Commercial motor vehicle accident investigation training courses are designed for individuals employed in law enforcement, public safety and insurance adjustment fields. Some venues, such as Oakland Community College and Police Academy, offer the course as a stand-alone program, while other venues, such as the University of Cincinnati, offer the course in conjunction with a traffic safety management program.
Students learn about topics such as the impact that weight shift and drag factors have on commercial vehicle collisions. Other topics include heavy vehicle components, truck braking systems, heavy vehicle tires, tachographs, computer analysis and rollover. Some programs use case studies to demonstrate the skills and techniques necessary to investigate and reconstruct accidents.
Motor vehicle accident and reconstruction programs use a significant amount of physics and mathematics to determine the events that lead to an accident. While not a prerequisite in most courses, it is recommended that prospective students have a functional understanding of algebra, basic physics and trigonometry.