Between driving competitions, equipment inspections, and conversations with fellow professionals, many of the truck drivers attending the North Carolina Trucking Association's annual Truck Driving Championship found themselves stopping at an unexpected destination: a Virginia Tech research station.

Over two days at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, 137 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers sat down with researchers from Virginia Tech to discuss the realities of life on the road. They shared experiences with fatigue, distraction, in-cab technology, work zones, and the day-to-day challenges of operating large trucks safely in an increasingly complex transportation environment.

For Sami Hasnine, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, those conversations were exactly the point.

Leading a team that included postdoctoral researcher Tanmay Das and master's student Farhan Anjum Badhon, Hasnine attended the June 4–6 event to gather firsthand perspectives from the people his research is designed to serve. The work is supported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), with Hasnine serving as principal investigator.

Putting research where the drivers are

Participants filling out survey
Professional CMV drivers completing written feedback forms at the Virginia Tech research station during the 2026 NC Truck Driving Championship. Photo courtesy of Md Sami Hasnine.

The team's focus was clear: better understanding distracted driving and driver fatigue, two of the leading contributors to large-truck crashes nationwide.

Rather than relying solely on surveys or data collected from a distance, the researchers chose to meet drivers face-to-face at one of the trucking industry's premier safety events.

“We wanted to hear from drivers themselves—what they experience, what frustrates them, and what would genuinely help. Research that doesn't reflect the lived reality of the people we're trying to help has limited reach,” said Hasnine.

The Truck Driving Championship brings together some of the safest and most experienced drivers in the profession, many of whom have accumulated millions of accident-free miles. That made the event an ideal setting for conversations about what is working on today's roads—and where improvements are still needed.

Turning a competition into a conversation

The Virginia Tech team did not wait for participants to come to them.

Researchers moved throughout the fairgrounds, talking with drivers in staging areas, near the competition course, and between events. Each interaction was designed to be conversational rather than transactional, giving drivers the opportunity to speak openly about their experiences.

Those conversations revealed a wide range of challenges. Drivers discussed managing long hours behind the wheel, adapting to new technologies, navigating construction zones, and balancing federal hours-of-service requirements with demanding schedules. Many also described moments when fatigue gradually set in or when a brief distraction demanded an immediate correction.

Participants at event
Drivers and researchers in discussion near the competition grounds. The Virginia Tech team engaged 137 CMV drivers individually over the two-day event. Photo courtsy of Md Sami Hasnine.

“These drivers are professionals in every sense,” said Das. “They take safety seriously, and they have real ideas about what works and what doesn't. Being at an event where skill and safety are being celebrated meant we could have honest, substantive conversations rather than clinical ones.”

Moving toward solutions that work in the real world

The collaboration with the North Carolina Trucking Association reflects a shared belief that improving safety starts with understanding the people behind the wheel.

Hasnine's research group examines how transportation infrastructure, driver behavior, vehicle technologies, and policy interact to influence safety outcomes. By incorporating direct feedback from drivers, the team hopes to develop solutions that work not only in theory, but also in practice.

“People were genuinely eager to share what they know. They want the roads to be safer, not just for the public, but for themselves. This is the kind of engagement that academic research needs more of” said Badhon.

Moving toward safer roads

Commercial trucks move the goods that keep the nation running, but fatigue and distraction continue to contribute to crashes across the country. Addressing those issues requires more than technology or regulation alone—it requires understanding the realities drivers face every day.

The insights collected during the championship will contribute to ongoing research and future publications from Hasnine's lab. Ultimately, the goal is to develop evidence-based strategies that improve safety while fitting the operational realities of the trucking industry.

Additional outreach and driver engagement events are planned throughout the coming year as the team continues working to reduce crash risk and improve commercial vehicle safety nationwide.