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Freight Performance Measure Primer

APPENDIX D. ADDITIONAL AVAILABLE HIGHWAY DATA

MOTOR CARRIER FINANCIAL AND OPERATING STATISTICS

The collection of for-hire trucking company financial and operating statistics (F&OS) data is mandatory (Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 Part 369). The collection is managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Motor Carrier F&OS Program. F&OS data can be downloaded by row (trucking company), groups of rows (e.g., segment of the industry), or as a whole, with each column of data representing F&OS characteristics of the trucking companies taken from the line items and schedules on the 1999 Form M or Form QFR (annual reports, depending on revenue). Consult the FMCSA website for more information and copies of Form M and Form QFR. (http://www.transtats.bts.gov/DatabaseInfo.asp?DB_ID=170&Link=0)

VEHICLE INVENTORY AND USE SURVEY

The Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) provides data on the physical and operational characteristics of the Nation's private and commercial truck population. Its primary goal is to produce national and State-level estimates of the total number of trucks. This survey was conducted every five-years, until 2002, as part of the economic census. (http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/vius/products.html)

MOTOR FUEL TAX DATA

Receipts into the Federal Highway Trust Fund come from a variety of taxes on highway fuel, tires, heavy vehicle use tax, and truck/trailer sales taxes. The motor fuel excise tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline/gasohol and 24.4 cents for special fuel (primarily diesel), raises the majority of the revenue. This revenue is then placed into the Highway Trust Fund by the U.S. Treasury Department, after collection by the Internal Revenue Service. These funds are then distributed to the States based on formulas provided in Federal legislation.

On a monthly basis, each State is required to report to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) the number of gallons taxed by that State. These data are analyzed and compiled by FHWA staff. The data on the amount of on-highway fuel use for each State is then used to attribute Federal revenue to each State. Every year, the FHWA Office of Policy provides data from the previous year for use in the attribution process. The previous year's data are provided to States to review, allowing them to verify that the data report is correct and ready to be used in attribution. (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/motorfueldata.cfm)

HIGHWAY FINANCE DATA COLLECTION

The FHWA's comprehensive highway finance information collection effort involves extensive input on Federal, State, and local government financing of highways. The U.S. Congress recognized the need for highway finance information to support highway policy development, and as early as 1904, the Federal Government began inquiring about highway taxation, sources of revenue for highways, and highway expenditures. The role of the Federal Government in highway transportation has changed greatly, but its role in assembling highway finance and related data has continued. As highway agencies and highway programs change and evolve, FHWA continues to revise and enhance its data collection program.

Highway finance information is used by FHWA in its analysis to support the Federal-Aid Highway Program's reauthorization. It is also used in the development of the proposed legislation and reports to Congress; evaluating the extent, performance, condition, and use of the Nation's transportation systems; analyzing existing and proposed Federal-aid funding methods and levels; assigning user-cost responsibility; and evaluating Federal, State, and local highway programs. (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/hwyfinancedata.cfm)

NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD TRAVEL SURVEY

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is a periodic national survey, to assist transportation planners and policy makers who need comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the United States. The 2009 survey is the latest collected by FHWA, in coordination with a private firm who conducted the survey around the country.

Previous surveys included the 2001 NHTS, and the former Nationwide Personal Transportation Surveys (NPTS) of 1969, 1977, 1983, 1990, and 1995.

The NHTS/NPTS serves as the Nation's inventory of daily travel. Data is collected on daily trips taken by households and individuals in those households over a 24-hour period, and includes:

  • Purpose of the trip (work, shopping, social).
  • Means of transportation (car, walk, bus, subway).
  • Travel time of trip.
  • Time of day/day of week.

These data are collected for all trips, modes, purposes, trip lengths, and all areas of the country, urban and rural.

Uses of Surveys:

  • Quantify travel behavior.
  • Analyze changes in travel characteristics over time.
  • Related travel behavior to the demographics of the travel.
  • Study the relationship of demographics and travel over time. (http://nhts.ornl.gov/introduction.shtml)

HIGHWAY SAFETY DATA

Highway fatality data can be extracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which is compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data are gathered from a census of police accident reports (PARs), State vehicle registration files, State drivers licensing files, State highway department data, vital statistics, death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, hospital medical reports, and emergency medical service reports. A separate form is completed for each fatal crash. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is estimated when not known. Statistical procedures used for unknown data in FARS can be found in the NHTSA report A Method for Estimating Posterior BAC Distributions for Persons Involved in Fatal Traffic Accidents, DOT HS 807 094 (Washington, D.C.: July 1986).

Data are collected from relevant State agencies and electronically submitted for inclusion in the FARS database on a continuous basis. Cross-verification of PARs with death certificates helps prevent undercounting. Moreover, when data are entered, they are checked automatically for acceptable range values and consistency, enabling quick corrections when necessary. Several programs continually monitor the data for completeness and accuracy. Periodically, sample cases are analyzed for accuracy and consistency. FARS data do not include motor vehicle fatalities on nonpublic roads, which account for about two percent or fewer of the total motor vehicle fatalities per year.

NHTSA's General Estimates System (GES) data is a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes that contributed to an injury or fatality or resulted in property damage, and involved at least one motor vehicle traveling on a roadway. GES data collectors randomly sample PARs and forward copies to a central contractor for coding into a standard GES system format. Documents such as police diagrams or supporting text provided by the officers might be further reviewed to complete a data entry (http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCSA).

NATIONAL BRIDGE DATA

The National Bridge Inventory contains detailed technical and engineering information about hundreds of thousands of bridges in the United States, including year built, bridge design, condition, and many other fields. Nationalbridges.com is the website that makes this information available to the public. The National Bridge Inventory is a compilation of data supplied to FHWA from States for bridges located on public roads. Significant freight-related data such as Average Daily Truck Traffic, if the bridge is on a Strategic Highway Network route, clearance heights, and design loads are also available from the National Bridge Inventory. (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.cfm)

PAVEMENT DATA

FHWA maintains highway pavement condition data. The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program was established to collect pavement performance data as one of the major research areas of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). The first five-years of the LTPP program were funded and directed by the SHRP. Since 1991, FHWA has continued the management and funding of the program. The LTPP program is managed by the Long-Term Pavement Performance Team under the Office of Infrastructure Research and Development.

The LTPP program is a large research project that includes two fundamental classes of studies and several smaller studies to investigate specific pavement-related details that are critical to pavement performance. The fundamental classes of study are the General Pavement Study (GPS) and the Specific Pavement Studies (SPS). The combined GPS and SPS programs consist of over 2,500 test sections located on in-service highways throughout North America. The LTPP program will monitor and collect pavement performance data on all active sites. The collected data include information on seven modules: Inventory, Maintenance, Monitoring (Deflection, Distress, and Profile), Rehabilitation, Materials Testing, Traffic, and Climatic.

The LTPP Information Management System was established in 1988 and is the central database where all data collected under the LTPP program are stored. This database is continuously being developed as more data are collected and processed. Four regional offices are established under the LTPP program to coordinate and communicate LTPP-related activities throughout the United States and Canada. (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/programs/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/)

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