Deployment Paths of ATIS: Impact on Commercial Vehicle Operations, Private Sector Providers and the Public Sector

Most studies of the economic benefits of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) have focused on the passenger transportation market. Few analyses have addressed the applications of ATIS to freight operations even though using ATIS to route or divert commercial vehicles can make a significant improvement in overall traffic flow and system performance. In this study, multivariate demand models were estimated based on large-scale surveys of commercial vehicle operators in California to determine the current use and perceptions of advanced information technologies, especially advanced traveler information systems (ATIS), among these firms. Data were used to identify organizational and operational characteristics that made these technologies more or less attractive, and to predict potential adoption of the technologies by carrier type. Many characteristics proved influential including company size, type and location of operation, length of load moves, provision of intermodal service and private versus for-hire status. A secondary goal was to explore the extent to which new logistics intermediaries,especially "infomediaries" are likely to develop advanced information technologies for the freight industry. Private sector providers of ATIS have not lived up to earlier expectations. While there still may be a significant future role for private sector involvement in providing this type of information, for now the burden appears to fall primarily on state and local transportation agencies.