Nationwide surveys of departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and classification vendors/producers were conducted to determine the state of practice on equipment and methodologies used to determine truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The current Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) methodology was evaluated and it was found that it overestimated truck VMT for multi-unit trucks on all eight functional classes except on the minor urban arterials. The average overestimation was 11.5% and it varied from -10% to +44%. The current method overestimated truck VMT for single-unit trucks in five and underestimated in three functional classes. The under/over estimation ranged from -6% to +35%, but the average value was close to zero. To calculate truck VMT more accurately, this study proposed two different methods based on average truck percentage (ATP) and average section length (ASL). In the ATP method, truck VMT is calculated by multiplying the ATP for a group of roadway sections by the total VMT of that group. The ATP method should be used when the ATP and the total VMT by volume groups are available. In the ASL method, the total truck volume for the sampled sections is multiplied by the ASL. The ASL method should be used when the information required for ATP is not available or not reliable. Sample size influences the accuracy of truck VMT estimation and the decision on sample size must consider the error level that is acceptable. This study looked at the likely error for different sample sizes and recommended using 8% to 16% of the number of roadway sections. The sections should be distributed among the volume groups. Recently, IDOT collects vehicle classification data for three categories at about 10,000 sections, biennially. It is recommended to evaluate the truck VMT calculation using recent data.

In the 1950s, thriving commerce, strong leadership, and geographical good fortune made Illinois one of the most envied states in the nation. Today, persistent problems have left it the butt of jokes and threatened it with fiscal catastrophe. In Fixing Illinois, James D. Nowlan and J. Thomas Johnson use their four decades of experience as public servants, Springfield veterans, and government observers to present a comprehensive program of almost one hundred specific policy ideas aimed at rescuing the state from its long list of problems, including: An overhaul of state pension systems that includes more reasonable benefits and raising of the retirement age, among other changes; Broadening of the tax base to include services and reductions in rates; Raising funds with capital construction bonds to update and integrate the antiquated information systems used by state agencies; Uprooting the state's entrenched culture of corruption via public financing of elections, redistricting reform, and revolving door prohibitions for lawmakers Pointed, honest, and pragmatic, Fixing Illinois is a plan for effective and honest government that seeks an even nobler end: restoring our faith in Illinois's institutions and reviving a sense of citizenship and state pride.

Findings of an analysis of changing driving patterns at the nation state and metropolitan levels, measured by Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) primarily between 1991 and 2008.