Safety Study of Double-Decker Motorcoaches with Rear Luggage Compartment

Details

• Creators:
  Thornton, Ben ; Pape, Doug ; Habtemichael, Filmon ; Shawcross, Paul ; Keaton, Kevin
• Corporate Creators:
  Battelle Memorial Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Double deck buses
  • Vehicle safety
  • Emergency exits
  • Safety equipment
  • Highway safety
  • Double-Decker Motorcoaches
  • motorcoach
  • bus
  • safety
  • fire risk
  More +
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1503002
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology
• Abstract:
  Section 5510 of Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, 2015 (FAST Act) required the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on the effects of attaching a luggage compartment to the rear of a double-decker motorcoach, with respect to safety of vehicle operations, fire suppression capability, tire loads, and pavement impacts. This report presents the results of that study. The study was conducted through a combination of analysis and tests with a double-decker motorcoach. The three conditions were a reference loading condition, a regulatory loading condition, and a maximum loading condition. ; The reference or baseline condition had the load for passengers and luggage but no rear luggage compartment. The regulatory condition had a payload identical to the reference condition, but a rear luggage compartment was attached. In the maximum loading condition the motorcoach, with a rear luggage compartment attached, was loaded to its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). ; The rear luggage compartment did not affect safe maneuverability over the range of conditions tested. There is an unquantified concern that the compartment could contain heat in a severe engine compartment fire and lead to breaching the rear window. The tires and rims have adequate capacity for their loads. States must enact limits on ; tire and axle loads that are consistent with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations. The loads under all conditions may exceed some State limits with respect to the FHWA bridge formula.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/34627/dot_34627_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.29 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:930e5e726e68a691b13005683e32bbdd04e1a49a13387cad794fca51b38e0103