What's New in Vehicles and Equipment

Act now to secure your exhibit space at the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. All indications are that attendance at the meeting will be the largest ever. Don't miss this opportunity to demonstrate your organization's support for transportation research and innovation, and to showcase your products and services to more than 13,000 transportation professionals. So...

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. Details on the Century Club and a link to contribute is available at https://...

Be a part of TRB history! All 2020 Annual Meeting attendees are invited to participate in a group photo to celebrate TRB’s centennial. Come to Ballroom C in the convention center on Sunday, at 1:00 p.m., and the photo will be taken promptly at 1:15 p.m. Space in the ballroom is limited to about 2,000 and attendees will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Register and make hotel res...

TRB officially turns 100 on November 11, 2020. To help celebrate the centennial TRB is asking you to “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story.” The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story" centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories, which are our stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” cente...

TRB's Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a guide to identify and prioritize the types of behavioral interventions needed to improve child passenger safety in the ride-share environment, including taxis. Proposals are due January 7, 2020.

TRB's National Highway Cooperative Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a transportation agency data collection methodology and associated guidelines to support ISPEs of roadside safety hardware. Proposals are due January 9, 2020.

Before the mid-1970s, publicly-supported transportation services open to the general public were rarely available in rural communities. In TRB's Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee's Centennial Paper, learn how over the last five decades, TRB’s Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee and its members have helped document, research, and share through regular co...

The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” Centennial activity consists of a series of monthly questions that will help capture your stories. According to Vesa Mannisto, Senior Advisor, Finnish Tr...

On November 20, 2019, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation held a hearing to examine the safe testing and deployment of highly automated vehicles. Witness statements and a webcast of the hearing are available online.

The impact of life-cycle emissions on greenhouse gases (GHG) is evaluated in Life Cycle-Based Policies Are Required to Achieve Emissions Goals from Light-Duty Vehicles , a report from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California at Davis. GHG emissions come from vehicle production as well as vehicle operations, and this report identifies potential gaps in p...

A manual that provides guidance for coding data elements is described in the 2018 FARS/CRSS Coding and Validation Manual , a report from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The manual explores data at the crash level, vehicle level, driver level, precrash level, and person level. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) are used ...

Developments in federal highway policies, programs, and research and technology are examined in the latest edition of Public Roads, a magazine from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. This edition features information about: Alternative cementitious materials Cooperative driving automation Value capture Speeding up bridge deck evaluations

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has released a request for proposals to develop guidelines for airfield design challenges, issues, and considerations for the unique operational needs of large UASs. Proposals are due January 14, 2020.

The rate at which backseat passengers utilized seatbelts is identified in Rear Seat Belt Use: Little Change in Four Years, Much More to Do , a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association. This report also offers suggestions for states to increase the usage of seat belts for back seat passengers.

Looking for some suggestions for navigating the nearly 800 sessions at the TRB Annual Meeting? Here is our “curated” sampling of available sessions . They are not meant to imply that the sessions listed are more worthwhile than others, but we hope these curated programs help you build your personal schedule - whether you're interested in autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, equity, governance,...

After winning the U.S. award, a TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program project is taking home the 2019 International Research Award for NCHRP Research Report 905: Measuring the Effectiveness of Public Involvement in Transportation Planning and Project Development  in the 2019 International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Core Values Awards. The awards were announced ...

Although joining TRB only in 1999, today’s Marine Board has its roots in the late 1940s, and it builds on a legacy of maritime research that dates back to 1863 and the founding of the National Academy of Sciences. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly release stories that highlight the events and people that helped shape TRB d...

A trial of an automated vehicle is explored in Smart Mobility Living Lab Shared Research Programme - Abridged Safety Case for Public Road Trials in London , a report from TRL. This report focuses on how the vehicle is being deployed safety, and collects research data about said vehicle.

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, 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. Discounted registration fees end November 30, 2019. As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, all full r...

TRB's Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a behavioral traffic safety countermeasure toolkit for highway safety partners involved with rural road safety, including tribal authorities, local government, law enforcement, emergency responders, and engineers to reduce the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes on roa...

It doesn’t take a long drive to realize how badly the interstate highway system has aged. Norman Augustine spearheaded a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study on how the federal government can deal with old and, in some cases, obsolete roads. The former Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO joined the Federal Drive radio show with host Tom Temin for highlights of the findings.

How does our profession engage the affected community in the decision-making process for their transportation system in a comprehensive, equitable, and accessible manner and provide meaningful input that informs transportation decision-making? Read about past, present, and future efforts by the Technical Committee on Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making to address this question ...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop guidelines for implementation of, and propose modification to, the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) for sign supports, breakaway poles, and work zone traffic control devices, including examples to demonstrate the application of the proposed guidelines. Proposals are due De...

For some 70 years, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) has presented tools for quickly evaluating and comparing the operational effects of alternative design scenarios, allowing analysists to screen a variety of approaches, and select a reasonable number before considering more costly measures. Learn about the history of the HCM--TRB's "Best Seller." As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has...

Trends in fatal crashes are identified in 2018 Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview , a research note from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This summary outlines patterns in fatalities by type of motor vehicle as well as human behaviors involved.

Randall Iwasaki, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, spoke at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center as part of its “Our New Mobility Future” speaker series . Iwasaki discussed his organization’s experiments with autonomous vehicles to serve its aging population and wheelchair users.

A model that helps to better understand how consumers in France choose vehicles is presented in Understanding Consumer Vehicle Choice: A New Car Fleet Model for France , a report from the International Transport Forum. The model distinguishes between conventional, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric, and fuel cell cars. It looks at both the private as well as company car fleets and considers non-m...

Arizona State University is researching behaviors that affect mobility choices. For example, how do people choose to get around; how many and what types of vehicles do they own; when do they travel and to where? The latest edition of the newsletter from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation describes these behaviors. This news...

The costs, benefits, and associated government funding with the transition to zero-emission vehicles are analyzed in Funding the Transition to All Zero-Emission Vehicles , a report from the International Council on Clean Transportation. This report seeks to answer key questions for governments: What types of support are needed for incentives, infrastructure, and other programs; how long will th...

As the Transportation Research Board (TRB) reaches its centennial and the Standing Committee on the Conduct of Research (COR) reaches its 51st year in the third decade of the 21st century, the committee is are provided with an opportunity to reflect on the history, the current state, and the future of transportation research and the role of COR. Learn more about the history and accomplishments ...