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Achieving and maintaining public transportation rolling stocks in a state of good repair is very crucial to providing safe and reliable services to riders. Transit agencies that seek federal grants must also keep their transit assets in a state of good repair. Therefore, transit agencies in small urban and rural transit systems need an intelligent predictive model for analyzing their transportation rolling stocks, determining the current conditions, predicting when they need to be replaced or rehabilitated, and determining the funding needed to replace in a future year to maintain the state of good repair. Since many transit agencies in small urban and rural transit systems do not have adequate analytical tools for predicting the service life of vehicles, this simple predictive model would be a valuable resource for their state of good repair needs and their prioritization of capital needs for replacement and rehabilitation. The ability to accurately predict the service life of revenue vehicles is crucial in achieving the state of good repair. In this research, three unique tree-based ensemble learning methods have been applied to build three predictive models. The machine learning methods used in this research are random forest regression, gradient boosting regression, and decision tree regression. After evaluation and comparison of the performance results among all models, the gradient boosting regression model with the top 35 most important features was found to be the best fit for predicting the service life of transit vehicles. This model can be used to predict the projected retirement year for all small urban and rural vehicles in operation.

The local road safety program strategy has been proven effective in reducing crashes on rural roads. In this study, local road managers were surveyed about road safety activities with special emphasis on the western counties in the oil impact region. The survey provides insight for improved local road safety program delivery and monitoring.

Annually, many injuries and fatal crashes happen on local rural roads in North Dakota. The local road safety program (LRSP) strategy has been proven effective in reducing crashes on these roads. It relies on state engagement with local stakeholders to collectively reduce crash injuries in their communities. The LRSP presents a framework for stakeholders to identify, analyze, and prioritize traffic safety improvements for their roadways. In this study, local road managers were surveyed about road safety activities with special emphasis on the western counties in the oil impact region. The results reflect current practices in local government road management. It will be a resource for growing program participation and activities by providing best practices and peer knowledge sharing. One in five counties reported applying for LRSP projects over the past five years. Comparison to a previous survey shows a notable expansion in counties adopting low-cost safety strategies. The benefits of federal and state support in instituting local road safety practices were evident in funding sources and planning activities reported by counties. Several opportunities to carry this forward in proactive safety opportunities for individual counties with specific crash-type prevention strategies and for systemwide site-based safety countermeasures were evident. The survey investigation can inform other states by providing insight regarding LRSP practices and perceptions, with regard to improvements in local road safety and the potential to grow local agencies as champions in the effort.

The Office of Highway Policy Information of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publishes statistical data about motor vehicle registrations reported by the 50 states and District of Columbia. According to its 2020 publication, the 97.94% of vehicles in the State of North Dakota are registered as either private or commercial. The remaining 2.06% are publicly owned. The national averages are 98.51% private or commercial and 1.49% publicly owned.

As part of this study, 15 intersections with approximately 60 cameras were to be configured to collect traffic volumes and speeds. All of these cameras are the newer VISION models. In addition, the objectives of the study include building enhancements to the existing North Dakota State University (NDSU) Traffic Analysis Tool and to obtain cost estimates for upgrading East Grand Forks signalized intersections to enable similar data collection efforts within the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) region. This study was divided into six major tasks: Data Polling & Transfer, VISION Data Reporting, Data Quality Audits, East Grand Forks Estimation, Level of Service Estimation Feasibility Check, and Traffic Analysis Tool Enhancements.

Bicycle and scooter use entails significant safety and health risks. News stories have described the reckless behavior of users across the United States with the emergence of micromobility options. This paper investigates risky behaviors associated with U.S. bicycle and scooter riding adults. Two separate surveys were administered through the Qualtrics platform. Participants were asked to rate the severity and frequency of 20 risky behaviors of riders on five Likert scales. The risk matrix is built based on the magnitude and frequency of each risk, and ordered logistic regression is applied to identify significant factors. Regression analysis revealed that age and income are significant factors shared between both survey groups. Education level and living in urban areas are two statistically significant factors explaining the different risky behaviors with bicycles or scooters. In general, the survey results show that participants perceive there is a low risk associated with reckless behaviors.

The statewide driver traffic safety survey provides baseline metrics for the Highway Safety Division and others to use in understanding perceptions and self-reported behaviors related to focus issues. A core set of questions addressed nationally agreed upon priorities, including seat belts, impaired driving, and speeding. In addition to the core issues, questions were included to better understand views on specific programs and attitudes pertinent to North Dakota drivers. Results show that more North Dakota drivers have adopted safe-driving practices, but additional efforts are needed to improve safety on the state’s roads.

As part of this study, a total of 16 intersections comprising of approx. 61 cameras were to be set to collect traffic volumes and speeds. Note that one of the intersections originally part of this project had not been brought online (resulting in delayed completion). In order to avoid further delays, in lieu of the offline intersections, other area intersections which had been affected by current or past construction and required data collection to be reset were included in this project.

MPC-657, Researchers examined the impacts of COVID-19 on traffic safety in three different stages to better understand the relationship between traffic demand patterns, daily confirmed cases/deaths, state policies, and public perceptions and other factors.

The primary objective of this research was to identify veterans affected by COVID-19 who have mobility needs and who live in rural areas and to quantify the cost of transportation options for meeting those needs. Secondary objectives included analyzing the role of telehealth and how the pandemic has affected mobility and isolation among veterans in rural America. Analysis showed that a coordination effort between VA medical centers and rural public transit agencies would be feasible if projected ridership levels could be met. Policies to encourage possible coordination should be considered to improve veteran medical transportation services.

The current pandemic has affected the lives of all Americans. Rural communities are particularly vulnerable because of a lack of mobility services and the great distances individuals must travel for healthcare and other needs. Nearly five million veterans live in rural communities, representing 57% of Veterans Administration (VA) health care enrollees (MOAA 2020). COVID-19 cases and deaths among rural veterans have increased at a faster rate compared to veterans in urban areas according to Johns Hopkins University (2020). They also found that delayed COVID-19 testing contributed to a higher rate of cases in rural areas compared to urban areas. The primary objective of this research was to identify veterans affected by COVID-19 who live in rural areas and have mobility needs and to quantify the cost of transportation options for meeting these needs. Secondary objectives included analyzing the role of telehealth and how the pandemic has affected mobility and isolation among veterans in rural America. Survey results of 150 military veterans showed that many veterans have experienced considerable change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MPC-458, In this study, researchers used the agent-based simulation (ABS) for modeling agricultural transportation demand. With the simulation model, geographic information systems (GIS) was utilized to collect and analyze remote sensing of agricultural crops. The researchers reviewed agent-based modeling in freight and public transportation planning to fill the gap between traditional modeling efforts and emerging needs of adopting behavioral modeling for an agricultural transportation model. The study then investigated adoption of an agent-based model for a large-scale travel demand model. The objective of the proposed model was to provide a platform to analyze grain transportation movement at the micro-level, since most industry reports lack such micro-level freight analysis while supporting regional and statewide planning.

The Grand Forks – East Grand Forks MPO contacted ATAC with regards to expanding the use of existing traffic detection cameras for traffic data collection. Prior to this project, the City of Grand Forks had 31 intersections comprising of 122 cameras set for traffic data collection purposes. As part of the current project, 7 intersections comprising of 24 cameras are to be setup for traffic data collection. Additionally, the MPO had requested a feasibility study to include rail preemption event data in the archival databases similar to those created during Phase II of the study. It is envisioned that if feasible, all intersections with rail preemption will be setup (under a separate study) such that Traffic Analysis web interface may be used to run rail preemption event reports.

The Grand Forks – East Grand Forks MPO contacted ATAC with regards to extending the use of existing traffic detection cameras for traffic data collection and archival. The City of Grand Forks currently has approx. 43 intersections where Autoscope cameras are being used for traffic signal actuation purposes. More intersections within the network are being updated to have the same camera-based detection capabilities. Additional functions of these Autoscope cameras include traffic data collection.

19-TMTSD-ND-005, A survey of farm operators in the Central Plains Region, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, was conducted to gather information about transportation of crops, the inventory and characteristics of farmer-owned truck fleets, and on-farm storage capacity. The objective of the study is to provide information about the farm truck inventory and marketing patterns in the Central Plains. There is no other source for this information, and it should be unique and complementary to other farm-to-market information and national commodity flow publications. Farmers may use the results for their own investment and productivity assessments. Local and regional planners and policy makers can use the information to calibrate travel demand and freight flow models for investment and asset management choices and to estimate pavement impacts. Survey results indicate that the 5-axle semi is the most common truck configuration within the study area and that single-axle and tandem-axle truck ownership will decline in the future in favor of 5-axle and 7-axle configurations. On-farm storage is concentrated on larger farms in terms of average capacity, but the storage per bushel harvested is inversely related to farm size. The average distance to the first-choice delivery point was 14.92 miles.

The Grand Forks – East Grand Forks MPO contacted ATAC with regards to using the existing traffic detection cameras for traffic data collection and archival. The intersections included in this Grand Forks Data Collection and Archival Study – Phase I are listed in table 1. Table 1 also shows the number of lanes at each of the intersections where detectors, detector stations, and detector functions would need to be created on per lane basis.

The objective of this report is to provide a benchmark for elevator managers in assessing performance and supply a source for recognizing trends in the characteristics of North Dakota elevators. This report and the statistics mailed to individual elevators are presented as a source of information for elevator managers and those interested in the North Dakota grain industry. Continuation of the report as an annual project will be considered based on public response.

This study developed a level of traffic stress (LTS) map for Fargo-Moorhead (ND-MN) and used crowdsourced bicycle use data from Strava to show relationships between the built environment and bicycle use. The LTS map is useful for showing how friendly and encouraging areas are toward bicycle use, as well as for showing the connectivity of low-stress pathways. The bicycle ridership model shows how the development of bicycle facilities and other changes to the built environment are associated with bicycle use, as measured using Strava count data. The results of the bicycle use model show that the existence of bicycle facilities is positively associated with bicycle use.

The Annual North Dakota Elevator Marketing Report for 2009-10 was prepared by Kimberly Vachal and Laurel Benson, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the North Dakota, Wheat Commission and the North Dakota Public Service Commission in compiling this report., The objective of this report is to provide a benchmark for elevator managers in assessing performance, and supply a, source for recognizing trends in the characteristics of North Dakota elevators. This report and the statistics mailed to, individual elevators are presented as a source of information for elevator managers and those interested in the North, Dakota grain industry. Continuation of the report as an annual project will be considered based on public response.

As America’s transportation workforce continues to age, there is an increased need to invest in workforce development to combat the impending retirement tsunami. This is especially true within the small urban and rural transit industry. A national survey of rural transit managers was conducted to determine current workforce development practices as well as succession planning procedures. Viable responses were received from 160 agencies in 40 states. The majority of transit agency managers responding to the survey have been employed by their agency for more than 15 years while 75% of total respondents were 50 years of age or older. One-third of respondents indicated they plan to retire within the next 5 years while only 15% have any viable succession plan in place to combat this high management turnover.

This study compares the level of public transportation services provided in North Dakota to those of the surrounding states of South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Greater Minnesota. Separate analyses are performed for rural and urban transit. Overall, North Dakota performs well by some measures and not as well by others, but the level of service in the state is generally comparable to what is found in surrounding states. Statewide averages show how the states compare to each other, but there are significant variations within states regarding the level of service provided, for both rural and urban transit.

The objective of this research is to compare the level of public transportation services provided in North Dakota to those of surrounding states. The study focuses on North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska (excluding the Omaha metro area), and Minnesota (excluding the Twin Cities metro area). This involves an analysis of the level of service provided, measured in terms of geographic coverage, service availability, number of vehicles in use, and vehicle hours and miles of service; the amount of service consumed, measured in terms of ridership; the level of investment from different sources; and measures that evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of service. The analysis also considers the varying levels of need throughout the region. The scope of the project includes all rural transit agencies receiving Section 5311 funding and small urban systems receiving Section 5307 funds. Overall, North Dakota performs well by some measures and not as well by others, but the level of service in the state is generally comparable to what is found in surrounding states. Statewide averages show how the states compare to each other, but there are significant variations within states regarding the level of service provided, for both rural and urban transit.

This study developed a level of traffic stress (LTS) map for Fargo-Moorhead and used crowdsourced bicycle use data from Strava to show relationships between the built environment and bicycle use. The LTS map is useful for showing how friendly and encouraging areas are toward bicycle use, as well as for showing the connectivity of low-stress pathways, and the bicycle ridership model shows how the development of bicycle facilities and other changes to the built environment are associated with bicycle use, as measured using Strava count data. The results of the bicycle use model show that the existence of bicycle facilities is positively associated with bicycle use. This suggests that bicyclists are using the roadway design features that are meant to accommodate them, including shared-use paths, bike lanes, buffered lanes, shared-lane markings, signed-only routes, and shoulders. Other significant predictors of bicycle use included industrial employment density, which was negative, proximity to downtown or to water, low-stress connectivity, traffic volume and speed, which had unexpected positive effects, and median age.

Results identify three to seven statistically significant risk factors from among 13 selected for the models. These included: seat belt use, alcohol/drug involvement, head-on collision impact, rollover event, failure to yield/stop, weather, intersection, curve, and multiple-truck involvement. Seat belt use was a significant predictor for severe injury likelihood in all models. Failure to stop or yield, rollover event, multiple truck involvement, curves and intersections were associated with increased likelihood for severe-injury to truck drivers. Severe injury to other drivers in truck-involved crashes was associated with alcohol or drug involvement, head-on and sideswipe collisions, rollover events, weather, and distracted driving.

Despite the retirement of transit managers in small urban and rural communities, succession planning to prepare local transit agencies is lacking. Applied research must be developed to provide a smooth transition for the public transportation industry as it moves forward. Current specific workforce shortages need to be considered as well. For example, a lack of qualified drivers in numerous small urban and rural communities has made providing high-quality transit service difficult to nearly impossible. These workforce labor shortages must be addressed or transit service in many small urban and rural areas may cease to exist in its present form.

(c)1036338 (wo) 2, This study explores the nature and extent of problems related to pedestrian user experience at Minnesota roundabouts. Pedestrian user experience in this study is measured by way of studying driver-yielding rates toward pedestrians at Minnesota roundabout crossings, pedestrian infrastructure design, and pedestrian behavior characteristics at Minnesota roundabout crossing treatments. To gather roundabout candidates for this study, a survey was conducted with Minnesota city and county engineers, as well as with the project Technical Advisory Panel members. Fifteen roundabouts were shortlisted for conducting field observations followed by installing multiple cameras at each roundabout. Eight roundabout locations were shortlisted for conducting case studies and in-depth analysis to study pedestrian user experience. Case study findings have shown that when compared to multi-lane roundabouts, single-lane roundabouts performed well in terms of driver vehicle-yielding rates toward pedestrians. Use of rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) at pedestrian crossings has shown better driver-yielding rates while in-roadway signs have shown satisfactory results. Based on the knowledge gathered from previous research by way of literature review combined with Minnesota roundabouts studied in this research effort, a guidance document was developed to help city and county engineers enhance pedestrian user experience at Minnesota roundabouts.

A community is considered walkable if it is easy as well as safe for pedestrians to walk for recreation, exercise, and to school, stores, parks, the post office, etc. Additionally, a walkable community encourages safe use of existing infrastructure while expanding transportation options for users with varied ranges of mobility. This report documents a walkability assessment of Langdon, ND, as completed in 2022 by Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI). The goal of this assessment is to bring all stakeholders together to identify the problems facing the community of Langdon when it comes to walking in the area.

In reading this book you will undoubtedly discover that a history of North Dakota transportation is really a history of the state itself. Whereas states along the eastern seaboard had been settled for 200 years before the whistle of a steamboat or locomotive was heard, rails stretched across Dakota Territory before there was any significant white pioneer settlement. Transportation facilities were built long before there were any towns to serve. The development of agriculture was an immediate necessity if railroads were to survive. The iron horse and the traction engine were partners in the cultivation of the prairies, and although agriculture and transportation were, and are often adversaries, this close and highly interdependent relationship has continued to the present day.

This report represents a continuation of analysis concerned with the patterns and methods of distributing grains and oilseeds from North Dakota. This series began with the analysis of 1956-57 data and was published in Agricultural Economics Reports 15, 17, 44, 56, and 86 and Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 462. The compilation and analysis of data for the year 1967-68 in this series was assumed by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. Also, the data representing the 1967-68 period were the first results of the requirements of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture that all North Dakota elevators report monthly movements of grains and oilseeds by truck and rail. Prior to 1967-68, these data had been estimated from questionnaires completed by a sample of country elevators.

Shared-use mobility services such as ridesourcing, bikesharing, and carsharing have been introduced in a few rural communities and a fair number of small-urban communities. Input about the interest and potential willingness to use these services, and adoption of various emerging vehicle technologies, could help improve understanding and planning for appropriate shared mobility services to meet the transportation needs in rural and small-urban communities. This study analyzed the the interest and adoption patterns for shared mobility and emerging vehicle technologies in rural and small-urban communities. The study also explored the characteristics of shared mobility users in rural America by analyzing the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Among all rural respondents, about 1.8% use rideshare services, about 0.2% use carshare services, and about 0.3% use bikeshare services. Another important finding from the study is that a significant portion of rideshare users (29.9%), carshare users (28.8%), and bikeshare (20.1%) users are also public transit users. Regarding the adoption of advanced technologies, both Fargo and Dickinson were observed to have high adoption rates for advanced technologies such as smartphones, trip planning apps, and Amazon Prime. Rideshare service has a high adoption rate in Fargo but moderate adoption rate in Dickinson.

The 24/7 Sobriety Program is an intervention strategy mandating that alcohol-impaired driving offenders remain sober as a condition of bond or pre-trial release. The goal is to monitor the most at-risk offenders in North Dakota and require that these individuals remain sober in order to keep roadways safe from hazardous drivers. As a component of the program, offenders are required to submit to twice-a-day blood alcohol concentration tests, ankle bracelet monitoring, drug patches, or urinalysis as a monitoring technique. While a pilot phase included a 60-day and discretionary enrollment options for repeat DUI offenders, the current standard is a minimum 360-day sentencing period for all repeat offenders in North Dakota and other early adaptor states. Stakeholder experiences and empirical evidence supported the program’s deterrent effects on DUI-related citations. This assessment sought to extend the earlier research into North Dakota experience as a promising program into a maturing program. The goal was to offer evidence-based knowledge for critical program aspects in the state’s continuous program improvement initiative. The focus areas were: (1) if positive deterrent effects were statistically evident during program enrollment; (2) if deterrent effects were sustained beyond program completion; (3) if deterrent effects were stronger among certain participant subpopulations; and, (4) if select factors were associated with greater likelihood for to recidivism. Results show that participants significantly improve crash and citation metrics after enrolling in the program. Individuals participating in the program for a fourth-time offense or higher have greater likelihood of relapsing into the alcohol impaired driving behavior. These individuals may benefit from supplemental strategies as they comprise a driver subpopulation more likely to have chronic alcohol abuse and mental health issues.

The 24/7 Sobriety Program is an intervention strategy mandating that alcohol-impaired driving offenders remain sober as a condition of bond or pre-trial release. The goal is to monitor the most at-risk offenders in North Dakota and require that these individuals remain sober in order to keep roadways safe from hazardous drivers. As a component of the program, offenders are required to submit to twice-a-day blood alcohol concentration tests, ankle bracelet monitoring, drug patches, or urinalysis as a monitoring technique. While a pilot phase included a 60-day and discretionary enrollment options for repeat DUI offenders, the current standard is a minimum 360-day sentencing period for all repeat offenders in North Dakota and other early adaptor states. Stakeholder experiences and empirical evidence supported the program’s deterrent effects on DUI-related citations. If a program participant fails to remain sober while enrolled, the individual is sent directly to jail. This assessment sought to extend the earlier research into North Dakota’s experience as a promising program into a maturing program. The goal was to offer evidence-based knowledge for critical program aspects in the state’s continuous program improvement initiative. The focus areas were: (1) if positive deterrent effects were statistically evident during program enrollment; (2) if deterrent effects were sustained beyond program completion; (3) if deterrent effects were stronger among certain participant subpopulations; and, (4) if select factors were associated with greater likelihood for recidivism. Results show that participants significantly improve crash and citation metrics after enrolling in the program. Individuals participating in the program for a fourth-time offense have higher odds of relapsing into the alcohol impaired driving behavior. These individuals, termed high-risk in this study, may benefit from treatment alternatives as they may represent the North Dakota driver subpopulation that has

This research examines a range of incident detection technologies to determine a recommended combination of approaches for use in the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). The technologies that were examined are computer-based Automatic Incident Detection (AID), Video Image Processing (VIP), and detection by cellular telephone call-ins.

North Dakota's grain producers rely on an efficient rail system to move their products to export and domestic markets. A recent shift to larger grain hopper cars may threaten the viability of the state's light-density branch line network. This study simulates the impacts of handling larger rail cars on many types of rail lines, model the decision process used by railroads in deciding whether to upgrade such lines or abandon them, estimates the costs of upgrading rail lines that are unlikely to be upgraded, and estimates generalized highway impacts that could result from the abandonment of non-upgraded lines.

The purpose of this component of the Strategic Freight Analysis was to provide a market-based synopsis of the potential impact of shuttle train shipments on North Dakota's local grain industry.

The concept of combining wood and concrete in layered composite bridge deck was investigated. A shear key/anchor detail recently used in Europe to construct floors in office buildings was adapted for this study. This connection detail provides the interlayer shear transfer between the layers. Laboratory testing included anchor pull-out tests, interlay slip tests on various key/anchor details, preliminary load tests of full-scale rectangular layered beam specimens and pilot tests of two full-size layered deck specimens. The deck specimens were realistic for short span right and skewed longitudinal deck bridges, respectively. A rigorous analytical model successfully predicted the beam behavior. Analytical work is in progress to rigorously model the composite behavior of the decks. Results show that under static loading, a high degree of composite action was achieved in the beam specimens, as compared to use of ordinary mechanical connectors. An initial analysis shows an extremely high efficiency for the deck specimens, but is overestimated in the model.

This research document represents the analysis and recommendations of the University of Utah Traffic Laboratory (UTL) on the following Road Weather Information System (RWIS) topics: (1) public dissemination of RWIS station information and (2) the area of influence of available RWIS equipment.

This study provides a snapshot of truck/rail container intermodal shipping into and out of North Dakota. The study revealed the benefits of intermodal transportation including lower overall transportation costs, increased economic productivity and efficiency, reduced congestion and burden on over-stressed highway infrastructure, higher returns from public and private infrastructure investments, reduced energy consumption, and increased safety.

In an attempt to provide some of the information that will enable North Dakota firms and policymakers to make better decisions, this project addressed four transportation issues, which are critical to the future of the state's agricultural sector: (1) the impact of 110-car shuttle trains on the marketing of grains, (2) the impact of heavier cars on light-density rail lines, (3) the changing trend in the use of truck/rail container intermodal transportation for marketing North Dakota products; and (4) the role played by logistics factors in determining the optimal location of value-added facilities.

A field load test program was conducted to evaluate three open-deck timber railroad trestle bridges. The bridges included part of a 31-span bridge, a four-span bridge with skewed interior bents and a three-span bridge. Piles of the chords of the bridges were evaluated non-destructively for material properties using an ultrasonic stress wave device. The bridges were modeled using typical frame analysis techniques to predict response to loads. Deflection and strain measurements were recorded from the load testing. The responses of the bridges to various loads are compared to the predicted responses from several analytical modeling assumptions. The diagnostic testing used loads applied statically by axles of a test train and ramp loads applied by a specially designed railroad test car. Rolling train loads were conducted using the axles of the test train. Displaced chord and ground reference deflections plus some strain measurements were recorded at selected locations. The bridges performed within the expected range of behavior predicted by the analytical models. The chord systems of the bridges performed as beams semi-continuous over multiple supports. Two forms of support motion were observed; motion of the caps and gap closing between individual piles and the supporting caps. Load sharing among individual piles was examined empirically. No definable pattern for load sharing of the piles was identified.

This report presents results of an investigation into the practice and legal issues of Road Safety Audits and Road Safety Audit Reviews (RSAs and RSARs). These safety analysis approaches focus on identifying safety issues of proposed projects (RSA) and existing roadways (RSAR). In the United States, these approaches are just beginning to be considered. The study results show that the Road Safety Audit Program adds value to a transportation entity, and those legal doctrines such as sovereign immunity and the rules of discovery and evidence can operate to protect the transportation entity from liability. Furthermore, the public interest of improving road safety outweighs the plaintiff's interests in a potential lawsuit.

One significant consideration when examining a business venture is to define the network for the product. The network design should take into account the number, size, and location of suppliers, producers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. The spreadsheet model allows consideration of a number of important factors and the inputs to the model can be changed easily to allow for examining many different scenarios. For example, the model can demonstrate the benefits of a certain location over another based on such things as available freight rates and land or labor costs. However, when making a final decision, other important factors such as labor climate and quality of life, etc., should also be taken into consideration.

In this paper, rural and small urban transit agencies are classified into peer groups using hierarchical cluster analysis and data from the Rural National Transit Database (Rural NTD). The objective is to provide a basis for the comparison of individual agency to peer group performance as well as econometric analysis between and within peer groups. Rural and small urban transit agencies are first assigned to three groups by service provided: demand-response, fixed-route, and demand-response and fixed-route service. A fourth group is created to accommodate the large number of transit agencies providing demand-response service that did not report vehicle-hour data. The four groups are then clustered using vehicle-mile, vehicle-hour (where available), and fleet size variables. Operating statistics for each cluster by group are presented. The process for comparing individual agency performance to its respective cluster is described. The Rural NTD demonstrates its usefulness as a consistent, uniform national dataset. However, additional service area information would accommodate clustering based on exogenous as opposed to endogenous variables as is necessary with the current data set.

Previous studies on daily time allocation have shed light on individuals’ trade-offs regarding time allocation within a fixed time budget. However, interpersonal interactions of time allocation with a social network are far from being understood, largely due to limited research in this area. Further, few studies have focused on residents of China, whose population is largest in the world and whose culture is quite different from western countries. Using the data collected from 261 households in Shenzhen, this study applies structural equations models to investigate time allocation of male and female household heads on the weekday and weekend. The results show clear household activity roles of Chinese residents: men are dominant in out-of-home activities, but women dominate in-home activities. This study also offers some insightful interpersonal interactions of activity participation between household heads.

In an attempt to increase net returns from farming efforts and stabilize agricultural commodities, rural communities are viewing value-added processing as a possible solution. Many attempts have been made at the value-added concept, and recently adding potato production under irrigation has changed farming for some North Dakota producers. The potato industry is meeting consumer demands for more efficient and less time consuming methods of cooking by offering a wider variety of convenient processed potato items. The different uses of potatoes determines processor locations and movement of the raw product. However, the location of processing plants and warehouses impact highway demand and truck use. A network flow model was developed to estimate the truck traffic generated by the potato industry. The model uses some of the steps implemented by Denver Tolliver of UGPTI in developing a Prototype Corn Highway Network Model for Southeastern North Dakota. A network model is a representation of supply and destination nodes and the transportation links. The most important findings is the reduction in production in northeastern North Dakota, the traditional location of potato production and the introduction of irrigated acreage in the central and south central part of the state. The processors demand a uniform quality product which can best be controlled under irrigation. Continued irrigation development will increase tonnage product from the land. This production may not be potatoes, but whatever the crop, the additional tonnage will have greater impacts on the North Dakota highway system. Development of flow models to coincide with NASS production data will provide valuable insight for North Dakota highway planners.

This study was conducted to identify ITS technologies that transit systems are using, and particularly to aid in the progress of the Welfare to Work Initiative. Two different surveys were used to gather information for this study. First, a survey was developed and administered to identify transit systems that use ITS. A second survey was designed and administered to better target the systems that use ITS. It could be concluded that transit systems were satisfied with the ITS technologies implemented and many reported their intent to implement additional ITS technologies in the future. Costs were found to be probably the largest barrier to implementing the technologies, along with transit systems reluctance to invest in rapidly changing technologies.

The Annual North Dakota Elevator Marketing Report for 2008-09 was prepared by Kimberly Vachal and Laurel Benson, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the North Dakota, Grain Dealers Association, the North Dakota Wheat Commission, and the North Dakota Public Service Commission in, compiling this report., The objective of this report is to provide a benchmark for elevator managers in assessing performance, and supply a, source for recognizing trends in the characteristics of North Dakota elevators. This report and the statistics mailed to, individual elevators are presented as a source of information for elevator managers and those interested in the North, Dakota grain industry. Continuation of the report as an annual project will be considered based on public response.

In the motor carrier industry, many drivers are paid based on the number of miles they drive. Because of this, they can be said to be on a piecework system of payment. This paper explores some ideas and theory about piecework and applies these to drivers. The theories discussed are those pertaining to (1) setting the piece rates, (2) changing the rates, (3) the seeming lack of employee loyalty, (4) the seeming importance of quantity over quality, and (5) equity theory., Each of these areas has specific implications for the motor carrier industry and it is believed that employers in this industry can benefit from the discussion and recommendations that are made through a better understanding of this method of payment and the implications for their drivers. 18 p.

The Annual North Dakota Elevator Marketing Report for 2010-11 was prepared by Kimberly Vachal and Laurel Benson, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the North Dakota Wheat Commission and the North Dakota Public Service Commission in compiling this report., The objective of this report is to provide a benchmark for elevator managers in assessing performance, and supply a source for recognizing trends in the characteristics of North Dakota elevators. This report and the statistics mailed to individual elevators are presented as a source of information for elevator managers and those interested in the North Dakota grain industry. Continuation of the report as an annual project will be considered based on public response.

One potential means for gaining insight into the current state of the elevator industry, and into expectations for future trends, is through a survey. The objective of this study is to profile the transportation and industry characteristics of the elevators located in the Great Plains region of the United States. Transportation characteristics consider farm-to-elevator procurement and outbound elevator-to-market movements. In addition, elevator managers were asked to describe their operations and offer opinions regarding importance of issues pertinent to the future of the elevator industry.