MODELING OPERATING WEIGHT AND AXLE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTIONS FOR HIGHWAY VEHICLES

The estimation of highway cost responsibility requires detailed information on vehicle operating weights and axle weights by type of vehicle. Typically, 10--20 vehicle types must be cross classified by 10--20 registered weight classes and again by 20 or more operating weight categories, resulting in 100--400 relative frequencies to be determined for each vehicle type. For each of these, gross operating weight must be distributed to each axle or axle unit. Given the rarity of many of the heaviest vehicle types, direct estimation of these frequencies and axle wieghts from traffic classification count statistics and truck weight data may exceed the reliability of even the largest (e.g., 250,000 record) data sources. An alternative is to estimate statistical models of operating weight distributions as functions of registered weight, and models of axle weight shares as functions of operating weight. This paper describes the estimation of such functions using multinomial logit model (a log-linear model) and the implementation of the modeling framework as a PC-based FORTRAN program. Areas for further research include the addition of highway class and region as explanatory variables in operating weight distribution models, and the development of theory for including registration costs and costs of operating overweight in the modeling framework.

• Corporate Authors:

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  P. O. Box 2008
  Oak Ridge, TN  United States  37831
• Authors:
  • Greene, D L
  • Liang, J C
• Publication Date: 1988-7

Media Info

• Pagination: 151 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Axle load force; Estimating; Logits; Trucks; Vehicle weight
• Uncontrolled Terms: Highway user costs
• Old TRIS Terms: Truck pavement damage
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00484550
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: ORNL-6437
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 1989 12:00AM