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Cover of Defining Asset Management Level of Service Requirements for Freight on Rural Arterial Roads
Defining Asset Management Level of Service Requirements for Freight on Rural Arterial Roads
  • Publication no: AP-T306-16
  • ISBN: 978-1-925451-03-0
  • Published: 4 April 2016

This report documents the outcomes of surveys of road freight drivers, operators and road infrastructure managers to better understand their asset management level of service (LOS) requirements.

The survey responses identified three primary road attributes impacting on LOS for heavy vehicle drivers and freight operators: ride comfort (road roughness); road shoulder width and condition; and road and bridge geometry and general access.

A follow-up survey investigated the responses of truck and car drivers to variations to the above identified three key road inventory attributes. Analysis of sample rating data indicated that LOS ratings provided by car and truck drivers closely followed changes in LOS for roughness, shoulder width and lane geometry, but truck drivers on average rated LOS below that rated by car drivers.

Results also indicated that the use of road surface measures aligned with truck ride characteristics (as opposed to currently used roughness measures such as IRI) would improve the capability of asset managers to deliver LOS better tailored to the needs of freight vehicles.

  • Summary
  • Contents
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Background
    • 1.2. Work Undertaken in 2013–14
    • 1.3. Work Undertaken in 2014–15
    • 1.4. Scope of Report
  • 2. Survey Scope 2013–14
    • 2.1. Extent of the Survey
  • 3. Survey Results for 2013–14
    • 3.1. Heavy Vehicle Drivers
    • 3.2. Heavy Vehicle Fleet Operators
    • 3.3. Road Infrastructure Managers
  • 4. Findings of 2013–14 Survey
    • 4.1. Heavy Vehicle Drivers
    • 4.2. Heavy Vehicle Fleet Operators
    • 4.3. Road Infrastructure Managers
  • 5. Identification of LOS Attributes Warranting Further Investigation in 2014–15
    • 5.1. Summary of Major Findings
    • 5.2. Further Investigation in 2014–15
  • 6. Follow-up Survey 2014–15
    • 6.1. Details of 2014–15 Survey
  • 7. Survey Results for 2014–15
    • 7.1. Ride Comfort Assessment
    • 7.2. Assessment of Shoulder, Lane and Geometrical Attributes
  • 8. Findings of 2014–15 Survey
    • 8.1. General
    • 8.2. Assessment of LOS Ride Comfort
    • 8.3. Assessment of LOS for Shoulders, Lane and Geometric Attributes
  • 9. Conclusions
    • 9.1. Future Research
  • References
  • Appendix A 2013–14 Survey Questionnaire and Results
  • A.1 Survey Results: Heavy Vehicle Drivers
  • Appendix B 2014–15 Survey Results
  • B.1 Survey Circuit Details
  • B.2 Survey questionnaire
  • Glossary
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