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Every spring, thousands of kilometers of local roads have load restrictions due to pavement structural weakness. Load restrictions vary greatly across North America, but often are severe enough that all large trucks are banned outright or greatly limited in haul capability. An assessment of the potential of central tire inflation (CTI) systems to mitigate or reduce the impact of seasonal load restrictions was made. Overall, CTI equipped trucks and lower tire pressures can be of benefit in allowing truck trips on aggregate surfaced roads and roads with relatively thin bituminous surfaces (less than 75 mm) that otherwise would be precluded.

Serious consideration is now being given to the development of Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS) in the United States. This paper discusses the major components of IVHS, their potential benefits, and their implications for highway agencies. Given the incremental nature of implementation of IVHS technology, the paper concludes that IVHS can make both near-term and long-range contributions to the mobility of people and goods.

The focus of this paper is to provide an overview of how various vehicle configurations and wheel loads are used as input to design pavement structures. Results from the AASHO Road Test will be illustrated on how various axle load magnitudes affect pavement performance. Further, various pavement types, design procedures and pavement analysis techniques will be discussed. The goal of the paper is to provide individuals who design, build, operate and/or maintain trucks and buses insight into how public agencies (such as State Departments of Transportation) provide pavement structures for these vehicles and specifically now vehicle load (or weight) is considered.