News

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded nearly $2 million to a national research consortium that includes lead institution Ohio State University as well as the University of California-Irvine and the University of Texas at Austin. The grant will create a new Tier 1 University Transportation Center (UTC). According to the DOT, these centers aim to “advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing our nation.”

Freight handling operations spend a lot of money to obtain the required picture, dimension and weight data for every piece of cargo they move. But their data transmission systems for tracking this information is either outdated or expensive. With the International Maritime Organization’s new Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandates starting in July 2016, verifying the exact weight of cargo is more important than ever.

In 2013, 32,719 fatalities resulted from traffic crashes, most of which were caused by driver error. Across the globe, people are facing longer commutes and five Texas communities are in the top 26 most congested cities in the United States. Traffic congestion creates about 4.8 billion hours of travel delay and affects the environment through increased carbon footprints and higher fuel consumption.