Suggested Citation:
Steyn, Wynand, Nadia Viljoen, Lorina Popescu, Louw du Plessis (2014) Freight-Truck-Pavement Interaction, Logistics, & Economics: Final Phase 1 Report (Tasks 1-6). Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-14-24

The intention of the study is to demonstrate the potential economic effects of delayed road maintenance and management, leading to deteriorated ride quality and subsequent increased vehicle operating costs, vehicle damage, and freight damage.
The overall objectives of this project are to enable Caltrans to better manage the risks of decisions regarding freight and the management and preservation of the pavement network, as the potential effects of such decisions (i.e., to resurface and improve ride quality earlier or delay such a decision for a specific pavement) will be quantifiable in economic terms. This objective will be reached through applying the principles of vehicle-pavement interaction (V-PI) and state-of-the-practice tools to simulate and measure peak loads and vertical acceleration of trucks and their freight on a selected range of typical pavement surface profiles on the State Highway System (SHS) for a specific region or Caltrans district. The objectives of this report are to provide information on Tasks 1–6, and to provide guidance about the specific corridor or district on which the remainder of the study (Tasks 7–12) should be focused.