OPERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES AMONG THE MOTORCOACH, SCHOOL BUS, AND TRUCKING INDUSTRIES

摘要

The objective of this synthesis was to describe the operational differences and similarities among the motorcoach, school bus contractor, and trucking industries. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a well-documented understanding of the interstate for-hire trucking industry, data on the motorcoach and school bus industries have not been as readily available or systematically compiled in order to enable comparison of differences and similarities among the three types of commercial vehicle industries. Such a comparison would allow the federal government, as well as industry associations and state and local governments, to access a single resource when seeking information on industry profiles, safety statistics, and general business operations. Many sources were used to compile data for this synthesis, including FMCSA databases, industry association publications, industry trade magazines, Internet searches, and documents from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. The literature review was supplemented by interviews with staff at several organizations, who were able to provide additional data not readily available to the public. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of this synthesis provide a comprehensive description of each of the following topics for the motorcoach, school bus contractor, and trucking industries: 1. Industry Size and Extent-including a description of the number of carriers and vehicles in the industry by fleet size, geographic area, and industry subsegments. 2. Safety-including historical fatality, injury, and crash statistics for the industry. 3. Economy and Finances-including industry business statistics, including sources of revenues, driver compensation, driver regulations, operating costs, vehicle sales, etc. Chapter 5 presents a comparison of the three industries for each of the topics above. Chapter 6 summarizes data gaps as found throughout this synthesis and highlights potential areas for further study.