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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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      <title>Multimodal Freight Distribution to Support Increased Port Operations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357225</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It is projected that more containers will pass through the major ports of the mid-Atlantic region with the completion of the Panama Canal expansion, and as shippers and carriers find it more efficient to move cargo on larger container vessels.  As a result, not only is it expected that a larger number of containers will be unloaded/loaded every time a New-Panamax vessel docks at a port, it is also widely anticipated that these larger ships will concentrate among a small of number ports, particularly those that have deeper channel depths, such as the Port of Virginia. It is going to be vital to the regional economies and to the surrounding areas to be prepared to handle the anticipated increase in container traffic with energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies and transport options. In particular, efficiency in handling high-volume of containers at the ports and in transporting containers beyond the ports is critical. This study will bring together researchers from multiple universities to investigate strategies to optimize container handling inside the terminals, to more heavily utilize inland waterways and rail systems, and to optimize logistics to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions while maintaining mobility needs.  In particular, the team from Old Dominion University (ODU) will investigate port operations strategies where both rail and truck traffic in and out of the port is considered. Interactions between these transport modes, and staging and handling of containers within the port will be investigated. Motivated by the rail connectivity available at the Port of Virginia, ODU will lead the research effort that will explore the use of rail to more efficiently move cargo out of the port. The team will explore optimization and simulation methods to study various complex interactions and factors influencing the flow of containers over multiple modes. These methods will help identify more cost and energy efficient strategies to handle large volume of container traffic inside the terminals. New models will be developed to understand the feasibility and potential benefits of such strategies.  The team from VT will support research in the area of optimization of freight movement within the context of fuel consumption and emission modeling which requires the development of fuel consumption and emission models for the various types of freight modes. Virginia Tech's team will focus on developing the fuel consumption and emission models for various ground transportation modes including trucks and trains. The focus will be on developing models that can be easily calibrated using publically available data. In addition, the VT team will consider developing smart systems to reduce the energy consumption of freight transport (e.g. eco-cruise control systems, eco-adaptive cruise control systems, etc.).  While optimizations for network-wide freight logistics have been focused on either flow maximization or total system travel time minimization, little research has focused on the greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumptions in the context of multimodal freight logistics. The team from UVA will work on formulating and developing an optimization approach for multimodal freight networks to minimize greenhouse gas emissions or fuel consumption. Implementation  Potential implementation of project outcomes During this research, the team members will work closely with the Port of Virginia, rail lines (e.g. Norfolk Southern), and the private industry. The developed tools, techniques, and solutions will be shared with them for potential implementation.  Various components and algorithms for eco-cruise control systems, eco-adaptive cruise control systems, and eco-routing systems will be developed for more energy-efficient transportation of freight. Impacts  Expected benefits and impacts  A new suite of modeling and simulation tools and methodologies is envisioned to result from this research that can be used throughout the nation to combat congestion at the ports in a post panama canal expansion era.  Development of fuel consumption and emission models for various ground transportation modes including trucks and trains.  Impacts of various modes of transporting containers on greenhouse gas emission]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2015 01:01:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357225</guid>
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      <title>Institutional and Financial Analysis of Weigh Station Performance</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1245916</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this research is to determine the trends in revenues and overweight trucks operating on the state road system since this change in weigh station management occurred, and to recommend actions that can be taken to address any problems found during the research. This research project has three specific objectives: (1) Describe how other states manage their truck weighing programs, the revenues generated, and any trends in overweight truck operations given varying degrees of state enforcement. (2)  Identify the trends in revenues generated from weigh station operations and in overweight truck operations in Georgia since the Department of Public Safety was given management authority over the state's weigh stations. (3) Recommend actions that can be taken by the State of Georgia to enhance the level of revenues generated from weigh station operation and to reduce the number of overweight trucks using the highway network.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:56:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1245916</guid>
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      <title>Microsimulation of Commodity Flows</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236276</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research project is to further develop a prototype model of commodity flows that uses microsimulation techniques. This project will perform tests of the already developed MVFC freight model in order to determine its validity and usefulness for planning and engineering. Deficiencies will be corrected, to the extent that it can be done without major changes to microsimulation concept. The project will also extend the functionality of the MVFC freight model beyond its current restrictions to only 5 commodities (which was the number required by the MVFC). The project will determine whether the framework developed for plastics, motor vehicle parts and dairy products will be applicable to a fuller range of industrial commodities. The project will also determine if the grain components of the MVFC can be easily applied to other farm products.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:44:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236276</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Enhanced FEA Crash Model of Tractor-Trailers (Phase B)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232739</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The tractor and trailer model will be used to simulate a full-scale crash test identified from the literature. The team will assess the impact results of the model by comparing the kinematic behavior and failure modes of the tractor and trailer model to the behavior and failure modes of the test vehicles in the full-scale crash test. Based on this assessment, any deficiencies in the model that are deemed critical for accurately simulating vehicle response in impacts with roadside safety hardware will be identified and required corrections to the model will be implemented. The objectives of Phase B are: (1) Complete preliminary evaluation and modifications of the combined tractor-trailer model based on a qualitative comparison to test data. (2) Provide model to Centers of Excellence (COE) community for beta testing. (3) Validate combined tractor-trailer model performance by comparison of the computer simulation results to the results of full-scale crash tests. Compare revised and updated model to experimental results and refine as needed. (4) Develop an on-line User's Manual/Web Site to facilitate the use of the model]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:43:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232739</guid>
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      <title>Field Testing &amp; Analysis of Braking Performance of In-Service Trucks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232733</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is on the verge of requiring that the stopping distance of new trucks be reduced up to 30 percent below current regulations, depending on the vehicle type. However, this regulation does not address the braking performance of trucks after they have entered into service. Further, the current in-service vehicle inspection procedure, as well as the required annual inspection of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), may be missing a critical component of braking capability, that of the effectiveness of after-market or replacement brake linings, which have a direct impact on stopping capability. Inspection procedures for CMVs cannot assess the friction available at the pad versus drum (or disc) interface, and there are no data available on the criticality to safety of this aspect of the inspection process. The objective of this project is to obtain a data set of the stopping capability of in-service CMVs. This will be accomplished through the performance-controlled stopping distance and deceleration tests and performance-based brake tests of in-service heavy trucks. The data set will provide a current assessment of the distribution of the braking capabilities and performance required of in-service vehicles that can be compared with that of new vehicles. These stopping performance tests will be complemented by visual inspections of the brake system by qualified inspectors. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and NHTSA need these data for assessing the effectiveness of current safety standards and regulations, and to support changes to such standards and regulations, including those covering replacement brake linings. Industry has similar interest in the data to assess the importance of replacement linings and maintenance on fleet safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:43:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232733</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Trusted Trucks® 2 (Phase B)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232731</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In Phase B the project will build off the system built in year 1 and the work being done in the wireless trailer communications arena, including work currently being undertaken by the University of Tennessee to identify and demonstrate the ability to do remote inspections of trailer safety criteria. As part of this phase the project will investigate if the in-vehicle hardware and wireless communications channel can be moved over to the DSRC (Digital Short Range Communication) technology that is being promoted with VII (Vehicle Infrastructure Integration). This project would also be synergistic with the University of Tennessee project investigating truck priority at traffic signals which would also use DSRC. The deliverable for year two will be a demonstration of the remote inspection of trailer related data along with a detailed report on the lessons learned.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:43:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232731</guid>
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      <title>Data Security for Trusted Trucks® 2 (Phase A)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232730</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Following the successful proof-of-concept demonstration of the Trusted Truck® - a project designed to show that a tractor trailer can communicate critical information both internally (on-board) and externally with roadside sites - an essential subsequent step, addressed by this project, is the development of a robust data security infrastructure to protect these on-board and external communications. For the system to be secure, the applications must be able to trust that the communication has been received unaltered and from a known source. Thus, a fundamental requisite for achieving security is the ability to provide for data confidentiality and authentication. To that end, the goal of this project is to leverage existing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) security standards in the design, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive data security solution for the Trusted Truck® project. The following are threat models which will be of primary focus: * Explicit truck and driver identification. * Prevention of tampering or replacing of sensors * Prevention of impersonation attacks. * Cargo Identification. Potential users of the outcome of this project include both public and private parties involved in achieving the Trusted Truck® vision. Without secure credentials, the Trusted Truck® concept is not feasible. Successful completion of this project is likely to provide a solid platform on which future Trusted Truck® developments can be made. Field trials will help establish a practical software package that can be easily incorporated within existing equipment.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:43:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232730</guid>
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      <title>Commercial Freight and the Resilience of the BOSFOLK Corridor</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1228089</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The resilience of a corridor can be defined as its ability to maintain its function during or to recover from a terrorist attack or other incident. While transportation corridors can be viewed as highly resilient due to the fact the numerous alternatives routes exist, these alternative routes are not always available to commercial trucks. Restrictions of weight and height of overhead structures as well as the fact that they may be carrying hazardous materials limits the route choices for these commercial vehicles. This literature review will identify the relevant background material for exploring the resilience of the BOSFOLK corridor from the perspective of impact on commercial freight movement by truck.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:14:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1228089</guid>
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