3.3B Total freight tons transported* $3T Total worth of freight shipped* 313,000 Roadway centerline miles* 600B Truck trips annually ~39.6B Data points sorted annually via algorithm to assess freight fluidity and better understand truck parking *The Economic Role of Freight in Texas – Executive Summary published by the Texas Department of Transportation (April 2021).
Volume 57, Number 4
95th Annual Transportation Short Course Highlights Research Excellence, Need for Continued Diligence
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the first-ever hybrid Transportation Short Course Oct. 11–13 both virtually and on the Texas A&M University campus. This year’s event marked 95 years of commitment by TTI and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to present the latest research innovations from the department’s research program to practitioners around […]
TTI, TxDOT Win National Safety Award: “Safer by Design” Tool Aims to Save Lives on Texas Rural Roadways
The Roadway Safety Foundation honored the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with a 2021 National Roadway Safety Award Oct. 6. The foundation lauded the TxDOT-sponsored, TTI-developed “Safer by Design” tool for use by roadway designers to assess the safety characteristics of rural highway design. Nearly 4,000 people died […]
Big Data Saves DOTs Time, Resources for Truck Parking Analysis
Truck drivers cover hundreds of miles a day carrying goods from distribution centers to store shelves. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires truckers to take regular breaks and stop driving altogether once they pass a certain time behind the wheel. That means they must park their trucks and rest somewhere, and that can be […]
TTI Develops Guidebook for Implementing Freight Fluidity in Texas
The efficient movement of goods is vital to the Texas economy, whatever the mode of transportation — via airports, highways, railways or waterways. Any disruption in the supply chain that prevents goods from moving efficiently can add not only to the costs of producing and shipping goods, but also to the variability and pricing of […]
Shipping Stranglehold: Pandemic Hampered Business Operations and Supply Chains in Texas
The COVID-19 pandemic rattled industries and crippled supply chains worldwide. The results were also evident in the Lone Star State, as research by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) illustrates. Institute experts conducted research studying the impacts of COVID-19 at the Texas–Mexico border and found that the effects of the viral outbreak were felt almost […]
Looked Good on Paper — But Blockchain Technology Is Revolutionizing Data Management, Security
As part of a classroom assignment at Harvard Business School in 1978, Dan Bricklin created the prototype for spreadsheet software. Not only did it make paper-based account ledgers with handwritten figures obsolete, but Steve Jobs credited Bricklin’s invention — dubbed VisiCalc (short for visible calculator) — with the success of the Apple IIe, the personal computer […]
TTI Hosts First In-Person Advisory Council Meeting Since 2019
For the first time since 2019, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council held its annual meeting in person Nov. 1–2 at the Barn at Circle T Ranch in Westlake, Texas. TTI Agency Director Greg Winfree and council chair and former Texas State Sen. David Cain welcomed the approximately 50 individuals attending, including council […]
TTI News
Kirk Watson Inducted into Texas Transportation Hall of Honor Kirk P. Watson, a champion of transportation investment for Austin and the state of Texas for more than two decades, was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor Nov. 4. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp welcomed some 100 guests including numerous VIPs from […]
Thinking Transportation Podcasts
Download, listen, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Every other week, we interview a TTI expert or special guest on a wide range of transportation topics and discuss how those topics impact the average person. Strong as Their Weakest Link What the pandemic taught us about supply chains. Episode 22 Supply chains everywhere were […]
The Last Stop with Greg Winfree: More Reliable, More Resilient — A Supply Chain Is Only as Strong as Its Weakest (Data) Link
We’re in the middle of a global supply chain crisis. A shortage of supplies and workers, especially truck drivers, has combined with a post-pandemic surge in demand to create bottlenecks. Add to that the impact of COVID-19 mitigation strategies (some of which are still in force) on goods movement, particularly across national borders. According to […]