SAFETY & POLICY · NEWS BRIEF
FMCSA funds study of 2,000 fatal heavy-truck crashes
FMCSA announced on November 3, 2026, up to $7 million in funding for a nationwide study of fatal crashes involving heavy-duty trucks, run through its Crash Causal Factors Program. State and local agencies will gather and report detailed information on approximately 2,000 fatal crashes across about 30 states over two years. A pilot comes first; full data collection is expected to begin in 2027.
What the study covers
The study focuses on Class 7 and Class 8 trucks — gross vehicle weight ratings of 26,001 pounds and up — which FMCSA says account for roughly 70% of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes. It will collect data on driver, vehicle, motor carrier, and environmental factors, and FMCSA says it is the first study of its kind in more than two decades, expanding on the Large Truck Crash Causation Study from 2001–2003.
What it means for operators
Haul Press takeaway: this is a research funding announcement, not a new rule. Nothing changes for a carrier's daily paperwork because of this announcement alone — but the study's eventual findings, with a final report and a public database of anonymized crash data expected around 2030, could shape future safety policy. For now, the concrete date that matters is the application deadline: December 28, 2026, for agencies seeking the funding (funding opportunity FM-CCFP-27-001).
Sources: FMCSA, Crash Causal Factors Program; FMCSA, Discretionary Grant Programs; The Trucker, via CarHauler Classified, Nov. 3, 2026, reporting the funding announcement.