00200306

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...rbbulletin/106/106-001.pdf

A CANVASS WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE HIGHWAY RESEARCH BOARD IN THE LATTER PART OF 1954 TO DETERMINE THE PRESENT SHORTAGE OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS IN THE STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS AND TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBER OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS NEEDED FOR AN EXPANDED PROGRAM. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED TO COLLECT THE DATA DESIRED. THIS FORM AND A FORM USED PRESENTING A STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE OF THE CANVASS AND THE INFORMATION DESIRED ARE ILLUSTRATED. RESULTS OF THE CANVASS ARE REPORTED AND THE USE OF THE DATA OBTAINED IS ESTIMATING PROBABLY FUTURE ENGINEER-PERSONNEL NEEDS. A RELATIONSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN ANNUAL CAPITAL OUTLAY AND ENGINEERS REQUIRED WHICH CAN BE APPLIED TO PROPOSED PROGRAM CAPITAL OUTLAYS TO DETERMINE PROBABLE TOTAL ENGINEER NEEDS FOR THOSE AMOUNTS. THIS WAS DONE BY PLOTTING THREE POINTS ON A GRAPH WITH ANNUAL CAPITAL OUTLAY AND NUMBER OF ENGINEERS REQUIRED AS COORDINATES. THE FIRST POINT WAS PLOTTED USING THE SUM OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENGINEERS EMPLOYED BY THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS IN 1954 AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENGINEERS EQUIVALENT TO WORK DONE BY CONSULTANTS AS THE ORDINATE AND THE 1954 TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY BY THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS AS THE ABSCISSA. THE SECOND POINT WAS PLOTTED USING THE SUM OF THE TOTAL MINIMUM NUMBER OF ENGINEERS ESTIMATED TO BE REQUIRED FOR A PROGRAM 50 PERCENT LARGER THAN IN 1954 AS THE ORDINATE AND A CAPITAL OUTLAY 50 PERCENT GREATER THAN THE 1954 AMOUNT AS THE ABSCISSA. THE THIRD POINT WAS PLOTTED IN THE SAME WAY USING FIGURES FOR A 100% EXPANSION. THESE THREE POINTS DETERMINED A CURVE WHICH REPRESENTS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANNUAL CAPITAL OUTLAY AND MINIMUM NUMBER OF ENGINEERS REQUIRED FOR A RANGE OF CAPITAL OUTLAY FROM ABOUT $2 1/2 BILLION TO $5 BILLION BASED ON THE DATA REPORTED BY THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS. RESULTS OBTAINED IN THIS WAY ARE APPROXIMATE, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF PROJECTING THE CURVE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE VARIABLE AND INDETERMINANT FACTORS INVOLVED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT RECRUITMENT OF NEW GRADUATES CAN AND SHOULD BE INCREASED. THIS CANVASS COVERED ONLY PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER PERSONNEL. A STUDY IS NEED OF THE TECHNICAL-PERSONNEL SITUATION.

No 106, pp 1-24, 5 FIG, 50 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

01410509

24p

1955

Highway Research Board Bulletin

Digital/other

Consultants; Data collection; Engineering personnel; Graphics; Highway departments; Highway engineers; Questionnaires; Specifications; State highway departments

Graphical analysis; Requirement

Administration and Management; Highways

TRIS, TRB

Jul 28 1994 12:00AM

• USE OF PRIVATE FIRMS FOR HIGHWAY-ENGINEERING FUNCTIONS