The Congress has charged the Department of Transportation with the task of achieving a reduction in traffic accidents and their resulting deaths and injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the Departmental agency which formulates and administers safety programs designed to meet these goals. To evaluate existing and proposed highway safety and motor vehicle safety standards, identify problem areas, establish better safety systems and generate improved standards and remedial measures, a strong analytical foundation is required. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) was established to develop a comprehensive, reliable and timely data collection program and provide the necessary foundation to support NHTSA's highway safety activities. The Center is responsible for all activities related to accident statistics from experimental design through data collection, storage, analysis and dissemination.

Trucking in the Age of Information provides a comprehensive overview of the contemporary trucking industry. Prior research on trucking has focused on the effects of deregulation on the industry, but the industry's current transformation is driven by information technology, emerging business strategies, globalization of commodity production and the rise of package express and logistics. The volume brings together acknowledged and emerging scholars of the industry including Thomas Corsi (University of Maryland), Chelsea White III (Georgia Tech), Starr McMullen (Oregon State University), Will Mitchell (Duke University), Jeff Liker (University of Michigan), Francine LaFontaine (University of Michigan), Kristen Monaco (California State University at Long Beach) and Michael Conyngham (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) to address issues including technological change, third party logistics, lean trucking, driver safety and health, homeland security and the consolidation of trucking services. Each chapter provides an overview of industry issues and a discussion of current research.