California Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey - Findings and Uses in Modeling
Corresponding Author: Anurag Komanduri, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Presented By: Anurag Komanduri, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Abstract
The National Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) was a valuable data source to support commercial vehicle transportation planning and modeling, air quality research, environmental and pavement impacts, and a variety of private sector analyses. This survey was mandated by law and, therefore, had high response rates and provided valuable data at timely intervals. Since the discontinuation of this program in 2002, no standardized commercial vehicle inventory and usage database has been made available to states or planning agencies to conduct research.
The 2002 National VIUS data are now sufficiently dated and do not reflect current conditions at the level of reliability or accuracy that is necessary to support planning and modeling. In 2015, the State of California begun the process of conducting a statewide Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (CA-VIUS) by aiming to collect information from nearly 14,000 trucks operating on California’s roadways.
This survey is the first of its kind state-level VIUS effort and as such, there are no precedents to provide guidance to implement a survey of this magnitude. The study team faced several challenges that had to be overcome prior to fielding the survey. In the presentation, the authors will describe these challenges and the steps used to overcome them. The authors will also describe how the data collected from this survey will be used in the design and development of the California Statewide Freight Forecasting Model.