Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, June 27, 2023:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is starting the process to launch a driver simulator study to evaluate how truck drivers engage with rigs equipped with different levels of autonomous technology.
The agency plans to submit a request to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for the study titled “Human Factors Considerations in Commercial Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems [ADS] and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems [ADAS].”
The driving simulator would include a series of questionnaires to evaluate approximately 100 drivers and how they interact with trucks equipped with SAE International Level 2 ADAS and Level 3 ADS. The study would examine the effect of non-driving secondary task engagement, transfer of control, and training on driver behavior in trucks equipped with the systems, FMCSA said.
The agency noted that “higher levels of ADAS and lower levels of ADS present an environment that is ripe for overreliance.”
[Related: Double down on the fight against safety complacency]
A Level 2 vehicle “offers longitudinal and lateral support to the driver; however, the driver is still responsible for driving at all times,” FMCSA said, adding that “at this level, engaging in non-driving secondary tasks can be highly detrimental to driving performance as the driver may not recognize and respond to hazards timely or appropriately.”
