicle safety into state freight and safety planning activities. The guide should identify noteworthy practices among state DOTs today, including examples of effectively aligning and leveraging existing plans and programs, including the State Freight Plan, Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Highway Safety Improvement Program, Highway Safety Plan, and Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan. The guide should consider effective practices for advancing freight safety and mobility goals at the regional or local level as well as in other nations.