3.0 Qualitative Benefits of CVISN

Both of the CVISN business cases describe the benefits of the CVISN program. Table 2 summarizes the main benefits listed by State transportation officials and motor carrier association representatives in the 2006 report (indicated by the ♦ symbol) and the benefits named by motor carrier company representatives in the 2007 report ( X ). The table is organized according to whether the benefit accrues primarily to the industry, the State, or both; and also by the three CVISN functional areas. As with the previous table of concerns, this table shows that several of the benefits were recognized by both groups of respondents.

Table 2. CVISN Benefits Comparison
Benefit	Benefit Applies To Carrier	Benefit Applies To State	Benefit Derived From SIE	Benefit Derived From ES	Benefit Derived From EC
Increased ease of permit application process	♦ X	♦			♦ X
Instant access to online data at inspection sites	♦	♦	♦	♦
More complete level of enforcement, focused on noncompliant drivers	♦	♦	♦	♦
Improved level of customer service	♦	♦			♦
Document processing cheaper, faster, and more efficient	♦ X	♦			♦ X
Improved motor carrier/state relations	X	♦	♦	♦ X	♦
Reduced number of inspections of low-risk vehicles	♦	♦	♦	♦
Reduced delays for inspected vehicles	♦			♦ X
Improved motor carrier safety keeps costs down	♦		♦	♦	♦
Improvement in data quality and accuracy		♦	♦	♦ X	♦ X
Reduced costs (recovery of investment)	X			X	X
Get trucks into service more quickly	X				X
Increase in driver morale and on-time delivery	X			X
Improved carrier access to electronic records	X			X	♦ X
Availability of good, timely technical support	X				X

Key:
SIE = safety information exchange
ES = electronic screening
EC = electronic credentialing
♦ = from FHWA (2006)
X = from FHWA (2007)

The following major qualitative benefits and long-term trends were identified for electronic screening, electronic credentialing, and safety information exchange.

3.1 Qualitative Benefits Derived from Electronic Credentialing

Motor Carrier Industry

CVISN allows motor carriers to place new trucks on the road faster to begin earning revenue because credentials can be issued far faster. This may save days in the process when comparing traditional mail service with computer processing.
Motor carrier access to the credentialing system(s) from their own offices may save trips to agency offices entirely and in other cases reduces the wait time at the agency since paperwork has already been completed.
Last-minute credentialing can be conducted through the use of temporary permits while official documents are sent in the mail.
CVISN reduces the administrative burden in regulatory compliance, due to electronic credential applications and tax filings. All compliance needs can be handled through a dedicated software interface or terminal.
Companies save labor on applications. One carrier reported saving about one hour of administrative labor per power unit per year (FMCSA 2004).
The ease with which permits can be obtained decreases the chance of a carrier having to send trucks out without the appropriate permit.
Companies reduce their costs and bureaucracy as credentialing conforms to a standard, system-wide architecture.
Electronic credentialing helps to bring uniformity of credentialing services across North America.

State Government

Electronic credentialing provides States with financial rewards through greater speed and accuracy of information exchange, and labor savings.
State employees can approach their electronic credentialing work in a more structured manner, compared to serving the majority of customers face-to-face.
Administrators and enforcement personnel have more timely access to required information.
States can make improved analyses of the long-term impact of changes to policies and practices, using measured data from CVISN systems.
Businesses in remote locations have more reliable access to current information from the State
Through automation, CVISN brings to light problems in data quality, enabling State officials to make needed changes.

3.2 Qualitative Benefits Derived from Electronic Screening Applications

Motor Carrier Industry

Through mainline electronic screening, safe and legal carriers are able to incur less delay and provide more efficient movement of freight, saving time and money,
Carriers improve safety related to reduction in backups onto the mainline.
Vehicles avoid wear and tear on mechanical systems (clutches, brakes, and drive trains) caused by stopping and starting at weigh stations.
Drivers can operate more safely without having to slow down, speed up, and merge as often in traffic, which should lead to fewer truck-involved crashes.
Improved motor carrier safety helps keep costs down (especially insurance).
Bypass time savings results in fuel savings.
Electronic screening programs eliminate or reduce the time that enrolled vehicles spend at weigh stations and ports of entry, thereby increasing productivity by allowing drivers to spend more of their time driving.
Increased efficiencies will enable carriers to guarantee more on-time deliveries and facilitate the more efficient flow of goods, thereby reducing costs further.
Electronic screening helps to level the playing field for all trucking operations through close monitoring of the drivers. CVISN technology will motivate all drivers and carriers to comply with laws and regulations.
CVISN technology can help drivers with good safety and performance records to have opportunities to find employment and can help companies to promote the safety records of their drivers.

State Government

States can better enforce registration, licensing, weight, size, and tax regulations through electronic screening.
Safe and legal motor carriers receive economic and efficiency benefits from electronic screening, which helps the States by encouraging more carriers to operate in compliance with safety regulations.

3.3 Qualitative Benefits of Safety Information Exchange

Motor Carrier Industry

Carriers benefit from safer roads when law enforcement officials are able to target the highest-risk carriers from among the traffic stream.
Improved safety enforcement based on accurate past inspection history and other relevant factors should—in the long term—encourage fleet managers and drivers to comply with safety regulations.
The reduced numbers of high-risk vehicles on the road should level the playing field for all carriers, increasing the fairness of competition.
Once real-time inspection reports are available online, multiple inspections of the same vehicle at nearly the same time should be reduced.

State Government

Electronic processing, file downloads, and remote wireless access to historic databases have enabled inspectors in some States to reduce by half the time required to inspect a truck and prepare an official report.
While the total amount of time spent by the State in conducting inspections may remain the same, the portion of their time that safe and compliant trucks spend in inspections should eventually decline.

3.4 Qualitative, Long-Term, General Benefits

Motor Carrier Industry

In States that use CVISN technologies, carriers that offer discount services at the expense of safety or observance of the law are more likely to be caught, reducing the perceived cost of compliance for the more safety-conscious carriers.
The successful implementation of CVISN has repeatedly been linked to active involvement and support from motor carrier organizations. As such, the development of a CVISN program in a State represents the chance for motor carriers to influence policies and procedures.
The increased visibility and familiarization of roadside enforcement procedures and systems has greatly reduced animosity and apprehension between commercial vehicle drivers and members of the enforcement community. The two groups understand that they must work together in order to make a safer, more efficient system.
Motor carriers are able to operate with increased levels of efficiency and effectiveness, and with fewer delays and a more predictable schedule, all of which benefits shippers as well as carriers, thereby helping generate new and repeat business.

State Government

States have used CVISN deployment as a means of fostering interagency cooperation and lifting institutional barriers, improving relationships among various State departments.
CVISN has applications to the increasingly important security field, through the sharing of CVO information across agencies and jurisdictions.

In general, the qualitative benefits reported by respondents coincided closely with the quantitative, economic benefits identified, as described in the following section.

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