TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest 379: Selected State DOT Cost Reduction Initiatives for the Administration of State Public Transportation Programs explores the potential impact of employee layoffs, furloughs, and hiring and travel freezes on the administration of public transportation programs.

The report also examines costs incurred by state departments of transportation (DOTs) that use contractors; addresses the effects, outcomes, and values of using full-time state employees versus contractors; and offers suggestions to mitigate potential negative impacts of employee and contractor cost containment initiatives.