Committe Overview
The Committee on Truck & Bus Safety (ANB70) of the National Academies Transportation Research Board (TRB) was founded in 2003. Organizations that were precursors to the committee included a Truck & Bus Safety Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation Safety Management and a Task Force on Truck and Bus Safety (A3B57) that championed the transition from subcommittee to full committee status. Within the TRB committee structure, ANB70 is part of the Safety Section of the System User Group.
Committee Goal
Like other TRB committees, ANB70 consists of professionals committed to advancing their disciplines and improving the North American transportation system. ANB70's goal is to:
- Focus on motor carrier safety in all its aspects; to include research and evaluation in human, roadway, vehicle, operational, and organizational arenas as they relate to motor carrier safety.
Topics of Interest
Specific truck and bus safety topics of interest to ANB70 include the following: problem assessment and data, regulation, enforcement and compliance, commercial driver health and wellness (as they relate to driving safety), driver performance and behavior (human factors), carrier safety management, heavy vehicle design and technology, and roadway design & operations (as related to heavy vehicles).
ANB70 currently has an effort underway to develop a TRB Circular, to be entitled The Domain of Truck & Bus Safety Research, which will summarize current knowledge and information on the above topics and identify major research and development needs relating to them. The expected publication date for this TRB document is late 2005.
Committee Functions
Major functions of ANB70 include the following:
- Inform members of the truck and bus safety community of current research.
- Stimulate new research and development.
- Synthesize research and develop various reports.
- Review papers submitted to the TRB annual meeting and recommend papers for presentation, publication, and special awards.
- Plan and coordinate technical sessions and workshops at the annual meeting.
- Cosponsor special activities and provide liaison with other related TRB committees.
- Conduct periodic strategic planning and self-evaluation.
- Upon request, serve or nominate others to serve as members of various TRB panels and committees.
- Encourage diverse participation, including students, young professionals, minorities, and professionals from countries outside the U.S.
Membership
Like other TRB committees, ANB70 has a maximum of 25 regular members, two "younger" members (aged 30 and under at the time of appointment), and four international members (i.e., from countries outside the U.S. and Canada). Currently, there are three vacancies in the international member category. Regular members are appointed for a three-year term with partial membership rotation every three years. In addition to its formal membership, ANB70 maintains an informal but active "Friends" list. Any interested person can become a friend of the committee and participate in committee meetings and other activities.
Subcommittees
ANB70 currently has just one subcommittee. The Subcommittee on Self-Assessment in Safety Management is interested in non-regulatory approaches to carrier safety management benchmarking, safety certification, voluntary self-improvement, and best management practices. The Subcommittee Chair is Mr. Gene Bergoffen (Bergoffen@earthlink.net). The formation of other subcommittees is under discussion.
Meetings
ANB70 conducts its principal annual meeting as part of the TRB annual meeting in Washington, DC in January of each year. In addition, a mid-year meeting is held in early September, also in Washington, DC. Meeting topics include discussion of committee activities and presentations from members and friends on recent research.
Website
The ANB70 website is: www.ugpti.org/trb/truckandbus/. Information available on the website include this committee overview, member roster, friends list, meeting agendas and minutes, and selected presentations from previous meetings.
Committee Chair and Contact Person
Joel L. Ticatch
Telvent Farradyne, Inc.
3206 Tower Oaks Blvd.
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301)816-2777
Joel.Ticatch@telvent.abengoa.com
