TWIN CITIES METROPOLITAN AREA HEAVY TRUCK STUDY

Due to the growing significance of goods movement by heavy trucks in recent years, the Minnesota Twin Cities metropolitan area heavy truck study was conducted to update the Minnesota Department of Transportation data on heavy trucks. These data are needed for pavement design, heavy truck routing, and policy formulation. Similar data were obtained from a 1970 travel behavior inventory (TBI). The 1970 study surveyed 2 percent of all truck trips, but less than 1 percent of the trips were by heavy trucks. The results were of limited use in forecasting because of the small sample. This resulted in a poor distribution of trips when the sample was expanded. From the outset, the current study was constrained due to limited funding. Although the budget was enough for a survey of heavy commercial truck movements, innovative methods were needed to obtain data on the movement of heavy tax-exempt trucks and grain trucks. These data were produced through a combination of limited surveying and simulation. In addition to financial problems, two other constraints had to be overcome: (a) Minnesota's vehicle registration of tax-exempt trucks does not list vehicle weight; therefore, it was necessary to inventory heavy trucks; and (b) because of financial, personnel, and administrative problems, there was no external cordon-line survey conducted in conjunction with the heavy truck study; therefore, the data needed on external and through trips had to be developed by other means; i.e., they were simulated by applying growth factors to the 1970 data and then using 1980 truck counts at the external cordon lines as control totals. A comparison of the results of this study with the 1970 TBI reveals a substantial increase in external and through trips by heavy trucks and a substantial decrease in internal trips. The decrease in internal trips is probably due to the depressed economy, whereas the increase in external and through trips can be attributed to 1,560 miles of railroad track abandoned in Minnesota between 1971 and 1981. Final results of the study reveal that in 1981 there were 116,800 heavy truck trips per day in the metropolitan area, and in the year 2000 there are expected to be 265,300 trips/day. (Author)

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1983/920/920-006.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=TWIN+CITIES+METROPOLITAN+AREA+HEAVY+TRUCK+STUDY&author=M.+Freier&publication_year=1983
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Urban Goods Movement. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

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  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Freier, Morris
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 39-45
• Monograph Title: TRUCKING AND INTERMODAL FREIGHT ISSUES
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 920
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic factors; Freight traffic; Heavy vehicles; Inventory; Metropolitan areas; Traffic surveys; Travel behavior
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic studies
• Geographic Terms: Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382940
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309036089
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM