Brenda Lantz, Ph.D.
Associate Director – UGPTI
Program Director – Commercial Vehicle Safety Center
Cell: (720)470-1871
Email: brenda.lantz@ndsu.edu
ORCID: 0000-0001-8718-7573
Staff Bio
Related Links
Brenda’s research centers on improving commercial vehicle safety through data-driven analysis, technology evaluation, and policy-relevant research. She has led and contributed to numerous projects for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and related agencies, addressing topics such as driver behavior and risk factors, roadside inspection and enforcement systems, commercial driver licensing compliance, truck parking shortages, drivers with disabilities, and the safe deployment of emerging technologies including automated and autonomous trucking. Her work involves large-scale data analysis, survey research, system design and evaluation, and close collaboration with federal, state, tribal, academic, and industry partners. Across her career, Brenda’s research has emphasized using data and analysis to create and share practical results, systems and tools, and best practices that improve safety outcomes nationwide.
Research Interests
- Commercial Vehicle Safety
- Supply Chain Management
- Statistical Modeling and Analysis
Recent Research Activities/Major Programs of Activity
- Improving Commercial Vehicle Safety through University Partnerships with a Focus on Projects with Success in Reducing Commercial Vehicle Involved Crashes
- Development of Confidential Interview Protocol for Crash Causal Factors Program Heavy Duty Truck Study
- Quantifying the Benefits of Creating New Truck Parking Spaces
- Preparing for Autonomous Trucking in Rural and Northern Regions
- Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Specific Training for Clerks of Courts
- Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Driving with Limb Loss or Impairment
- Effectiveness of Third-Party Testing and Minimum Standards for Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Knowledge and Skills
- FMCSA Automated CMV Evaluation (ACE): Inspection Demonstrations and Evaluations
- Investigating the Safety of Commercial Vehicle Operation by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Drivers
- National Commercial Driver License (CDL) Program Assessment
- Additional Research Projects listed in the Motor Carrier Safety Research Project List
Employment
- 2012-Present, Associate Director, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
- 2000-Present, Program Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Center
- 1994-2012, Associate Research Fellow, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, NDSU
- 1990-1994, Graduate Research Assistant, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, NDSU
Education
- Ph.D., Business Administration, Supply Chain and Information Systems, Pennsylvania State University, 2006
- M.S., Applied Statistics, North Dakota State University, 1994
- B.S., Sociology, North Dakota State University, 1990
Professional Memberships/Affiliations
- Member and Past Chair, Transportation Research Board Committee on Truck and Bus Safety
- Past Secretary, Transportation Research Board Committee on Trucking Industry Research
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Associate Member
- Fellow of the Eno Center for Transportation Leadership Development
- Project Management Institute Member