Enhancing Freight Safety and Efficiency for California’s Logging Industry: A Data-Driven Approach

The logging industry plays a vital role in the U.S. economy, particularly in California’s northern regions, where timber production supports local supply chains. However, the safe and efficient movement of logging trucks is increasingly challenged by road curvature, steep grades, aging infrastructure, and seasonal fluctuations in freight demand. These factors create high-risk conditions, exacerbated by overlapping tourist activity and inadequate roadway data. This research aims to develop a comprehensive, data-driven framework to identify and mitigate freight safety risks for logging trucks. By leveraging open-source tools, data collection efforts, 3D road profiling, and advanced statistical and machine-learning models, this study will identify and predict high-risk freight routes for California’s logging industry. Problem: The terrain, road curvature, seasonal harvest demands, and aging infrastructure pose significant challenges to both roadway safety and freight efficiency. Certain high-risk locations - such as roads with sharp curves, steep grades, or deteriorating bridges - may be especially hazardous for large vehicles like logging trucks. Furthermore, the seasonal nature of logging, combined with heightened tourism activity, creates fluctuating traffic patterns and additional stress on key corridors. Objectives/Goals: This proposal seeks to develop a comprehensive, data-driven framework to identify, analyze, and recommend improvements for critical freight corridors used by logging trucks.

• Record URL:
  • https://fersc.utk.edu/research-focus/fersc-projects-year-3/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $284,253.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348338

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain

  University of Tennessee Knoxville
  Knoxville, TN  United States  37996
• Project Managers:

  Bruner, Britain

  Kaplan, Marcella

• Performing Organizations:

  California State University, Long Beach

  1250 Bellflower Boulevard
  Long Beach, CA  United States  90840
• Principal Investigators:

  Chandra, Shailesh

• Start Date: 20250901
• Expected Completion Date: 20260831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Highway safety; Logging trucks; Traffic data; Traffic safety
• Geographic Terms: Northern California
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01984337
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348338
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 25 2026 5:03PM