National Roadside Survey and Related Truck Data Collection Activities

1. National Roadside Survey and Related Truck Data Collection Activities Transborder Working Group Calgary, Alberta October 21, 2004

2. National Roadside StudyHistory • The first NRS was undertaken in 1991 to monitor the success of deregulation following revisions to the Motor VehicleTransport Act in the late 1980s. • Surveys were also conducted in 1995 and 1999. • The purpose of each survey was to collect data on heavy truck activity that were not currently available, e.g. • Canadian / US domicile, private trucking, axle weights, … • Each of the surveys was conducted under the umbrella of the CCMTA. • Each survey was designed to meet the needs of the provinces and territories, TC, and in 1999 the requirements of the United States were also included. CCMTA: Canadian Council of Motor Transportation Administrators

3. NRS: Current Context • During the spring of 2003, Quebec and Ontario expressed interest in a future National Roadside Study. • The United States [FHWA] also indicated some interest in participating in a future NRS. • TC addressed CCMTA in October 2003, and committed to undertake some preliminary work to establish the national need and interest for a future NRS. • A second report was made to CCMTA in the spring of 2004 on the findings from the stakeholder consultations. • TC is committed to brief CCMTA again during their Annual Meeting on November 1st 2004. FHWA: Federal Highways Administration

4. Planning: Provincial Consultations • A series of NRS-focused consultations were held with provinces and territories in March, 2004. • Findings: • Though most jurisdictions support the proposed survey in 2006, three different points of view emerged: • Continue with the “historical” approach to the NRS including the long questionnaire; • A more focused NRS (less questions) and better use of technology to collect and disseminate information; and • Some jurisdictions made little or no use of 1999 data due to complicated data systems to access information, lack of confidence in quality of data and long time period after completion of survey before release of data. Serious reservations were expressed related to methodology; the importance of limiting survey to 10-15 key questions taking no more than 5-10 minutes was emphasized. • Require a consensus on data elements needed from survey

5. Planning: Provincial Consultations (cont.) • Most provinces indicated an interest in the following: • Vehicle characteristics and number of movements related to Canada/US border-crossings. • National and international trade-related commodity information. • Survey sites on roads in addition to those on the National Highway System. • Intra, inter-provincial and cross-border intermodal traffic. • Consideration of seasonality in the roadside surveys. • Accurate traffic counts to determine the truck universe passing by survey sites. • Most jurisdictions would like on-going vehicle count and axle weight information, but do not own enough WIM units to accomplish this.

6. Planning: Other Consultations • U.S. Federal Highways Administration (FHWA): • expressed continued interest in participating in a future NRS primarily due to trade-related activity. • no commitment on funding, however FHWA did make a commitment to participate in research related to methodology. • Eastern Border Transportation Coalition (EBTC): • could not commit to the same level of involvement and resources as was provided for the 1999 survey. • Both FHWA and EBTC: • needed time to firmly establish data needs. • felt that NRS should be discussed in other fora, such as the Transborder Working Group (TBWG) and North American Statistics Interchange. • Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) voiced support for a future NRS.

7. Key Points Emerging From Consultations • Lessons learned from 1999 NRS point towards need to: • Develop a more focused questionnaire to reduce downtime of trucks; • Gain overall consensus on data elements required; • Review survey methodology, in particular solve traffic count issues to get accurate universe of truck movements passing survey sites; • Take advantage of advances in technology for automating continuous/repeated collection (capture seasonality), storage, validation and dissemination of data; • Develop a training plan for field staff well in advance of field work; • Ensure timely release of data once survey is complete; and • Ensure that data can be used to address a broad range of priorities and can be updated easily and more frequently.

8. Common Areas of Interest betweenProvinces and Transport Canada • Agree on need to account for seasonality, improve sampling methodology and improve vehicle counts. • All jurisdictions have an interest in specific common data elements, regardless of end use: • Commodity, tonnage, origin / destination [OD], routing, vehicle characteristics and vehicle counts on both National Highway System (NHS) and non-NHS roads, country of domicile, axle weights, intermodal data, dangerous goods, tonne-kilometers, data on urban arterials and streets. • This information could be used for: • Border infrastructure and security planning; • Intra, inter-provincial infrastructure planning; • Corridor freight modeling; • Full cost initiative; • Urban issues; and • Environment and climate change issues.

9. Issues with Previous Approaches used for NRS • Many of the major shortcomings of past roadside surveys are tied to the methods used to collect data: • The use of a large, complex questionnaire: • Many errors crept in during the collection stage, especially trip OD and routing errors • Traffic counting approach used to derive sampling weights proved to be a major source of weakness • Most of the surveying took place at permanent weigh stations • It did not allow for a sufficient representation of general truck activity due to their physical location in rural areas • Past surveys were just a one-off with no scope for continuous data collection • Huge effort spent on a small slice of time and space • No way to judge seasonal changes for either vehicle characteristics or traffic density

10. The Issue Surrounding Traffic Counts The issue: • All intercept surveys [e.g. NRS] require traffic counts to derive the “total trucking traffic” population weights: • difficulties were encountered with counting vehicles for past intercept surveys. A proposed solution: • The use of Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) equipment which can automatically count /classify /weigh vehicles: • Would reduce surveying time, and costs [to government and industry], since field workers would not have to weigh/measure trucks manually; • Equipment can be used beyond a one-off survey to collect continuous data on traffic levels and axle loadings; • If portable WIM’s are added to the plan, then continuous data collection on all classes of roads can be envisaged, using the information for planning / enforcement purposes.

11. PROPOSALUse of Technology at Border Crossings • A plan centered around the use of units to be installed at the main border crossings: • Purchase 50 WIM units and deploy in the following way: • 11 permanent scales using bending plate technology for border crossings handling over 500 trucks per day ($150K per site) • 22 portable scales using piezo-electric sensors for border crossings handling between 100 and 500 trucks per day ($50K per site) • 17 portable piezo-electric units to be rotated around the remaining 90 or so low-volume border crossings ($50K per unit) • Actual number of WIM’s required will be determined when sampling methodology is completed • Approximately 95% of transborder truck traffic crosses via the 33 largest crossings. • Meets key recommendations of TBWG data committee to improve counting of trucks at border and obtain better transborder OD data • Under a contribution agreement, WIM’s could also be placed on U.S. side of border

12. Advantages of the Proposal for the Border OD Survey • Installation of WIM’s would produce accurate traffic counts and vehicle characteristics/axle weights. Would significantly facilitate the conduct of a truck intercept survey (NRS) at the border: • Would meet trade-related data needs of provinces and TC • Would meet key recommendation of TBWG data committee. • Data collected would include OD, route, commodity, axle weights, tonnage, vehicle characteristics, number of trucks, Canadian vs. U.S. domicile, dangerous goods classification, congestion indicators.

13. Leveraging the Technology Investment • With the proposed investment in a number of portable WIM’s, it is possible to use them not only for borders but to move them strategically to meet a broad range of data priorities: • Quebec-Windsor Corridor truck OD survey: • Could use the 17 portable WIM units purchased for low-volume border crossings to conduct a truck OD survey in the Quebec-Windsor corridor in spring/summer/autumn of 2005 • Would meet provincial NRS requirements for Ontario and Quebec • Would be available for NRS in 2006 • Collect vehicle class/axle loadings data for road cost allocation: • Develop a sampling scheme for estimating traffic volumes and axle loadings by class of road and class of motor vehicle • Requires additional WIM equipment (up to 75 units nominally) • Could borrow the portable border units (39 units) • Acquire 36 additional piezo-class WIM units • National Roadside Survey: • The additional 36 units would form basis for NRS in 2006 and a permanent road counting system, deployed throughout network.

14. Proposed Implementation Plan • Start with cross-border trucking activity: • In early 2005, conduct an OD survey of heavy trucks along the Quebec / Ontario border • Invest in WIM equipment to support border OD survey and collect continuous information on truck activity • Followed by other trucking activity of interest: • During 2005, use some portable WIM’s purchased for data collection at border to collect data for: • Quebec-Windsor Corridor Freight Modeling • Full-Cost Investigation (would include data on urban arterials and on non-NHS roads) • In 2006, portable WIM’s to be used for establishing vehicle characteristics and traffic counts for intra and interprovincial, other corridor and border-crossing NRS. • Following 2006, some portable WIM’s to be used to continue gathering continuous truck activity at predetermined locations across country in addition to border crossings [infrastructure planning, congestion].

15. Proposed Implementation Plan:Planning and Analysis • A necessary component of the overall plan will be to conduct research on methodology to enhance the data capture, analysis and dissemination process: • Questionnaire design /development / pilot • Develop data entry /querying /data transmission /housing tools • Validation of data • Conduct research on: • Sampling methodology; survey sites; WIM placement for NRS, Corridor Freight Modeling, FCI, urban, intermodal, congestion • Provinces with their own specific analytical needs will have to cover research related to such needs

16. Proposed Implementation PlanOther Requirements • To improve efficiency of data collection, transmission, housing and validation, purchase of specific hardware components and development of dedicated software would be required: • Servers to house data • Communications equipment to transfer data • Tablet computers to collect data • Camera technology • Systems to access/disseminate data • There will be requirements for the provinces/territories related to relocation of the portable WIM units, enforcement during survey periods and long-term WIM maintenance.

17. Benefits of Proposed Plan • NRS no longer a “one-off” survey as WIM will allow data collection continuously. Data can be used for other priorities, therefore allows for economies of scale. • Planning for survey, methodology and sampling well in advance of field work will reduce costs. • Improved data collection will enhance data reliability, and shorten time lag for validation / dissemination of data. • Reduction of level of effort as compared to previous NRS surveys • WIM investment will increase productivity of NRS field workers who won’t have to weigh and measure trucks manually • Trucks will be stopped for 5-10 minutes, instead of 45-60 minutes. • Provinces/territories would retain ownership of WIM’s once surveys are completed – to be used for ongoing long-term traffic counts and axle weight information. • Acquisition of WIM equipment at half the cost • Equipment proposed under this plan could be combined with existing equipment in each jurisdiction for ongoing / ad hoc requirements • Ability to have ongoing monitoring of border, urban and other infrastructure pressures. • Data would be shared with all participating partners.