Safety, Security, and Efficiency Benefits of Technology in Highway Hazardous Materials Transportation Applications

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently undertook an ambitious project entitled the Hazardous Materials Safety and Security Technology Field Operational Test. The objective was to use existing technologies to demonstrate an approach to enhancing the safety and security of hazardous materials transportation by highway, with the goal of speeding up deployment by the trucking industry. Various technologies and groups of technologies were tested in four segments of the hazardous materials transportation industry and evaluated for benefits to safety, security, and efficiency, as well as benefits to pubic sector law enforcement and emergency response agencies. Wireless communications systems with GPS positioning provided the primary efficiency gains to motor carriers. Positive benefit-cost ratios were identified in all segments of the industry included in the test. In addition, the wireless communication system provided a baseline vulnerability reduction in the security assessment. Additional technologies used in conjunction with the base system provided incremental reductions in vulnerability levels. The technologies were also successful in reducing notification times to public sector agencies and providing them with increased accuracy of information. These improvements identified in the notification and emergency response system may also provide safety benefits in the form of accident and incident mitigation and security interdiction scenarios.

• Record URL:
  http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/pubs/midcon2005/index.htm
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780965231084
• Corporate Authors:

  Iowa State University, Ames

  Center for Transportation Research and Education, 2711 South Loop Drive
  Ames, IA  United States  50011-8664
• Authors:
  • DeLorenzo, Joseph P
  • Allen, John
  • Williams, David
  • Jensen, Mark
• Conference:
  • The 2005 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium
  • Location: Ames Iowa, United States
  • Date: 2005-8-18 to 2005-8-19
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 2005 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Applications; Benefit cost analysis; Deployment; Emergency response time; Global Positioning System; Hazardous materials; Highways; Incident management; Safety and security; Transportation planning; Wireless communication systems
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01004323
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780965231084
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 26 2005 6:15PM