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TRC and Ohio State Partnership Granted Eligibility for Federal Research Projects Aimed at Improving Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

TRC and Ohio State Partnership Granted Eligibility for Federal Research Projects Aimed at Improving Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Ohio partners receive 5-year task order contract for research to help reduce the number and severity of large truck and motorcoach crashes on U.S. highways

EAST LIBERTY, OH – The Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC), in partnership with The Ohio State University, has been granted eligibility by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to compete for research projects aimed at reducing the number and severity of large truck and motorcoach crashes on U.S. roadways.

A federal “task order” contract makes the partnership eligible to apply for a diverse range of highway-safety research projects to be sponsored by FMCSA over the next five years.  The Ohio partnership is one of only five research teams nationwide to receive approval to conduct these studies.  The nature and cost of individual projects to result from the contract will be announced as each is awarded.

“TRC is pleased to have this new and exciting opportunity to work with the federal government in advancing the safety of commercial motor vehicles and the highway systems all of us travel,” said Brett Roubinek, president and CEO of TRC.  “Advances resulting from this long-term partnership will help the state and federal governments, vehicle makers and commercial carriers produce safer vehicles, train safer drivers and design safer highways.  That’s especially important at a time when autonomous- and connected-vehicle technologies are revolutionizing the way we move goods and people in this country,” Roubinek said.

Under the task order, the TRC/Ohio State partnership will be eligible to apply for a range of FMCSA research projects over the next five years, developing and validating techniques for research involving automated driving systems and anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control vehicle sensors, truck and motorcoach ergonomics, vehicle rollovers, driver-fatigue monitoring and other factors impacting vehicle and highway safety.

Transportation Research Center Inc. is North America’s most advanced, independent mobility testing and research organization, providing the world’s leading transportation innovators with a full range of engineering and research expertise and a comprehensive array of transportation testing and evaluation facilities. TRC Inc.’s offerings include a 4,500-acre, full-service automotive proving ground and laboratory facility in East Liberty Ohio, which is home to the SMARTCenter, TRC Inc.’s automated and connected vehicle test facility.