Commercial Vehicle Survey to Provide Freight Movement Data
BALTIMORE (June 3, 2003) - For the next several weeks, staff from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) will conduct a survey of commercial trucks with gross vehicle weights greater than 10,000 pounds. The survey will take place at roadside locations, usually at weigh/inspection stations, along major highway corridors such as I-95, I-70, I-83 and US Route 50 in the Baltimore and Washington regions, and I-270, US Route 15, US Route 301 and I-66 in the Washington region. The last survey of this kind was conducted in 1996.
Operators of commercial vehicles passing these locations will be randomly asked to participate in the survey, which takes the form of a short, structured interview, taking 2 to 3 minutes to complete. The survey will capture information about trip origin and destination, and type of freight being carried. Collected data will be used to update assumptions used in forecasting truck traffic patterns and volumes in the Baltimore and Washington regions.
COG will share its findings with Transportation Planning staff at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), for its use in preparing freight movement forecasts for the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB). The BRTB is the federally-mandated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Baltimore region. BMC and COG often exchange information used in transportation planning.
"The survey data will be invaluable in helping us understand the movements of truck traffic in, around and through the Baltimore region," said Executive Owens, the BMC Chair and BRTB Vice Chair. "Although some truck traffic originates locally, our major interstate corridors make the Baltimore-Washington area the crossroads of the mid-Atlantic."
Questions about the survey may be directed to project manager Patrick Zilliacus at COG, 202-962-3292, or Zill@MWCOG.ORG.
###
Links within this web site:
Press Releases
Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 December 2008 09:56