Simulation-based truck fleet analysis to study the impact of federal motor carrier safety administration's 2013 hours of service regulation changes

Abstract

July 1, 2013 will usher in new revisions to the current Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Hours of Service (HOS) regulations governing hours of service for drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicles. This paper will chronicle the modeling approach and preliminary results of the performance impact of the two most significant 2013 HOS regulation changes on a large random over-the-road (OTR) trucking fleet operating in North America. The ultimate goal of this modeling analysis was to provide data to quantify the pending impact of the regulation changes to guide company strategies to mitigate risk and provide a foundation for proactive customer communications. The simulation model was successfully validated by comparing simulated fleet performance against actual fleet performance. Results have been used to communicate impact to internal company stake holders, industry analysts, and customers, along with prompting detailed fleet studies to identify strategies to minimize impact to high risk customers.