The Department of Transportation will seek assistance from state agencies in a study of the safety performance of overweight heavy trucks — those that run heavy both with permits and those that run overweight illegally.

While details of the study remain unclear, DOT said earlier this month the study is a joint project of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration — both DOT agencies — to collect safety data from roadside inspections to “determine if there are any associations between higher vehicle weights and motor carrier safety violations, particularly those with out-of-service conditions.”

FMCSA and FHWA are partnering to implement the study, known as the Specialized Heavy Vehicle Inspection Study Cooperative Agreement. The agencies will award funding to qualified state agencies responsible for large truck roadside safety inspections.

Detailed information on applicant expectations and the application process for the cooperative agreements will be provided in a Notice of Funding Availability to be released soon, the announcement said.

FMCSA said it intends to enter into the cooperative agreements by June 1, or as soon after then as administratively practicable.

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