Intelligent transportation systems: integrating information technology and the surface transportation system

Transportation of people and goods, enhanced by the processing and transmission of information, has a critical affect on our living standards and our quality of life. In the United States in 1992, transportation services accounted for 17% of the total gross domestic product, 12% of personal consumption expenditure, 10% of total employment, 13% of all capital outlays, and 75% of rubber consumption. Several forces are now affecting how the surface transportation system supports the movement of people and goods. These include increasing congestion, the increasing cost of adding lane miles to the existing road system, the reduction in the use of public transit, the need to support best practices in manufacturing such as just-in-time pickup and delivery, and the application of new information technologies. The intent of this plenary is to present an overview of Intelligent Transportation Systems, its promise, and how it is contributing to the efficiency of the surface transportation system. Particular attention will be focused on the trucking service industry due to the enormous role that this industry plays in the movement of freight and hence in the US economy