Traffic Incident Management Cost Management and Cost Recovery Primer

March 2012

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Transportation Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

FHWA-HOP-12-044

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Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov.

Table of Contents

Notice and Quality Assurance Statement

Technical Report Documentation Page

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Organization
Challenges/Issues
The Cost of Traffic Incidents

Chapter 1. TIM Overview

TIM Programs
TIM Goals and Objectives

Chapter 2. Definitions

Cost Recovery
Cost Management
Identifying and Classifying Costs
Performance Measurement

Chapter 3. State of the Practice

Legislation
Advocacy Groups on TIM Cost Recovery
Fire Services and EMS
Law Enforcement Agencies
Transportation Agencies

Chapter 4. Translating Cost Management Principles into TIM Practice

Roadmap for Managing TIM Costs
Contracting Emergency Services

Chapter 5. Strategies for Recovering TIM Costs

Legislation
Public-Private Partnerships
Special Federal Programs

Chapter 6. Planning for Operations

Integrating TIM into Metropolitan and Statewide Transportation Plans
Inclusion of TIM Projects or Programs in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
Creating Local Line Items

Chapter 7. Closing Thoughts

Continue to Make the Case for TIM
Conduct Pilot Projects
Dissemination of Research and Lessons Learned Information
Additional Research

List of Figures

Figure 1 – Emergency Transportation Operations Continuum
Figure 2 – Full Spectrum of TIM Costs
Figure 3 – Cost Management Fundamentals
Figure 4 – Standard Incident Timeline for Performance Measurement
Figure 5 – Sources that may enable TIM cost recovery statutes
Figure 6 – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (As Amended in 1986)
Figure 7 – Example of Cost Tracking Tool at the Florida Highway Patrol
Figure 8 – Sample of Cost Tracking
Figure 9 – Alabama Law for Highway Damage Liability
Figure 10 – California Emergency Response Law
Figure 11 – Broad Picture of TIM Cost Management Components
Figure 12 – Example of Resource Allocation and Utilization Process in Asset Management
Figure 13 – Transportation Resource Management
Figure 14 – Screen 1 of the Pennsylvania Incident Cost Management System
Figure 15 – Screen 2 of the Pennsylvania Incident Cost Management System
Figure 16 – Screen 3 of the Pennsylvania Incident Cost Management System
Figure 17 – Screen 1 of the Pennsylvania Cost Recovery Tracking System
Figure 18 – Screen 2 of the Pennsylvania Cost Recovery Tracking System
Figure 19 – The Transportation Planning Process

List of Tables

Table 1 – National Incident Estimates by Year, 2005-2010
Table 2 – The Anatomy of a TIM Program
Table 3 – Sources of Costs Associated with the National Unified Goal for Traffic Incident Management
Table 4 – Input, Output, and Potential Outcome for a TIM Program by NUG Strategy
Table 5 – Viewpoints on TIM Cost Recovery by Means of User Fees
Table 6 – Roadmap to a TIM Cost Management Program

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