Government Documents (VTTI)

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Case study evaluation of the Virginia Department of Transportation's I-81 ITS program
Baker, Stephanie Ann (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2002-03-15)
The primary goal of this report is to provide information to the Sponsors, Policy Committee, and Management of the I-81 ITS Program that may improve the Program. In order to do this, the report focuses on the development of the Program and the lessons learned. Through lessons learned, recommendations are made about how the Program can be improved. The evaluation covers the period from November 1999 through September 2001. The period of performance for the conduct and writing of the evaluation was September 2001 through March 2002. There are three sections to this report. The first is a background description of the I-81 ITS Program, including a discussion of other ITS projects that may have influenced the Program. The second is an analysis of steps taken to develop the Program, and the third is a list of barriers the Program is facing and recommendations for how to overcome these challenges and improve the Program.
Draft Final Report: Development of Hazardous Materials (HM) Shipper Prioritization Program
Schaudt, William A.; Bowman, Darrell Scott; Marinik, Andrew; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Trimble, Tammy E.; Hanowski, Richard J. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2009-02-28)
In the mid-1990s, an attempt was made to develop a performance-based prioritization for Hazardous Materials (HM) shippers. During this attempt it became apparent that there was insufficient performance data to develop such a system. In response, FMCSA developed the HM Package Inspection Program (HMPIP) to focus on inspecting individual shipments of HM at the roadside or on carriers’ docks. Due to the improvements made over the years to the package inspection data collected during HMPIP inspections, HM incident data, and improved departmental data identifying companies involved in shipping HM, FMCSA has begun a second effort to develop a performance-based prioritization of HM shippers. The purpose of the current project was for the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) to review, document, and recommend improvements to FMCSA’s HM Shipper Prioritization Program. This project consisted of six major tasks, all of which were successfully executed by VTTI. After the kick-off meeting and the successful completion of a detailed work plan, a peer review committee was formed. Members of the peer review committee were to participate in two peer review meetings during the course of the project. The purpose of the first peer review meeting was to have the study methodology and data collection techniques reviewed by the committee. The purpose of the second peer review meeting was to review the study findings and conclusions. Another major step in this project was to review and examine the current Hazardous Materials (HM) Shipper Prioritization Program, which included two distinct prioritization algorithms, and to develop software titled the HM Shipper Prioritization Application (HMSPA). HMSPA was then beta tested in states with existing shipper programs. The focus of these onsite tests was usability testing with potential end users. Both subjective and objective data were collected by way of questionnaires and performance tasks. All results were very positive indicating that the beta version, with minor modifications based on user recommendations, should move forward into a fully functioning application for FMCSA.
Enhanced Rear Signaling (ERS) for Heavy Trucks: Phase III – Development of Field Operational Test
Schaudt, William A.; Bowman, Darrell Scott; Trimble, Tammy E.; Medina, Alejandra; Bocanegra, Joseph L.; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Marinik, Andrew; Wierwille, Walter W.; Hanowski, Richard J. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2010-09)
The Enhanced Rear Signaling (ERS) for Heavy Trucks project was directed at investigating methods to reduce or mitigate those crashes where a heavy truck has been struck in the rear by another vehicle. Prior to the current effort, two phases of work had been completed on this project. The purpose of the current effort, Phase III, focused on exploring the benefits of the countermeasures developed in previous phases, and to develop a plan for a large scale Field Operational Test (FOT). During crash database analyses in the current project it was found that, in 2006, there were approximately 23,500 rear-end crashes involving heavy trucks which resulted in 135 fatalities and 1603 incapacitating injuries. Many different types of ERSs were investigated in this study across both the auditory and visual modalities. Visual warning signals were found to be the most beneficial at signaling following-vehicle drivers (more specifically rear warning-light configurations). The research team recommended that one specific configuration be selected for real-world data collection based on its high performance and the potential success of future design implementation. Overall, the final radar-based cautionary ERS system was robust in real-world driving conditions and is recommended for an FOT.
Establishing a Methodology to Evaluate Teen Driver-training Programs
Trimble, Tammy E.; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Schaudt, William A.; Schrader, Taryn (Wisconsin. Department of Transportation. Library and Research Unit, 2013-11)
The goal of this research project was to develop a methodology to assist the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) in the evaluation of effectiveness of teen driver education programs over the short and long terms. The research effort was divided into two phases. Phase I focused on the development of an evaluative methodology that was based upon a review of the relevant literature and Wisconsin-specific policies and available data sources. This review culminated in a program assessment tool focused on four contributing areas of teen driver training and education: 1) Guardian Involvement, 2) Driver Education and Training Curricula Requirement, 3) GDL Coordination, and 4) Instructor Qualifications. The proposed methodology was presented to the Project Oversight Committee and was validated through two rounds of pilot testing using materials provided by programs and schools under the oversight of both WisDOT and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The resulting methodology informed the Phase II implementation plan recommendations. Work products included within this report are an annotated bibliography, a knowledge base documenting best practices and Wisconsin-specific data source, a methodology that may be used to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of driver-training programs as they relate to the demonstrated safety and behavior of teen drivers in Wisconsin, and a three-phase implementation plan.
Guidelines for the Operation, Assembly, Repair, Testing and Inspection of Hazardous Material Cargo Tanks
Bowman, Darrell Scott; Marinik, Andrew; Trimble, Tammy E.; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Selz, Allen (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2009-06-30)
This document consists of guidelines and recommendations related to operations, assembly, repair, testing and inspection of cargo tanks hauling hazardous materials. This document is the result of research findings from the project titled: Research to Identify the Factors that Affect the Service Life of Cargo Tanks [VTRC # 08-0669-10, FMCSA # TMC75-07-H-00008 Task Order # 2].
Historical Development of the Travel Shenandoah Pilot Service
Baker, Stephanie Ann; Hintz, Rewa; Trimble, Tammy E. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2002-05)
The purpose of this report is to document the historical development of the Travel Shenandoah pilot project. This report will not attempt to describe in detail the entire five-year history; rather it will focus on the major events that helped evolve the program into what it is now. The history covers the period from pre-deployment in 1997, through the evolution of the service into 511 Virginia in February 2002. By analyzing past documents, a history has been developed and is presented in chronological format in this report. This history will become the background for a formal evaluation of the new 511 Virginia service, formerly Travel Shenandoah. There are three sections to this report. The first section is a summary of the original pilot Travel Shenandoah Service. The second is a history from 1997 to 2002, including a brief description of the new 511 Virginia service. The final section is a discussion of the evolution of the Travel Shenandoah business model.
I-81 ITS Program Evaluation Plan
Baker, Stephanie Ann; Schroeder, Aaron D.; Rakha, Hesham A.; Hintz, Rewa (United States. Joint Program Office for Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2003-07)
This document presents the evaluation framework that the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) has prepared for Phase II of the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) I-81 ITS Model Safety Corridor Program, more commonly referred to as the I-81 ITS Program. The document also includes a description of the I-81 ITS Program, how this evaluation framework was developed, and who has been involved.
Synthesis of Literature and Operating Safety Practices Related to Cell Phone/Personal Data Assistant Use in Commercial Truck and Bus Operations (Technical Report)
Morgan, Justin F.; Trimble, Tammy E.; Bowman, Darrell Scott; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Pickett, Raquel; Murray, Dan; Bergoffen, Gene (United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2011-04)
There is an increasing awareness of the role of driver distraction in commercial motor vehicle crashes. This study presents the results of efforts to expand current knowledge of truck and motorcoach industry practices regarding commercial driver distraction. The project involved a thorough literature review on driver distraction. Little research specifically addressed commercial driver distraction; those studies that did examine commercial driving typically found significant degradations in driver performance due to visually demanding device use. However, the findings of automotive driver distraction research vary based on the type of examination (i.e., simulator, test-track, or naturalistic data collection methods) and the aspect of phone use. These findings, in light of the importance and potential safety risks posed by driver distraction, may help guide further research into the nature and magnitude of distraction faced by CMV drivers as part of their normal job functions.
Vehicle-width Measurement Technology Development: Phase I Technical Memorandum
Marinik, Andrew; Trimble, Tammy E.; Baker, Stephanie Ann; Bryson, Jared; Schaudt, William A.; Bowman, Darrell Scott (Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, 2011-08)
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) was tasked with investigating the feasibility of developing a vehicle-width measurement and alert system to reduce over-width violations in Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) work zones. A two-phase approach was developed to investigate the measurement system feasibility. During Phase I, the focus of the current report, VTTI first generated design criteria with support from stakeholders (i.e., the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research [VCTIR] and VDOT). Next, researchers and engineers assessed existing vehicle-width measurement systems against these criteria to determine design gaps, and then explored solutions (e.g., new technologies) to these design gaps. Identified potential solutions were then tested on the Virginia Smart Road. In the end, VTTI developed a preliminary system architecture for a vehicle-width measurement system. Based on the findings of this research effort three recommendations are offered to guide future development of a vehicle-width measurement system.

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