This paper describes the results of a study to determine the acceptance of drivers of vehicle-tovehicle (V2V) safety applications in Class 8 heavy trucks. This study was conducted to provide some of the information and data needed to assess heavy truck V2V safety benefits. Driver Clinics were conducted in two locations in the U.S. to evaluate acceptance of the connected vehicle technology and safety applications by volunteers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) who were previously unfamiliar with the technology. Two heavy truck tractors with integrated V2V Safety applications were developed and used for this study.

The V2V safety applications tested included a Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Blind Spot/Lane Change Warning (BSW/LCW), Emergency Electronic Brake Lights (EEBL), and an Intersection Movement Assist (IMA). Warnings were presented to drivers in the form of a visual display mounted in the cab and also audio warnings. Driving scenarios were developed to demonstrate each V2V safety application. Drivers were recruited for this study from local trucking fleets, independent owneroperators, and respondents to advertisements both online and in local truck stops. After an initial briefing and practice drive time in the truck, participants completed a series of scenarios and were given in-vehicle questionnaires after each scenario and a final questionnaire at the end. Approximately half of the drivers were selected for in-depth interviews following the drive. In addition, the vehicles were instrumented with a data acquisition system (DAS) that collected engineering and video data from each drive. As V2V safety systems are further refined for all vehicle types, understanding the acceptance by commercial vehicle drivers of this new technology is important so that anticipated safety benefits for heavy trucks can be fully achieved.