ATRI UPDATE ATRI Research Initiative – Development of an Assessment Tool to Identify Safest Drivers A new initiative from the American Transportation Research Institute is exploring development of an assessment tool to identify the safest drivers among 18- to 20-year-olds, a key group that the trucking industry is targeting for expanded eligibility of commercial driver licenses for interstate travel. The group’s Young Driver Assessment Tool — which is in phase one of beta testing — has demonstrated that there is the potential to identify individuals who are likely to be safer drivers via development of safety profiles that incorporate personality traits, physiological characteristics and other aspects of mental health. “ATRI’s Younger Driver Assessment Tool can potentially identify those new entrant drivers who share the same personality attributes as safe, mature
veteran drivers,” ATRI President Rebecca Brewster said in a statement to Transport Topics. “We look forward to expanding our pilot test to include more younger drivers to further validate the tool’s accuracy.” Among statistically significant findings, ATRI found that drivers in the safest group based on their MVR and PSP data had the highest scores in the “conscientiousness and agreeableness” category, and the lowest scores in “experience seeking.” Drivers who were determined to be less safe exhibited marginally greater sensitivity to conflict in the “multisource interference task” category, indicating difficulties with cognitive control.
ATRI’s Dan Murray Receives Trucking Federation’s Prestigious Halladay Award The Trucking Association Executives Council has recognized ATRI Senior Vice President Dan Murray with the prestigious J.R. “Bob” Halladay Award. Presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to assist and support the work of the 50 state trucking associations that comprise the ATA Federation, the Halladay Award is only awarded when a TAEC region hosting the annual meeting deems an individual worthy of recognition. “Region 3 and the entire TAEC family is honored to be able to recognize Dan and appropriately thank him for all the tremendous work he has done for the industry and the state associations over his many years of service. We are all better because of Dan and the outstanding support he provides us through valuable data, research and information that is paramount in our ability to serve our respective memberships,” said TAEC Immediate Past Chair Brenda Neville, president and CEO of the Iowa Motor Truck Association. Dan has been with ATRI over 27 years and throughout his tenure has worked with the state trucking associations on myriad research issues. The award was presented to Dan at the 2021 TAEC Annual Meeting in Sonoma, California. “It is difficult for me to put words to what receiving this prestigious award means to me. It will continually remind me how great this industry is, and how fortunate I am to have developed so many
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lasting friendships,” Murray said. TAEC established the J.R. “Bob” Halladay Award in 1990. The award is named after Bob Halladay who held a long and distinguished career in the trucking industry beginning in 1952 with his appointment as Managing Director of the Kansas Motor Carriers Association. Halladay DAN MURRAY was instrumental in ATRI Senior Vice President developing legislation in the 1950s and 60s that enabled the trucking industry to assume a vital role in post-war America. In 1965, Halladay started a career with the American Trucking Associations, where he would hold a variety of positions before retiring in 1990 as Senior Vice President of Federation Relations.
