Establishing a data framework to share messages with commercial trucks

Focus Area: Freight/Commercial Vehicle Management and Operations
Submitting On Behalf Of: TRB Committee on Freeway Operations
Urgency: Important - Medium Priority
Cost: $250,000 - 499,000
Timeframe: 2 - 3 years
Type of Research: Full Research Project

Date Posted: Jun 5, 2025
Status: Not Funded

Research Description

Maps and navigation systems intended for non-commercial road users are often also used by commercial vehicles, resulting in safety issues such as strikes to bridge structures, becoming stuck and unable to navigate narrow geometries, or travel on a roadway unable to carry the heavy commercial vehicle load. For example, in the year 2020, over 20 bridges were struck in the Houston District. This may happen due to unplanned diversion or from unlicensed operators. It is essential to deliver time-sensitive messages to commercial trucks, particularly along heavily traveled freight corridors. Providing actionable traffic, weather, and infrastructure information to commercial drivers can significantly enhance safety and help alleviate congestion on key freight-intensive roadways as well as secondary routes. Vendors such as DriveWyze and MakeWay using the INRIX platform with States now offer alerts to a population of commercial vehicle road users. There may be other opportunities to expand this portfolio through technologies such as geofencing, social media use, and other navigational application engagements to expand the delivery and reach of time-sensitive commercial truck messaging. There is a need for a consistent data structure by which to share real-time information with commercial vehicle operators.

This research will result in the following: • A data framework for States to consistently share static and real time information for commercial vehicle navigation constraints. • Best practices on how state highway agencies are disseminating time critical roadway operations data to commercial trucks (e.g., a mobile app by State DOT versus a push-notification system, marketing and outreach, etc.). • Collaboration between States for data sharing

Additional Supporting Information

Benefits of this research include: • Establishing consistency among States for sharing data with expectations that navigation providers can use such a data system. • Improving information sharing between States specific to commercial vehicle restrictions Enabling long-haul trucking entities to better plan for and react to disruptions well in advance of entering a specific region or State. • Share good existing practices for communicating real-time information with commercial vehicle entities.

Submitted By: Jim Katsafanas; Michael Baker International; 412-269-4635

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