Acknowledgement

This report has been prepared with funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation to the Mountain Plains Consortium (MPC). The MPC member universities include North Dakota State University, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, and Utah State University. Matching funds were provided by the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Disclaimer

This report reflects the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the information presented. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof.

Executive Summary

The movement of freight in Wyoming is critical to the state's economy as well as the national economy. Wyoming's transportation system provides a vital link for the movement of commodities across the United States in addition to providing access to the mineral, industrial, and agricultural resources of the state. The intent of this research is twofold. First is to get an overall understanding of freight movement within the state including freight vehicle counts, commodity types, and freight vehicle accidents. The second intent is to focus on freight vehicle safety in strong wind conditions. High wind conditions are the frequent cause of freight vehicle rollovers, often forcing the shutdown of roadways and halting the movement of freight through heavily used corridors. The wind research studies the weather station data and looks at the correlation between measured wind speeds and the likelihood of freight vehicle rollover accidents. The focus of this research is on truck and rail freight movement because ai and water freight modes represent a very small portion of the goods movement in the state. Pipelines are addressed to a lesser extent.

This report describes a research effort conducted at the University of Wyoming by Dr. R. Young, assistant professor, and graduate students Joel Liesman, David Lucke, and Shane Schieck.