Carrier Participation Agreement

Form Approved

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX

Exp. Date XX/XX/XXXX

Fleet Company and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Agreement for participation

Submitted to: <Company Name>

Thanks for your interest in this truck safety research project. We appreciate your collaboration in this important research effort by allowing us to recruit drivers in your company to participate in this study. Below are some details about the study and a list of things that the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) commits to. In addition, we have included a list of items we would like the fleet companies that participate to review and inform the terminal managers who work directly with the driver participants. We will provide a copy of the signed agreement between the company representative and VTTI to the terminal managers during our first visit to the participating terminals.

Background

Reducing fatigue-related crashes is one of the top 10 changes needed to reduce transportation accidents and save lives identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for 2017-2018 and a National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) priority. Fatigue is a preventable cause of crashes. The North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP) was developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Transport Canada, and other entities to address commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver fatigue through a comprehensive approach that delivers prevention information to carriers, dispatchers, drivers, and family members. In 2015, the National Academy of Sciences published the report “Commercial motor vehicle driver fatigue, long-term health, and highway safety research needs” that identified the need for fully evaluating the NAFMP so that recommendations for implementation of NAFMP are supported by scientific evidence.

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-XXXX).

VTTI will recruit approximately 180 drivers for this study among all the fleet locations. VTTI will instrument 90 trucks from each fleet. Drivers will drive an instrumented truck up to 8 months. Drivers will be compensated for their participation.

Equipment to be installed on each vehicle includes a data acquisition system consisting of one to two cameras. Equipment installation may take 30-40 minutes per truck and de-installation may take 20 minutes per truck. In addition to their normal driving, drivers will be asked to provide driving information in the form of questionnaires. All data collected will be confidential and for research use only.

The provisions below delineate the specific commitments made by VTTI to the fleet companies regarding the performance of the study, and those made by the fleet company to VTTI. As safety research professionals, we value your collaboration with this research and promise that ethical procedures will be followed throughout the study. We appreciate your commitment to safety research.

VTTI Commitments:

1. Conduct study in accordance with Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board (IRB) agreement, which ensures participant protection and privacy.

2. Ensure data confidentiality. A certificate of confidentiality will cover all the participants of this study.

3. Steps to minimize any potential disruption to the normal fleet company operation will be taken, for example:

   1. Instrument vehicles and download data during operational downtime (e.g., evenings, weekends, etc.)

   2. Train drivers during off-duty hours.

   3. No special tasks or driving required of drivers while on-duty.

   4. Provide a point-of-contact for drivers to communicate with researchers directly during the study.

4. Ensure minimal effect of study equipment on vehicles. On-board study equipment will require few, if any, permanent changes to the vehicle or, if minor changes are needed, these will be reviewed beforehand and approved by the terminal.

5. Upon de-installation of equipment, a VTTI researcher and a company representative will perform a detailed inspection of the vehicles to ensure that the equipment have had no significant effect on the vehicle.

6. Pay drivers in accordance with study plan.

7. If of interest to the fleet company, the leading role of the fleet company in this safety research will be mentioned in press releases, presentations, and published reports. If the company wishes to remain anonymous, this can be honored as well.

8. Provide data collection status to management as requested.

Fleet Company Commitments:

1. Comply with data confidentiality and other participant protection provisions as stipulated in the Informed Consent Form provided to the drivers. Driver participation should be voluntary and their information considered confidential. Study data will not to be duplicated, modified, or analyzed by the participating fleet or its personnel.

2. The company must facilitate drivers’ recruiting and provide a list of potential participants before the study begins.

3. As much as possible, the instrumented vehicles will be used only by drivers that are part of the study. This should avoid obtaining data on participants that have not agreed to participate in the study.

4. Participating drivers should be assured that they can go back to their original trucks once the study is finished, if that is their request.

5. Ensure, to the extent possible, that the instrumentation, cameras, and sensors are not altered or damaged. In the event that damage occurs, VTTI should be notified as soon as possible to correct any damaged components.

6. Assign a person (e.g., dispatcher) as the company’s contact person for VTTI. This person should have access to the scheduling process given that is the person that will be telling the researcher when the instrumented vehicles are going to be back at the terminal. This person will be provided with an updated waiting list as participants are screened and ready to participate in the study to guide them in assignment of participant drivers to instrumented vehicles. This person should be able to give estimated time of arrivals (ETA) of the drivers to the terminal.

7. Make facilities accessible to VTTI researchers and technicians to perform study associated tasks:

   1. Allow access to an area where installations and de-installations can be performed. If possible, facilitate access to a covered area to perform these tasks in case of inclement weather (e.g. maintenance area, tool shop).

   2. Provide a work area suitable to performing minor repairs of instrumentation (e.g., bench area with power and lighting).

   3. Notify researchers what is an appropriate area to meet drivers for tasks such as screening, training, interviewing, data downloading, and debriefing. Preferably, the area should be a closed space with minimum potential of interruptions and noises given that informal vision and hearing test will be performed.

8. Communicate to VTTI employment changes that may affect the study, such as change of terminal managers, contact person, or resignation of drivers participating in the study. The company should immediately inform VTTI of participating drivers quitting the company and help identify immediate replacements.

9. Assist VTTI in communicating with drivers on issues or events that arise (e.g., notifying of change in drivers schedule that might affect meetings with researchers or allow researchers to call driver directly).

10. Drivers will not be subjected to any adverse action based on participation or non-participation in the study, nor based on driver performance in the study.

11. Provide carrier information, such as crash, violation, ELD, and information on costs of program during the data collection period.

Agreement

I have read and understand the agreement provisions stated above. I hereby acknowledge the above and commit to comply with the above requirements during our participation in this project. I understand that I may withdraw the fleet participation at any time without penalty.

__________________________________________ ________________________

Fleet Company Representative’s Signature Date

Print Name: _______________________________

Position: __________________________________

__________________________________________ ________________________

Research Representative Date