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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>A Performance- and Cost-Based Framework to Evaluate the Value of Multimodal Logistics Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703796</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project develops a practical, data-driven framework to evaluate the value of logistics infrastructure in a multimodal freight region. Focusing on the St. Louis metropolitan area, the framework integrates freight performance measurement with generalized logistics cost modeling to translate travel time, reliability, and terminal access improvements into economic outcomes. Methods include assembling a regional freight network representation, computing corridor-level travel time and variability metrics, and applying scenario-based valuation to estimate marginal benefits of targeted investments. The project also includes a private-sector truck–rail–barge use case to quantify multimodal tradeoffs and assess the competitiveness of inland waterway transportation under alternative infrastructure scenarios. The resulting workflow provides agencies and regional partners with transparent, repeatable methods to support freight investment prioritization and decision-making.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 11:52:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703796</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Empirical assessment of land use and other policy impacts on freight facility location choices in California</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2702676</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The rapid expansion of warehousing and logistics activities in California has reshaped land-use patterns and placed substantial pressure on transportation systems and nearby communities. Growth in e-commerce, supply chain restructuring, and regional economic development incentives have contributed to an uneven and largely uncoordinated proliferation of freight facilities. Although these facilities support regional economies, their concentration heightens concerns about congestion, safety, air quality, and the availability of quality job opportunities. Local and regional governments struggle to anticipate these impacts because they lack empirical tools to link policy actions to freight facility siting decisions. 

This project develops an integrated framework to evaluate how land-use (LU), transportation, and economic development policies influence the location of freight facilities in California, and how these patterns relate to economic and social outcomes. The research compares three regional case studies spanning 20 years, integrating semi-quantitative policy analysis, satellite imagery-based LU classification, and spatial econometric modeling. Expected results include a geospatial database linking freight facility development with LU and policy environments, empirical evidence of policy-driven LU and logistics trends, and indicators describing the social and economic impacts of freight facility proximity. The findings will support state, regional, and local agencies in designing policies that improve goods movement efficiency while minimizing local impacts, thereby contributing to California's economy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 16:42:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2702676</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) Phase 5</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2683017</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) pooled fund began in 2006 to support collaboration, innovation, and development in freight planning, freight policy, and operations across the 10-state Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin). The Coalition’s operations are founded and guided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Board of Directors of MAASTO and the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison.
The MAFC’s major emphasis areas support advances in multimodal freight planning practices, freight operations and technology, and freight policy, all in a collaborative framework. Importantly, the emphasis areas are determined by the participating state professionals. The work is completed in service to both the states and the region, as well as towards advancing national freight planning priorities throughout the MAASTO region. The projects and activities of the MAFC support critical linkages between freight movement and services, as well as economic and community development. The freight coordination of the MAASTO region can provide guidance and identify best practices at a national level relating to multistate coordination of freight activities and in support of goals within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
This solicitation is for the fifth iteration of the MAFC pooled fund. Previous iterations were TPF-5 (156), TPF-5 (293), TPF-5 (396), and TPF-5 (509).
OBJECTIVES: The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) seeks to continue leadership of a pooled fund that will: Provide guidance and solutions for state-defined freight-related research; Support the IIJA’s goals through multistate collaboration in freight policy, facility development, and operations harmonization; Improve cross-state freight-related coordination and facility development; Increase awareness of the importance of freight transportation to support state, regional, and national economies; Serve as a freight-oriented professional resource to the states; Provide freight-oriented professional development resources and peer to peer networking; Maintain and expand the region’s reputation as freight friendly.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:48:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2683017</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Express Lanes Benefitting Freight Mobility: Can Express Lane Systems and its Benefits to General-purpose Lanes Improve Freight Mobility?</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553996</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of the research project include the following: (1) assess the impact of Express Lanes on freight movement efficiency; (2) evaluate changed in travel time and improve safety; (3) analyze the impact on freight delivery reliability and efficiency, examine the economic impacts of Express Lanes associated with freight movements; (4) quantify cost changes for truck drivers and truck companies; (5) assess potential economic benefits to the region, evaluate the environmental impacts of Express Lanes associated with freight movements; (6) estimate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and (7) estimate savings in fuel consumption.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2025 07:20:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553996</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freight Route Management Application for the Port of Anchorage</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512620</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research is to develop and evaluate an intelligent transportation management application for improving the efficiency, safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of freight and fuel truck movement to/from the Port of Alaska located in Anchorage, Alaska. This is a partnership project between the City of Anchorage’s Port of Alaska and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF).  Truck transportation network located at the port will be able to better route and stage cargo transport within the Port of Alaska footprint. The application could be used outside the port by truck drivers, Alaska 511, and traffic operations centers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:42:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512620</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Truck Permits: Managing Increasing Loads and Mitigating Infrastructure Damage to Balance Freight Mobility</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2472700</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Non-reducible truck permits, essential for freight mobility, pose significant challenges to infrastructure integrity, contributing to accelerated fatigue, increased maintenance costs, and safety hazards. This study quantifies the scope and distribution of permit loads across Massachusetts, evaluates their impact on bridges and highways, and verifies their alignment with current regulations and industry standards. The research will integrate data on truck permits, freight volumes, and infrastructure conditions to develop data-informed recommendations for mitigating adverse effects. Outcomes include optimized permit management strategies, improved infrastructure durability, and expanded access to reliable transportation, aligning with US DOT priorities in safety and system performance.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:27:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2472700</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Measuring the Last-Mile: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Synthesis Approaches to Address Data Gaps for Local Freight Decision-Making (Phase 1)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440052</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently, few municipal or regional authorities have access to the disaggregate freight activity data needed for planning, operational decision-making, freight externality evaluation (e.g. air pollution, collision risk), or equity analysis. Due to stakeholder privacy concerns, freight data are often aggregated by geography and/or commodity, limiting direct applicability of published data for local analysis. As a result, local freight planning and analysis typically rely on one of three approaches to approximate local activity: (1) disaggregation of large national commodity flow datasets (e.g. Commodity Flow Survey and Freight Analysis Framework) using general estimates of economic activity; (2) modeling (e.g. freight trip generation, facility location, agent-based simulation, and route optimization models); or (3) direct estimation of activities using limited sensor and probe datasets, often obtained or purchased from private sector operators or commercial data providers.  Each of these approaches suffers from severe limitations such as lack of timeliness, bias, lack of representativeness, reliance on unrealistic or unverifiable assumptions, and/or inability to validate results. Machine learning-based synthetic data generation methods may offer a potential approach to overcome limitations as well as operator privacy concerns to produce realistic data for local planning.  This project represents the first phase of an expected multi-year effort to design and construct one or more synthetic last-mile freight datasets that can address existing data gaps to inform planning and operational decision-making by local transportation agencies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:32:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440052</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving Compatibility of Truck Platooning with Existing Infrastructure via Development of Dynamic Operational Rules on Highway Networks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2398088</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Truck platooning presents a promising solution for reducing fuel consumption and emissions while enhancing freight transport capacity. However, the adaptivity of this technology to diverse roadway infrastructure remains a critical research need. In Wyoming, where freight transport is vital to the economy, determining how to manage truck platooning operations on existing highway networks is essential for infrastructure owner operators. This project aims to address the needs by designing and prototyping a dynamic truck platooning regulatory system. Two key algorithms will be developed: one for selecting compatible highway segments for platooning based on various roadway criteria, and another for dynamically determining operational rules for truck platoons considering real-time data such as weather and traffic conditions. These algorithms will form the basis of a comprehensive regulatory system aimed at ensuring safe and efficient truck platooning operations. Using Wyoming's roadway, traffic, and weather data, the system will be simulated and evaluated to assess its effectiveness in achieving safety, operational, and environmental objectives. By providing insights into the compatibility of truck platooning with existing highway networks and offering a dynamic regulatory framework, this project aims to pave the way for the widespread deployment of truck platooning technology while maximizing its benefits.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2024 09:31:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2398088</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Measuring the Last-Mile: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Synthesis Approaches to Address Data Gaps for Local Freight Decision-Making (Phase 1)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2377832</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently, few municipal or regional authorities have access to the disaggregate freight activity data needed for planning, operational decision-making, freight externality evaluation (e.g. air pollution, collision risk), or equity analysis. Due to stakeholder privacy concerns, freight data are often aggregated by geography and/or commodity, limiting direct applicability of published data for local analysis. As a result, local freight planning and analysis typically rely on one of three approaches to approximate local activity: (1) disaggregation of large national commodity flow datasets (e.g. Commodity Flow Survey and Freight Analysis Framework) using general estimates of economic activity; (2) modeling (e.g. freight trip generation, facility location, agent-based simulation, and route optimization models); or (3) direct estimation of activities using limited sensor and probe datasets, often obtained or purchased from private sector operators or commercial data providers.  Each of these approaches suffers from severe limitations such as lack of timeliness, bias, lack of representativeness, reliance on unrealistic or unverifiable assumptions, and/or inability to validate results. Machine learning-based synthetic data generation methods may offer a potential approach to overcome limitations as well as operator privacy concerns to produce realistic data for local planning.  This project represents the first phase of an expected multi-year effort to design and construct one or more synthetic last-mile freight datasets that can address existing data gaps to inform planning and operational decision-making by local transportation agencies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 15:42:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2377832</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impact of Freight Activity in and Around Ports</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2335159</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In many parts of the United States, air pollution from freight-related sources, such as heavy-duty diesel trucks, is prevalent in and around communities near freight hubs, such as ports, railyards, and warehouses, causing disproportionate burdens on the community members, especially children, seniors, and people with underlying medical conditions. The objective of this collaborative project is to assess the air quality impacts of goods movement in communities near freight hubs. As part of this project, the project team will conduct an evaluation of the freight movement near warehouses and distribution centers in Inland Southern California, measure air quality in the nearby communities, identify actionable solutions for mitigating the air quality impacts, and engage with the communities to translate the identified solutions into community actions.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2024 16:53:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2335159</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Balancing Freight and Goods Delivery Needs in Designing Complete Streets</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2286620</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) introduced provisions that are important for both freight movement and implementation of Complete Streets policies. Per the IIJA, Complete Streets standards and policies “ensure the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of transportation systems, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, children, individuals who are aging, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles” (Pub. L. 117-58, Section 11206(a), https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ58/PLAW-117publ58.pdf). Complete Streets is at times considered synonymous with active transportation, which refers to human-powered activities such as walking, biking, or rolling. However, freight is explicitly referenced in the Federal Highway Administration’s Complete Streets description; state departments of transportation (DOTs) are required to allocate resources for activities related to Complete Streets, and freight must be considered concurrently.  

With the rise of e-commerce and smaller delivery vehicles, curbside goods delivery, bicycle and pedestrian needs, advancing technologies, and other factors, research is needed to identify knowledge gaps and explore how to integrate the needs of freight movement with the active transportation approaches of Complete Streets to create more efficient, comprehensive, resilient, and cohesive networks. 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a guide to incorporate design and operational considerations for freight into Complete Streets strategies across land use topologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:43:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2286620</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Shippers’ Behavior Study Through Developing and Calibrating their Utility Functions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262831</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight flows on a multimodal network and through alternative routes. Each mode and route decision are determined by shipper behavior. There are multiple factors behind shipper behaviors such as time, distance, cost, reliability, etc., each of which is related to the characteristics of the commodity being shipped. To effectively promote multimodal transportation requires in depth understanding of the shipper behavior, which is also critical to the planning and operations of the multimodal transportation system.

In the wake of supply chain volatility, shipper behavior study carries its additional significance. When a key infrastructure element is disrupted such as a port closeout, how would the O-D flow respond to the lockout of a major port? There may be multiple alternative routes with different set of modes of transportation. In this case, shipper behavior study would help predict the potential distribution of the network flow and assist planners and operational managers in developing proper policies and measure to serve the stakeholders better. In a broader term, shipper behavior study allows re-optimize the distribution routes and modes of major products/commodities after system disruptions due to either political or natural reasons. Re-distribution of shipments over the network is not uncommon to happen in the private sectors. For instance, when the Long Beach port is jammed with significant delay to vessels, shippers such as Walmart would need to decide whether to divert its shipments via the Panama Canal to the Gulf Coast ports. Good planning shall have prepared all the potential options and means for the private sector changes when needs arises. In summary, shipper behavior directly contributes to the performance of transportation logistics on the national network and is therefore imbedded in the supply chain resiliency and reliability. The objective is to understand shipper’s utility function and study how to calibrate the function using machine learning techniques and with available and planned survey data.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 18:05:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262831</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving Traffic Detection Through New Innovative i-LST Technology Demonstration Pilot</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2189923</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Current traffic monitoring practices primarily focus on counting the number of vehicles, classifying vehicles by length or axle arrangement, and weighing vehicles.  Additional critical information such as body type (tractor and/or trailer) is not readily captured due to technology limitations.  However, body type data and information are vital for goods movement and freight analysis as different commodities are transported by different vehicles.  For example, perishables and other temperature-sensitive goods are carried by the so-called reefer, a sealed trailer with a refrigerated unit to keep the truck contents at a cooled temperature.  Liquids and gases are typically transported by tanker trucks.  Flatbed trailers have open decks with no roofs or sides, offer the greatest flexibility to carry not only oversized goods but also a wide range of other freight.  Intermodal trucks carry standardized ocean containers.  Dry freight trailers provide significant protection to the freight being moved from both inclement weather and other detrimental effects.  In addition to the body type identification challenge from current traffic monitoring technologies, current practices also miss the highly desired data regarding the travel time and on/off points where vehicles enter or exit a roadway network, such as where and when a given truck enters or exits a particular highway.  Information like this is vital to modeling and projecting vehicle routing associated with demand analysis. 
The proposed pool fund study will deploy and demonstrate a set of effective technologies previously developed through the U.S. Department of Transportation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program (SBIR: Measuring Traffic Performance with the Inductive Loop Detector Signature Technologies | SBIR.gov) to capture not only the legacy traffic monitoring data items but also additional body type and system usage information.  The new to be deployed technology requires no new-on-the-roadway physical activities. The new technology relies on utilizing existing roadway embedded loop sensors to gain all needed data. 
OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate the loop signature technology (inductive Loop Signature Technology: i-LST) over various corridors across the US to demonstrate application of new effective and comprehensive data collection methods. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:45:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2189923</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Methods to Improve Freight Reliability and Bottlenecks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067973</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will assist State DOTs and MPOs in addressing freight bottlenecks and integrating freight performance into Transportation System Management and Operations (TSMO) and the Congestion Management Process (CMP). This research will identify methods to monitor bottlenecks, integrate this into the freight planning process, implement projects or programs to address congestion at bottlenecks, and monitoring results. This research will also identify how TSMO strategies can be implemented to improve freight mobility and reliability.  It will identify how freight performance measures and the NPMRDS can be used to identify operations issues, recommend strategies for implementation, and monitor system performance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:26:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067973</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freight Performance Management Analysis and Tools</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067972</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight mobility performance dashboard utilizes NPMRDS travel time data to meet business needs and the legislative requirements of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to report on performance-based transportation metrics.  Freight-specific performance measures monitor traffic congestion, reliability, and major bottlenecks in the transportation system at the regional, state and national level. This tool helps meet requirements for MAP-21 transportation performance management, Transportation Conditions and Performance Report to Congress, the National Freight Strategic Plan, and freight highway bottleneck reporting.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:26:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067972</guid>
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