Footage from a recent electric vehicle crash test performed at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute was featured in a news segment on CBS Mornings. “Electric vehicles raise safety concerns as to whether guardrails can handle car’s excess weight” highlights how guardrails on U.S. roads are typically tested against vehicles weighing up to 5,000 lbs. and […]
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Episode 90. Revisited: Alone in the Crowd: Long-haul truckers fight isolation through satellite connections.
With National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 15-21) just around the corner, it seemed a good time to revisit our interview with Mark Willis from almost exactly one year ago. This is the week in which the trucking industry celebrates the contributions of roughly 3.5 million professional truck drivers nationwide, who deliver the essential goods […]
New Website Streamlines Motorcycle Licensing and Training Information for Texans
Navigating the complex web of resources for motorcycle licensing and safety training just got easier for Texans. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) has launched a new website designed to be a resource for riders and instructors.
Recognizing Excellence in Impaired Driving Prevention
The Texas Impaired Driving Task Force (TxIDTF) is dedicated to eliminating impaired driving across the state. Comprised of law enforcement, prosecution, prevention, advocacy, media development/communications and more, the task force works diligently to combat one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities in Texas. To honor those making significant contributions to this mission, TxIDTF, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, annually presents the Texas Impaired Driving Safety Awards.
Episode 89. Celebrating a Lifetime Storyteller: Bernie Fette passes the baton to our podcast’s new host, Allan Rutter.
This 89th episode of Thinking Transportation is a landmark event. Host Bernie Fette, who is retiring from service to the state of Texas after more than 30 years, is passing the podcast hosting baton to Allan Rutter, TTI’s Freight Practice Leader. Included in his decades of transportation-related employment, Allan served as Federal Railroad Administrator under […]
2024 TTI Summer Internship Program
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) successfully concluded its 2024 Summer Internship Program on Aug. 2, marking another year of impactful engagement with students through hands-on transportation research. Held over 10 weeks at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus, the program was a collaborative effort between the Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH), the National Center for Infrastructure Transformation (NCIT) and the Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC).
El Paso Trade Fair Showcases Future of Border Transportation Solutions
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers shared their research at the Customs and Border Protection El Paso Field Office (EPFO) 2024 Annual Trade Fair. The event, themed “Building Toward the Future,” gathered representatives from state, local and federal agencies focused on enhancing cross-border transportation.
Episode 88. Not So Fast! Can driver behavior influence how speed limits are set?
Factors that determine speed limits on a given roadway have a lot to do with physical conditions along the route, but how fast drivers want to go figures into the equation, too.
USDOT Awards $19.2 Million in Advanced Vehicle Technology Grants to Texas to Serve as National Model and Help Save Lives on Our Nation’s Roadways
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced on Aug. 9 that it is awarding a $19.2 million grant to Texas under the Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment program to advance connected and interoperable vehicle technologies. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will receive the grant for the Texas TRUST Project: Transforming Roads, Unleashing Smart Technologies that will serve as a national model to accelerate and spur new deployments of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies. The Texas grant was awarded as part of a $60 million grant package awarded to Arizona, Texas and Utah.
Episode 87. Revisited: At the Intersection of Engineering and Psychology — How a diverse team manages special event traffic.
When special events set new records for attendance, they tend to do the same for roadway gridlock. To ensure success, experts rely on the right mix of traffic planning and outreach.
Are We There Yet
Subscribe Latest Video Are We There Yet? Our new video series tells the story of our everyday mobility adventure – how we get ourselves and the stuff we need from one place to another. Join our host Stephanie for a whimsical look at all things transportation. It may be weird, but we wonder about such […]
Episode 86. The Never Ending Story? Why road projects take so long to complete.
Building a new highway involves a complex and painstaking process, one that begins years before the folks in hard hats and orange vests arrive on the scene.
Thomas Lambert Inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor
Thomas C. Lambert — former president and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston METRO) — was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor on June 12 during a ceremony at the Omni Houston Hotel.
Episode 85. Anchors Aweigh: How maritime interests occupy a vital link in the freight industry.
We rely upon waterborne shipping for most of the products we buy and use every day. We hardly give that reliance any thought at all – until something goes wrong.
TTI Advances Research on EV Safety and Roadway Infrastructure
As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is leading the charge in safety innovation. Roadway departure crashes, responsible for approximately one-half of all roadway fatalities, demand more attention. Understanding how traditional guardrail responds to EV impacts is just one crucial component for promoting roadway safety today and in […]
Episode 84. Is Traffic Back to Pre-COVID Levels? That depends on where you live.
It’s not enough to know that traffic is bad and getting worse. We also need to know where, when, and why. TTI Senior Research Scientist and urban mobility expert David Schrank joins us to discuss the “how” of answering those questions.
TTI Publishes 2023 Urban Mobility Report
American commuters spent 54 hours stuck in traffic in 2022, matching exactly their experience from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a brief but sharp decline in daily travel delay, according to a new study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Gearing Up for Aggieland Traffic: Know Before You Go
What normally draws crowds to Bryan-College Station are the roaring Texas A&M Aggies. However, for two weekends in June, new faces will be attracting a new set of visitors to Aggieland. With a capacity hold over 100,000 fans, Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field is set to welcome a plethora of soccer fans and country music enthusiasts into its stands—and its surrounding streets—on June 8 and June 15, 2024. Additionally, Olsen Field will host the NCAA baseball super regionals from June 8–10.
Episode 83. Revisited–Exit This Way: Research informing upgrades in hurricane evacuation planning.
As the 2024 hurricane season approaches again, climate experts across the United States are predicting an especially active season, driven largely by higher-than-average sea surface temperatures. This makes ever more important the research and planning that begins long before extreme weather strikes, and continues long after the storm has passed.
Episode 82. A Two-Edged Sword: In-vehicle technologies can either help us or hurt us.
As car makers focus on protecting drivers and passengers, do their computer-based innovations really make us safer, or might they in some cases compromise our safety?