|
|
|
Title: TRUCK TRAFFIC CROSSING TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER
Accession Number: 00756229
Record Type: Component
Record URL: Availability: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Find a library where document is available Abstract: U.S.-Mexico trade continues to grow strongly, with much of the non-petroleum surface trade moving by truck. Trade flows through a number of key ports-of-entry at the southern border, and future truck traffic has raised concerns over infrastructure needs, congestion, and safety. Although it was known that Mexican trucks are frequently overloaded, little data were available to show whether this extended to trade movements at the border. This paper reports the results of a research study commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation and represents the first comprehensive analysis of truck axle loads undertaken at the Laredo and El Paso ports-of-entry. Weigh-in-motion (WIM) data for 1995 show that 25% (El Paso) and 35% (Laredo) of the observed tandem-axle loads on loaded northbound five-axle trucks (three-axle tractor with tandem-axle semi-trailer) exceeded the U.S. limit (15.4 Mg). This truck type comprised about 80% at El Paso and 70% at Laredo of all observed weekday northbound border-crossing trucks. In 1995, 80% at El Paso and 87% at Laredo of the observed tridem-axle loads on loaded six-axle (three-axle tractor with tridem-axle semi-trailer) trucks exceeded the U.S. limit (19 Mg). This truck type, however, typically comprised only 43 trucks per weekday (3% of loaded trucks) at Laredo and 13 trucks per weekday (2%) at El Paso. The occurrence of overloads on tridem axles was reduced substantially at one port-of-entry when the Texas Department of Public Safety temporarily applied enforcement activities in the Customs yard at the Laredo port-of-entry. The WIM technologies worked well under unusual conditions and indicated that they can possibly be used to aid enforcement of size and weight regulations when the next phase of the North American Free Trade Agreement is implemented.
Supplemental Notes: This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1643, Pavement Management and Monitoring of Traffic and Pavements.
Language: English
Corporate Authors: Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Authors: Harrison, RSanchez-Ruiz, L ALee, C EPagination: p. 136-142
Publication Date: 1998
Serial: ISBN: 0309065151
Features: Figures
(5)
; References
(17)
TRT Terms: Identifier Terms: Uncontrolled Terms: Geographic Terms: Old TRIS Terms: Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning
Files: TRIS, TRB
Created Date: Nov 18 1998 12:00AM
More Articles from this Serial Issue:
|
