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October 12, 2009

 

TxDOT and H-GAC to Conduct Travel Survey of Commercial Vehicles in the Houston-Galveston Area

HOUSTON - The Texas Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council, is conducting a survey of commercial vehicles to study commercial truck travel volumes and patterns on area roads and highways.

This information, combined with similar data on non-commercial traffic, will be used as input into a computerized travel forecasting model that is used by TxDOT and H-GAC for planning and evaluating future transportation needs. The goal is to collect 500 commercial vehicle surveys for use in area travel forecasting models.

Local businesses, public agencies, or individuals in the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) study area operating or utilizing one or more commercial vehicles as part of its business or organization are invited to participate in the survey.

Information will be collected on the number of trips and travel patterns of commercial vehicles over a 24-hour period. Information will also be collected on the type of cargo being transported within and throughout the Houston-Galveston area. All sizes and types of commercial vehicles will be requested to participate in the study. A few examples of commercial vehicles that could be randomly selected for the survey include:

  • small delivery vans
  • ‘UPS’ or ‘FedEx’ type panel vans
  • delivery trucks from area businesses
  • fleet type vehicles from local cities and counties
  • large tractor trailer (18-wheeler) rigs

All information concerning individuals, vehicles, or companies will be strictly proprietary. Results and uses of the survey data are intended to represent the generalized activities of all commercial vehicle facilities in the Houston-Galveston region. The surveys are being conducted by a contractor hired by TxDOT that specializes in transportation and traffic data collection.

The contractor will randomly select and contact eligible businesses, agencies, and individuals to request their participation in the survey. If you are an owner or manager of a business or public agency that is contacted regarding the survey, please understand that participation in the survey is encouraged and completely voluntary.

For more information about this study, contact Mr. Charlie Hall, TxDOT Travel Survey Program Manager, at 512-486-5120.