Research, Development, and Application of Methods to Update Freight Analysis Framework Out-of-Scope Commodity Flow Data and Truck Payload Factors

Foreword

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations (HOP) is pleased to present this report on the research, development, and application of methods to update Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) Out-of-Scope Commodity (OOS) flow data and Truck Payload Factors (TPF).

An improved method to estimate Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) Out of Scope (OOS) data along with an updated Truck Payload Factors (TPF) will further national freight transportation data and analysis capability and will allow for a more accurate analysis of transportation network performance for various freight flow scenarios. This report provides improved and detailed information regarding freight flow patterns to better support FHWA’s current and future freight analysis needs through the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF). The report provides an improved method to integrate CFS OOS data with FAF and an updated and transparent TPF within FAF to convert Origin-Destination (O-D) flow of commodity weight to O-D flow of number of trucks. This report also serves as a reference for transportation planners, departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and other transportation agencies tasked with the development of freight forecasts especially when considering truck payload factors for conversion of annual tons to daily trucks.