DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

FHWA Waiver Study Program
The recently enacted Americans With Disabilities Act has caused many companies to rethink their ideas regarding disabilities and to provide employees with disabilities with workspaces adapted to their needs. In a similar vein, the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), has decided to reevaluate its standards for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), with certain disabilities. Conwal has been contracted to participate in a unique study on the safety risk associated with certain specific medical conditions. The specific disabilities that will be studied are: vision, diabetes, epilepsy, and hearing loss.

For the purposes of the study, FHWA granted a three-year waiver of the CMV driving requirements for interstate commerce to drivers had been operating a CMV intrastate for a three-year consecutive period at some point in the last five years. The drivers were required to have had a good safety record and be able to verify both their employment and their physical condition. After receiving the waiver, drivers filed a monthly report of miles driven and report any accidents involving their CMV. The "waiver group" was compared with a "control group" of volunteer drivers, and the data was analyzed and a report prepared analyzing the safety risk. The FHWA will now make a decision as to whether the current interstate commerce regulations should be changed.

Using dBase IV, Conwal maintained a database on an IBM-compatible microcomputer of all applicants. This database was used for the tracking of all applications through the review process, and its information could also be used for the generation of communications (waivers, rejections, and letters) and the production of statistical reports. This automated system kept data entry at a minimum and prevented duplication of effort. Conwal frequently downloaded copies of the database to the FHWA to keep the office abreast of the status of all applications.

NHTSA Meeting Support
Conwal was involved in the preparation of materials, awards, travel, and hotel arrangements for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 1994 Administrator's Highway Safety Program of Excellence Awards presentation. Conwal arranged air travel and hotel accommodations, and procured award mementos for the 13 awardees. Conwal staff also designed and produced the awards brochure, name badges for attendees, and a large logo banner. In addition, Conwal personnel researched and wrote two-page descriptive summaries of each of the thirteen winning projects, and compiled them into a booklet with Conwal-produced artwork. Appropriate photographs, posters, and brochures for each project were also prepared and placed in the publication. Conwal provided logistical support, including preparation of materials, awards, travel and hotel arrangements for the 1995 NHTSA Administrator's Highway Safety Program of Excellence Awards Activities for 12 awardees. In 1996, Conwal produced the publication for the 10 awardees.

NHTSA Traffic Safety Programs Resource Center
Under this contract Conwal is responsible for providing full-time support to the NHTSA Traffic Safety Programs Resource Center. The Resource Center has the primary responsibility of responding to individual requests for consumer and technical information and for bulk dissemination and distribution of brochures, posters, manuals, reports, public service announcements and educational films used in traffic safety programs. Conwal maintains mailing lists for mass mailings, and maintains a computerized mailing list for quarterly dissemination of various NHTSA publications.

Conwal maintains a 6,334 square foot warehouse in Landover, Maryland. This building houses NHTSA's Traffic Safety Programs Resource Center. A large inventory of traffic safety-related materials is stored here, including brochures, posters, flyers, manuals, reports, public service announcements, and educational video tapes. The Resource Center provides technology transfer assistance to five NHTSA program offices: the Office of Occupant Protection (OOP), the Office of Alcohol and State Programs (OASP), the Office of Enforcement and Emergency Services (OEES), the Office of State and Community Services (OSCS), and the Office of Program Development and Evaluation (OPDE).

Activities in support of these five partner offices consist of the maintenance and operation of the Materials Control System (MCS), a computerized system for processing orders and tracking inventory, materials dissemination in response to routine requests for information, and technical support for workshops, conferences and conventions.

The Resource Center maintains an inventory of more than 1 million items comprising 1,000 titles. Conwal receives an average of 2,200 requests for materials per month, resulting in the monthly dissemination by mail of approximately 167,300 items. A 24-hour voice mail system is available to handle inquiries received after normal business hours.

Current order processing procedures consist of these steps: 1) Orders are received by fax, telephone, or direct input by NHTSA personnel into the materials control database through a Local Area Network (LAN); 2) Packing slips and mailing labels are generated through the inventory control database; 3) Packages of materials are assembled in a large central work area; and 4) Packages are then delivered to the Post Office for mailing, or pickup is arranged if another carrier is required.

Conwal created the Materials Control System (MCS) for its NHTSA contract to process orders and track inventory. Through the MCS, Resource Center staff respond to routine and quick turn-around requests, and process periodic special distributions of new materials to target audiences or organizations. The MCS is a multi-user database system, connected through a LAN. The primary database resides on a server at the Resource Center. Users can dial into the system to place orders, check inventory, and query the database regarding specific topics. The MCS also allows automatic processing of backorders. The MCS allows tailored reports to be generated through a series of sorting and retrieval features for all fields in the database. A query subsystem also provides full keyword indexing for any field selected. Specific reports can therefore be created based on user needs.

In addition to filling orders, the Resource Center provides support for the NHTSA Traffic Safety Programs partner offices at 25 to 30 conventions, conferences, and workshops annually. This support includes shipping large quantities of materials to various locations nationwide, as well as setup and removal of exhibit materials at local meetings. Each of the conference exhibits is assembled and kept in working order at the warehouse facility for shipment to multiple conferences each year.