With an increasing number of transport operators seeking permits to operate nonstandard or purpose-built vehicle types, information is required to assist road authorities to determine which vehicle types could operate on the road network without compromising the safety of other road users. A project was created by ARRB TR to develop guidelines for determining route access for heavy vehicles. This project was developed in conjunction with the state road authorities, the National Road Transport Commission and the transport industry to obtain an understanding of the road space requirements for a range of common vehicle types. This project is the subject of this thesis. Two series of field experiments were conducted with six common heavy vehicle types on public roads west of Parkes NSW. Information collected during these full-scale experiments was used to increase the knowledge of the dynamic behaviour of these vehicles and to develop model route access guidelines. Data obtained from these field experiments also provided information to validate computer models and simulation outputs. This thesis showed that: 1) There was experimental evidence to demonstrate that vehicle lateral movement is excited by differences in vehicle wheelpath profiles (point-by-point pavement crossfall), which make a contribution to trailing fidelity (swept width), offtracking and swept path; 2) Vehicle type and speed are prime influences on the lateral movement of the rear trailer and therefore an important input into the model route access guidelines. Notwithstanding the practical and safety implications of applying different speed limits for various vehicle types, speed is a prime contributor to vehicle lateral movement and should be considered when determining route access; 3) Limited lateral position information suggested that one driver of two vehicle types position the vehicles so that the tyres on the rear trailer track on the sealed pavement and not on the pavement shoulder; 4) Based on a statistical analysis of the data obtained from the small sample which only considered the average crossfall of each test section the relative importance of the key parameters was (highest to lowest), IRI, vehicle speed and vehicle type. It was shown that good estimates of lateral movement can be obtained using a double integration technique of the measured lateral acceleration, without applying compensation for the trailer roll or the pavement crossfall. It is recommended that route access guidelines be developed using the lateral performance of a larger sample of vehicles in each class of heavy vehicles operating over a larger range of road types. The route access guidelines should contain a matrix of information on vehicle type/length, pavement condition roughness/profile and lane width. This would provide operators and regulators with a desk-top assessment tool for determining route access.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-288)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2008. / "December, 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-179). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-104).

My thesis provides evidence supporting a theory asserting that the high level of competition that exists between motor carriers operating within long-haul trucking is the most significant factor contributing to the continuously high driver turnover rates affecting the entire logistics industry. I explore how long-haul truck drivers internalize the conflict between their identity and the aggressively competitive environment within which they work. Social science authors, industry reports, and truck driver feedback from my own ethnographic study are analyzed for contexts in order to explore the current operating definition of success for motor carriers in both monetary and human terms.

A computer simulation model was developed to represent a logging contractor's harvesting and trucking system of wood delivery from the contractor's in-woods landing to the receiving mill. The Log Trucking System Simulation model (LTSS) focuses on the impacts to logging contractors as changes in truck turn times cause an imbalance between harvesting and trucking systems. The model was designed to serve as a practical tool that can illustrate the magnitude of cost and productivity changes as the delivery capacity of the contractor's trucking system changes. The model was used to perform incremental analyses using an example contractor's costs and production rates to illustrate the nature of impacts associated with changes in the contractor's trucking system. These analyses indicated that the primary impact of increased turn times occurs when increased delivery time decreases the number of loads per day the contractor's trucking system can deliver. When increased delivery times cause the trucking system to limit harvesting production, total costs per delivered ton increase. In cases where trucking significantly limits system production, total costs per delivered ton would decrease if additional trucks were added. The model allows the user to simulate a harvest with up to eight products trucked to different receiving mills. The LTSS model can be utilized without extensive data input requirements and serves as a user friendly tool for predicting cost and productivity changes in a logging contractor's harvesting and trucking system based on changes in truck delivery times. / Master of Science

A random sample of Oregon motor carriers was selected to determine the effectiveness of the Accident Countermeasures (ACM), a process created to address the factors involved in truck accidents and recommendations a motor carrier may utilize to prevent future similar accidents from occurring. Two groups of fifty motor carriers were selected, one group with a record of no accidents in a 12 month period and a group of 50 carriers who had accidents in a 12 month period. All 100 carriers were interviewed. Half of the accident groups records were reviewed and the recommendations of the ACM were supplied to the carrier, the other half was utilized as the control group. Follow up data was collected for the following year and analysis was completed to measure the effectiveness. A total of 82 Oregon based carriers remained in the study throughout its completion. The method of multiple linear regression was utilized to determine whether any variables in the set of explanatory variables considered in this study are related to the accident rate of a company. Data indicates the effect of the Miles Per Vehicle Driven in 1994, Percent of Miles Driven in Urban and the Total Out of Service are statistically significant for the Accident Rate in 1995 for the control group and the study group. It appears however, the estimated difference is only practically significant for the Miles Per Vehicle Driven in 1994 (F=20.31, p=.0001). There is no evidence of a relationship between a trucking companies accident rate in 1995 and the Accident Counter Measures intervention program. (F=.18, p=.67) The difference between the mean accident rates for a company which received the accident counter measure intervention and a company that did not receive the accident counter measure intervention ranges from -.98 to .75 (95% Confidence Interval for the difference of means). / Graduation date: 1999

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985.