The Truck Performance Measure Research project will pilot development of freight performance measures that matter to customers: freight shippers and truck carriers. It will evaluate the capabilities of existing technologies to track freight system performance against customers’ goals. If successful, the research will give the state legislature better information to make informed decisions about the state’s freight investments and to track the effectiveness of those investments.

The research project is collecting GPS data from commercial in-vehicle fleet management systems and from drivers’ cell phones. This information, which is focused on the central Puget Sound region, is being used to demonstrate the feasibility of a long-term, truck-based monitoring program. The project has designed a collection system to acquire and store the GPS data and is evaluating what aspects of a truck's performance can be captured with these data. The GPS data, at a minimum, will capture regional truck trips between zones, resulting in travel statistics on trucks’ performance between origins and destinations of interest.

As part of the first phase of the project, we negotiated data acquisition contracts (through WSDOT) with the GPS vendor Trimble, and we are receiving data on a daily basis for approximately 2,000 trucks that travel in the Puget Sound region. We also have a contract with the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), and we have obtained GPS truck data that ATRI is collecting to study trucker performance on corridors. We also have purchased 25 Qualcomm GPS devices and purchased service from 60 cell phone-based GPS devices that are supported by Global Turnpike Technologies and Nextel. This equipment has been installed in trucks operated by companies that have been recommended by the Washington Trucking Associations.

New project activity will include consolidating the various GPS databases and continuing to using this data to develop and test useful truck performance measures. The utility and cost of these database and performance measures will be evaluated and documented.

A phase two effort is being planned to extend the program to include the entire state of Washington.

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Several project steering committee meetings have been held.