Minimizing bridge and pavement deterioration from large trucks: A policy analysis for damage recovery

acing an exceptional challenge of maintaining state roadways with ever-shrinking financial resources, this research examined multiple facets of the impact of overweight trucks. The objectives of this research were to investigate the impact of overweight trucks on pavements and bridges, and develop policy recommendations based on technical analysis and the modern political and institutional environment in South Carolina. To achieve the objectives, this research modeled pavement and bridge deterioration, investigated the adequacy of standard practices in state agencies, examined how trucking industry perceives those practices, and developed policy analysis models. Pavement and bridge deterioration analysis revealed that pavement and bridge damages increase significantly with incremental weights. Combined bridge and pavement damage costs per mile for different overweight truck types were estimated in this research.;User fees to recover damage costs for overweight vehicles are of five basic structures: flat, distance based, weight based, weight and distance based, and axle based. To recover additional costs of damage imparted by overweight trucks for load in excess of the legal weight limits in an axle based fee structure, damage fee will vary between ;This research applied a multiobjective analysis approach to address conflicting objectives, and to generate detailed tradeoffs between different overweight truck damage cost recovery fee options. This research presents a case study with two objectives: 1) minimization of unpaid pavement and bridge damage by overweight freight trucks, and 2) minimization of overweight damage cost recovery fees. The tradeoff analysis reveals that increasing the flat overweight damage cost recovery fee by ;Interviews with overweight trucking stakeholders in South Carolina did not reveal any common consensus on how overweight permit polices should be refined. Stakeholders expressed their concern that increasing permit fee will surge illegal overweight trips. It is critical to develop effective enforcement plan to deter illegal overweight trucks before implementation of new fee policies. As consensus does not exist among stakeholders, SCDOT must establish a working group with all interested parties to understand everyone's concerns before proposing any new policies. User fees to recover damage costs for overweight vehicles are of five basic structures: flat, distance based, weight based, weight and distance based, and axle based. To recover additional costs of damage imparted by overweight trucks for load in excess of the legal weight limit in an axle based fee structure, damage fee will vary between...