A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study prepared by the US Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center has provided a road map of best practices for fleet operators working to implement active intelligent speed assistance (ISA) in commercial vehicles.

Many fleets use speed governors that prevent their vehicles from exceeding an absolute maximum, such as 65 mph. Active ISA is more flexible, using road signs, GPS maps or a combination of both to determine the local speed limit and prevents the driver from accelerating beyond it.

For eight organizations that have deployed GPS-based versions of the technology across their vehicle fleets or in smaller pilot programs, the benefits have extended beyond reducing speeding violations, according to Volpe’s discussions with fleet managers.

The fleet managers interviewed for the report noted a decrease in aggressive driving generally, which contributed to a 30% reduction in preventable collisions for one carrier. Less speeding reduced wear and tear, leading to lower maintenance costs, and some fleets noted increases in fuel economy.

To identify the technical issues and challenges involved with deploying ISA in commercial fleets, researchers interviewed key personnel at eight fleets that had implemented or piloted active ISA and one fleet at the beginning of a rollout. These organizations included seven freight transporters operating heavy trucks and two bus fleets. Researchers also spoke with fleets that had implemented passive ISA, which only alerts drivers when they exceed the limit, and other stakeholders, such as technology providers and insurance firms.

The best practices that emerged from those interactions included several key strategies to ensure drivers accept the technology and aid in maximizing its impact. They included:

  • Before implementing, help leadership understand the potential benefits.
  • Project leaders should give management and drivers opportunities to experience how ISA works firsthand.
  • Engage with drivers before, during and after deployment to improve driver buy-in.
  • Start small in a friendly testing environment.

The IIHS said ISA could be a “game changer” in road safety generally, not just for fleets, with speeding a factor in nearly 12,000 deaths in 2023.

“Addressing this risky behavior is critical if we want to realize our 30×30 vision of reducing fatalities 30 percent by 2030,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “Fleets can lead the way.”