Development of an Areawide Estimate of Truck Freight Value in the Urban Mobility Report

014569042012Final Report [7/1/10-3/31/12]PDFTech ReportCFIRE 04-16DTRT06-G-0020CommoditiesFreight trafficFreight traffic measurementMobilityTraffic congestionHighwaysPlanning and ForecastingI71: Traffic TheoryResearch HubData and Information TechnologyFreight TransportationOperations and Traffic ManagementWisconsinUnited StatesNational Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (U.S.)Eisele, William L.Schrank, David L.Bittner, Jason J.Schwartz, TravisGuo, Jessica Y.Adams, Teresa M.National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (U.S.)Texas Transportation InstituteUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionSignificant efforts have resulted in improved knowledge about the effects of congestion on the motoring public. The Urban Mobility Report (UMR) has been produced for over 20 years detailing the effects of congestion in the United States (1). Despite these efforts, and Tech Reports, less is known about the effect of congestion on urban freight movement. This research set out to produce truck freight values for inclusion in the Urban Mobility Report (UMR) to inform the policy discussion and decisions. Researchers developed a three-part methodology to estimate truck freight value using FHWA Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) datasets. Researchers found that there was a correlation between commodity value and truck delay\u2014higher commodity values are associated with more people; more people are associated with more traffic congestion. Researchers also developed and tested (in Milwaukee) a transferrable method to investigate freight value along specific corridors in an urban area. Policy implications of the freight information are presented. Researchers first implemented the methodology into the 2010 Urban Mobility Report, released in January 2011. The 2011 Urban Mobility Report, released in September 2011, used a similar methodology to present the truck freight values