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This paper examines truck driver injury and loss of life in truck crashes related to cab crashworthiness. The paper provides analysis of truck driver fatality and injury in crashes to provide a better understanding of how injury occurs and industry initiatives focused on reducing the number of truck occupant fatalities and the severity of injuries. The commercial vehicle focus is on truck-tractors and single unit trucks in the Class 7 and 8 weight range. The analysis used UMTRI's Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) survey file and NHTSA's General Estimates System (GES) file for categorical analysis and the Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) for a supplemental clinical review of cab performance in frontal and rollover crash types. The paper includes analysis of crashes producing truck driver fatalities or injuries, a review of regulatory development and industry safety initiatives including barriers to implementation.

Tanker trucks are commonly used for transporting liquid material including chemical and petroleum products. On the one hand, tanker trucks are susceptible to rollover accidents due to the high center of gravity when they are loaded and due to the liquid sloshing effects when the tank is partially filled. On the other hand, tanker truck rollover accidents are among the most dangerous vehicle crashes, frequently resulting in serious to fatal driver injuries and significant property damage, because the liquid cargo is often hazardous and flammable. Therefore, effective schemes for tanker truck rollover avoidance are highly desirable and can bring a considerable amount of societal benefit. Yet, the development of such schemes is challenging, as tanker trucks can operate in various environments and be affected by manufacturing variability, aging, degradation, etc. This paper considers the use of Learning Reference Governor (LRG) for tanker truck rollover avoidance.