§ 31108 — Motor Carrier Research And Technology Program

(1) The Secretary of Transportation shall establish and carry out a motor carrier and motor coach research and technology program. (2) The program must include a multi-year research plan that focuses on nonredundant innovative research and shall be coordinated with other research programs or projects ongoing or planned within the Department of Transportation, as appropriate. (3) The Secretary may carry out under the program research, development, technology, and technology transfer activities with respect to— (A) the causes of accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles; (B) means of reducing the number and severity of accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles; (C) improving the safety and efficiency of commercial motor vehicles through technological innovation and improvement; (D) improving technology used by enforcement officers when conducting roadside inspections and compliance reviews to increase efficiency and information transfers; and (E) increasing the safety and security of hazardous materials transportation. (4) The Secretary may test, develop, or assist in testing and developing any material, invention, patented article, or process related to the research and technology program. (5) The Secretary may use the funds made available to carry out this section for training or education of commercial motor vehicle safety personnel, including training in accident reconstruction and detection of controlled substances or other contraband and stolen cargo or vehicles. (6) The Secretary may carry out this section— (A) independently; (B) in cooperation with other Federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities and Federal laboratories; or (C) by making grants to, or entering into contracts and cooperative agreements with, any Federal laboratory, State agency, authority, association, institution, for-profit or nonprofit corporation, organization, foreign country, or person. (7) The Secretary shall use funds made available to carry out this section to develop, administer, communicate, and promote the use of products of research, technology, and technology transfer programs under this section. (1) To advance innovative solutions to problems involving commercial motor vehicle and motor carrier safety, security, and efficiency, and to stimulate the deployment of emerging technology, the Secretary may carry out, on a cost-shared basis, collaborative research and development with— (A) non-Federal entities, including State and local governments, foreign governments, colleges and universities, corporations, institutions, partnerships, and sole proprietorships that are incorporated or established under the laws of any State; and (B) Federal laboratories. (2) In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may enter into cooperative research and development agreements (as defined in section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a)). (A) The Federal share of the cost of activities carried out under a cooperative research and development agreement entered into under this subsection shall not exceed 50 percent; except that, if there is substantial public interest or benefit associated with any such activity, the Secretary may approve a greater Federal share. (B) All costs directly incurred by the non-Federal partners, including personnel, travel, and hardware or software development costs, shall be credited toward the non-Federal share of the cost of the activities described in subparagraph (A). (4) The research, development, or use of a technology under a cooperative research and development agreement entered into under this subsection, including the terms under which the technology may be licensed and the resulting royalties may be distributed, shall be subject to the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.).