What's New in Law

TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board has released more than 200 papers from the 2018 TRB Annual Meeting. Enhancements to the journal include:  Articles published much closer to final acceptance A new user interface for the journal Article-level metrics  Full-text HTML to enhance discovery of the research Interactive proof markup for author...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has released a request for proposals to evaluate the scope of permissible uses of airport revenue and property. Proposals are due July 9, 2018.

The TRB community extends condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Anthony "Tony" Kane, who passed away on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Dr. Kane served as an ex officio member of the TRB Executive Committee and was an active volunteer with TRB since 1977. “Tony Kane is someone whose professionalism, friendship, and passion, especially for safety, we all admired and benefited from." states Neil Pe...

Carlos M. Braceras, P.E., has been newly appointed to serve on the TRB Executive Committee. Braceras began his tenure as executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) in May 2013. In this capacity, he is responsible for UDOT's more than 1,600 employees and the design, construction, and maintenance of Utah's 6,000-mile system of roads and highways. Braceras joined UDOT in 19...

TRB’s Transportation Research Record journal is implementing a new paper peer review system, Editorial Manager, to provide enhanced flexibility, security, and system performance. TRB’s Technical Activities Division has elected to integrate its peer-review paper process with Editorial Manager, a commercial peer review software product developed and supported by Aries Systems. Editorial Manager w...

TRB standing committees have issued calls for papers for the 98th TRB Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C, and/or the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRR) . Please create or update your MyTRB profile now if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, submit a paper for presentation, and/or submit a paper for publication. Calls for pap...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has released a request for proposal to build on ACRP Legal Research Digest 3 and synthesize available guidance, including regulations, statutes, policies, and case decisions (administrative or court) pertaining to commercial ground transportation. Proposals are due June 26, 2018.

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has released a pre-publication, non-edited version of Legal Research Digest 53: Legal Considerations in Relationships Between Transit Agencies and Ridesourcing Service Providers. The report explores the efforts made by public transit agencies to provide on-demand services to the public. It also provides transit agencies with legal guidance for c...

Brian W. Ness, Director of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), has been newly appointed to serve on the TRB Executive Committee. Since 2010, Ness has served as the ITD Director. Ness is an active member of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), chairing the AASHTO Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management (SCOTSEM) unt...

The TRB community extends condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Joseph Sussman, a tireless TRB volunteer who served as Chair of the TRB Executive Committee in 1994. Dr. Sussman passed away on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at the age of 79 following a long illness. “Perhaps Joe Sussman’s greatest legacy will be the many transportation leaders who he taught and mentored during his long career,”...

TRB is sponsoring the 57th Annual Workshop on Transportation Law on July 15-18, 2018 in Cambridge, MA. The workshop attracts 150 to 200 lawyers, engineers, and transportation planners. The workshop provides a forum for federal, state, and local highway and transit organizations to exchange problems and propose solutions. Workshop participants present unusual cases and identify potential legal p...

TRB has released new Snap Searches exploring rural transportation research and workforce issues. A Snap Search provides a summary of TRB research reports that are underway and published, upcoming events, and ongoing committees that cover these specific topics. Produced by TRB’s Library , Snap Searches are designed for the busy researcher or professional who would like to quickly get up to speed...

Visit the TRB Annual Meeting Online (AMOnline) portal to view the presentations, abstracts, and papers for the more than 5,000 program presentations at the 97th TRB Annual Meeting, January 7-11, 2018. A PDF of the Annual Meeting Final Program is also available through AMOnline. The AMOnline portal includes abstracts, papers, visual aid slides, and poster presentations from the 2014-2018 Annual ...

To keep pace with accelerating rate of research distribution, the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board is now publishing articles as soon as they are finalized. The latest papers to be published are as follows: Use of a Laser Diffractometer to Obtain the Particle Size Distribution of Fine-Grained Soils Interstate Speed Profiles Conditioning and Testing Pr...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 52: Legal Implications of Video Surveillance on Transit Systems explores the use of video surveilance systems on buses, trains, and stations. The widespread use of such video surveillance systems has generated numerous legal issues, such as a system’s ability to utilize video to discipline union and non-union employees, saf...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has released a request for proposals to produce a report on the emerging legal issues surrounding the use of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) for transit and legal implications related to the transit workforce. Proposals are due April 11, 2018.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of its Successes in Stewardship bi-monthly newsletter, which highlights current environmental streamlining practices from around the United States. This edition features information about how FHWA legal staff may be able to assist in project delivery.

The American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transportation TV has released a video covering the 2018 TRB Annual Meeting. Among the 13,000 attendees, CEO’s from nearly three dozen state departments of transportation attended the meeting to exchange ideas and serve as panelists on one or more of the nearly 800 sessions. Investing in transportation infrastructu...

On January 7, 2018, TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) International Board Chair Diane Woodend Jones. Founded in 1977, WTS is an international organization dedicated to building the future of transportation through the global advancement of women. TRB and WTS share mutual organizational objectives, and this M...

On January 10, 2018, TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Council of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) President and Chief Executive Officer A. Bradley Mims. Founded in 1971, COMTO provides a forum for minority professionals in the transportation industry. COMTO's mission is to ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the tran...

Visit the  TRB Annual Meeting Online (AMOnline) portal to view the abstracts and papers for the more than 5,000 program presentations at the 97th TRB Annual Meeting, January 7-11, 2018. A PDF of the Annual Meeting Final Program is available through AMOnline, as well. AMOnline visual aids and poster presentations will be made available in early March. In addition, the AMOnline portal also i...

The American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transportation TV has released a featured video examining the TRB 97th Annual Meeting, taking place this week, January 7-11, 2018 in Washington, D.C. In this segment, TRB Executive Director, Neil Pedersen, reveals three featured topics for this year’s sessions. The meeting covers all transportation issues, with 5,0...

TRB’s Library, part of Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), has released 26 topical overviews under a new series called “Snap Search.” A Snap Search provides a summary of TRB research reports that are underway and published, upcoming events, and ongoing committees that cover these specific topics. Produced by TRB’s Library , Snap Searches are designed for the busy researcher or ...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Results Digest 27: Legal Aspects of Airport Programs - An Update is a digest of the background and status of ACRP Project 11-01, Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. During the first 11 years of ACRP Project 11-01, there have been almost 50 topics selected for legal research in broad areas of interest to the airport legal community. Thirt...

TRB has released a new video that highlights the impact of attending the TRB Annual Meeting as employees of  state departments of transportation. The video features narratives from the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), Illinois Department of Transportation, and New Jersey Department of Transportation. These employees, who work in various departments, find common value in ...

The full edition of the July–August 2017  TR News  magazine is now available.  Moving research into practice is the theme of feature articles in this edition. Authors describe today’s successes, present a systematic approach that has proved effective at a state department of transportation, describe federal programs encouraging innovations at the state level, discuss initiatives ...

TRB is pleased to announce that it has begun to publish the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of the Transportation Research Board with SAGE Publishing. The TRR presents the latest research findings in policy, planning, administration, economics and financing, operations, construction, design, maintenance, safety, and more, for all modes of transportation. It publishes nearly 70 iss...

On November 29, 2017, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business held a hearing that examined how federal regulations affect the small trucking industry. Witnesses from small trucking companies provided examples of what it is like to navigate the regulatory landscape. Witness statements and a webcast of the hearing are available online.

TRB recorded a series of videos in October 2017 that features research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)'s Legal Research Digest 72: Summary of Federal Law Restricting the Use of Highway Safety Data. The research examines 23 U.S.C. § 409, Discovery and Admission as Evidence of Certain Reports and Surveys, which prohibits the use, in tort litigation, of highway safet...

On November 15, 2017, TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kiran K. Kapila, Chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF), and Susanna Zammataro, Executive Director of the IRF. The International Road Federation (IRF), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization with the mission to promote the devel...