What's New in Vehicles and Equipment

The Institute of Transport Economics at the Norwegian Center for Transport Research has released a report that summarizes the technological maturity level and expected market introduction for battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel cell technology for vans, buses and trucks. This report also outlines the needs of the associated charging and filling infrastructure. The phasing-in of battery-electric ...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 98th Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Registration is required for all Annual Meeting attendees, including session speakers, poster presenters, and those who attend the exhibit hall, career fair, or any workshops. Full Registration also includes full access to: *Annual Meeting Interactive Program (available in Novem...

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a report that outlines the federal policy for automated vehicles. This report identifies six principles that guide DOT programs and policies on automation. It also determines strategies for how the DOT can translate these principles into actions. The document considers automation broadly, addressing all levels of automation (defined by th...

The Transport Research Laboratory has released a report that investigates challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning to a secure and sustainable low carbon vehicle fleet. The goal of the report is to inform UK and European policy and to help shape energy and automotive products and investments.

TRB released a series of recordings in October 2018 that examine the Alternative Fuels Corridor Program established under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The program creates opportunities for states to develop infrastructure for vehicles that use fuels other than "traditional" fuels such as gasoline and diesel. This may reduce vehicle emissions by promoting low-polluting...

The RAND Corporation has released a report that presents a framework to discuss how safety can be measured in a technology- and company-neutral way. This report focuses on highly automated vehicles (AVs) operating in the roadway ecosystem. The race to introduce automated vehicles (AVs) to consumers and communities is driven by the assumption that they will be safer than conventional vehicles.

Austroads has released a report that provides guidance about designing emergency egress signage and operations in road tunnels. Current Australian standards relating to emergency egress signage are not intended for use in tunnels, so there is no specific design standard. The report is available for no fee after logging into the site.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a manual that provides guidance for coding data elements at the crash level, vehicle level, driver level, precrash level and person level. It also highlights the changes to the 2017 manual. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) are used to collect motor vehicle crash data from ac...

Dr. Erol Tutumluer, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is a featured volunteer in the TR News . Dr. Tutumluer specializes in transportation geotechnics, and his research focuses on designing and building a sustainable transportation infrastructure by applying geotechnical engineering and geomechanics...

TRB's second annual Careers in Motion Networking Fair takes place on January 13, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, during the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The event provides an opportunity for prospective employers from a wide range of sectors and modes to meet with transportation professionals interested in working for their organizatio...

The International Council on Clean Transportation has released a report that identifies cost-effective technologies for improving tractor-trailer efficiency. The European Union recently introduced a certification procedure for the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of heavy duty vehicles, of which tractor-trailers make up the largest percentage of CO2 emissions. This report des...

The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis has released a report that explores the effects of automated vehicles (AVs) in the San Francisco Bay Area. This report seeks to identify appropriate methods to help the public and private sectors understand AV technologies and their system-level effects.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that presents the results of a workshop that identifies priority infrastructure-based motorcycle-crash countermeasures. The goal of the workshop was to solicit input from key stakeholders on proposed countermeasures for motorcycle crashes. The workshop also discussed which countermeasures to consider for further research.

The AAA Foundation for Highway Safety has released a report that assesses the current state of knowledge on countermeasures against prescription and over-the-counter drug-impaired driving. Driving under the influence of potentially impairing drugs is a large public health concern, and there is a lack of research on effective countermeasures to address this problem.

The Maryland Department of Transportation has released a report that compares the content, type, length, and standards of dynamic message signs (DMSs) and their effects on driver behavior. This report also identifies the potential effects of various formats and content of DMS displays on driver route choice and compliance behavior.

TRB will conduct a webinar on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET that features research from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)’s Report 148 : LED Airfield Lighting System Operation and Maintenance. Because airports dedicate a significant component of their operating budget to operating and maintaining airfield lighting systems, LED airfield lighting offers th...

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has released a report that investigates the effectiveness of seasonal deer advisory messages as a deer-vehicle collision (DVC) mitigation option. VDOT posts deer advisory messages on changeable message signs along I-64 during peak deer activity in October and November. This strategy is intended to raise driver awareness and reduce DVCs.

The National Transport Commission in Australia has released a report that discusses privacy challenges associated with government collection and use of information generated by cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) and automated technology. Specifically, this report addresses whether Australia’s information access framework is sufficient to address these challenges and proposes solu...

The U.S. Federal Transit Administration has released a report that examines the feasibility of transferring several current automated systems technologies from light-duty vehicles and commercial trucks to 40-foot diesel transit buses. This report identifies technical and safety challenges of implementing those systems in transit buses and determines ways to overcome these barriers.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that explores driver knowledge of vehicles equipped with safety technologies, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Perceived usefulness, annoyance, and trust can all affect whether or n...

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has released a report that analyzes select risk factors associated with the causes of motorcycle crashes and evaluates strategies for crash prevention. These factors were compared to existing motorcycle safety research and publications to determine the need for safety improvements. Motorcyclists have the highest risk of fatal injury among all motor ...

Austroads has released a report that provides guidelines for classifying heavy written-off vehicles (HWOVs). New criteria has been designed to consistently identify HWOVs that should not be repaired on safety grounds and are suitable only for dismantling or scrap. The report is available for no fee after logging onto the site.

TRB E-Circular 236: National Academies–TRB Forum on Preparing for Automated Vehicles and Shared Mobility summarizes the deliberations of a TRB forum launched in early 2018 to facilitate evidence-based research needed to deploy automated vehicle technologies in a manner and timeframe that informs policy to meet long-term goals. The deployments of automated vehicles, shared mobility services, and...

TRB will conduct a webinar on Monday, November 5, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET that features research from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)’s Legal Research Digest 32 : Evolving Law on Airport Implications by Unmanned Aerial Systems and ACRP Project 03-42 Topic A : Managing Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Vicinity of Airports. Airports are using unmanned aerial systems (UAS)...

Austroads has released a report that determines opportunities for future use of automated heavy vehicles in regional and remote areas of Australia and New Zealand, and identifies any boundaries to prevent such use. The goal of this report is to provide road managers and industry with direction for their development of facilities, procedures and regulations around the use of automated heavy vehi...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020. You are invited to join your colleagues listed below who have contributed to the TRB Century Club to support activities that will mark the anniversary; promote the value of transportation research; and celebrate the achievements of TRB’s volunteers, sponsors, affiliates, and staff. Activities to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary include a website, brochu...

The International Council on Clean Transportation has released a report that summarizes the carbon dioxide (CO2) standards for heavy-duty vehicles in Europe. These standards would set fleet average limits for the years 2025 and 2030 for rigid and tractor trucks of a specific weight class. The European Union (EU) joins the United States, Canada, and California have all adopted CO2 standards for ...

The International Council on Clean Transportation has released a report that summarizes the new greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles in Canada. The regulatory design contains specific standards for tractor trucks, vocational vehicles, heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, and commercial trailers.

TRB's Rail Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Program has released its final report for Project 31: Modeling and Validation of Standards for a Sleeping Compartment on Accessible Passenger Rail Vehicles. This report explored designs for accessible sleeping compartments on single level and bi-level intercity trains that accommodate up to four passengers traveling together in...

TRB is cosponsoring the Forum on the Impact of Vehicle Technologies and Automation on Users on November 7-8, 2018, in Iowa City, Iowa. This forum is designed to bring together representatives and experts to discuss and identify research gaps related to the impact of vehicle technologies and automation. The forum will also examine the impact of vehicle technologies on vulnerable road users as we...