Meeting Notes
RAC Leadership Teleconference
1:30 – 3:30 Eastern time,December6, 2010
Participants: Sandra Larson (chair), Ivy Harris, Chris Jenks, Cameron Kergaye, Timothy Klein, John Moulden, Dale Peabody, Daniel Yeh, Jeff Brown, Clint Adler.
Decisions and action items are underscored.
1:30 Role Call
Minutes from last meeting
The participants indicated that the meeting minutes from the November 10, 2010 call looked good, but due to a lack of a quorum no formal vote was taken.
1:35 Old Business
AASHTO Report:
No AASHTO report provided.
TRB Report: Chris Jenks
Online registration for the 2011 TRB annual meeting is available. Rooms are sold out at the three main hotels and several of the overflow hotels. Rooms at other overflow hotels are still available.
Cars continue to be instrumented for the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study. Over 30 cars are nowinstrumented in 3 of the 6 regions included in the research. The number of cars instrumented will increase significantly in early 2011 in all 6 of the regions.
The NRC/TRB committee investigating the Deepwater Horizon incident issued an interim letter report providing preliminary findings. A final report is due in several months.
The TCRP issued an Announcement of its new FY 2011 research projects and solicitation for panel nominations in mid-November. The deadline for TCRP panel nominations is January 28, 2011.
NCHRP has begun preparing its FY 2012 book of problem statements for review by SCOR and RAC. Books will be distributed in late December/early January.
Preparations are underway for the December SCOR meeting and the 20-83 workshop.
The NCFRP governing board will meet on January 28, 2011 to select new FY 2011 projects.
The Hazardous Materials CRP governing board is meeting Dec 15 to select new FY 2011 projects.
The ACRP governing board will meet on January 21, 2011 to discuss program status. RFPs for FY 2011 projects are being issued and will continue to be issued through December 2010 and early January 2011.
TRB is still waiting for FRA/DOT to name governing board members for the new National Cooperative Rail Research Program (NCRRP).
Since the last Officers’ call, the following new CRP reports have been published:
- NCHRP Report 665: Identification of Vehicular Impact Conditions Associated with Serious Ran-off-Road Crashes
- NCHRP Report 667: Model Curriculum for Highway Safety Core Competencies
- NCHRP Report 671: Review of Canadian Experience with the Regulation of Large Commercial Motor Vehicles
- NCHRP Report 672: Roundabouts: An Informational Guide
- NCHRP Report 677:Development of Levels of Service for the Interstate Highway System
- NCHRP Synthesis 409: Traffic Signal Retiming Practices in the United States
- NCHRP LRD 54: Practice Under the Environmental Provisions of SAFETEA-LU
- NCHRP Selected Studies in Transportation Law, Volume 3--2010 Supplement: Environmental Law and Transportation
- ACRP Report 36: Airport/Airline Agreements—Practices and Characteristics
- ACRP Report 38: Understanding Airspace, Objects, and Their Effects on Airports
- ACRP Report 39: Recommended Guidelines for the Collection and Use of Geospatially Referenced Data for Airfield Pavement Management
- NCFRP Report 6:Impacts of Public Policy on the Freight Transportation System
- TCRP Web-Only Document 51: Guiding the Selection and Application of Wayside Energy Storage Technologies for Rail Transit and Electric Utilities
RITA Report: Tim Klein
RITA has been working on the preparation of their updated internal reauthorization proposal. The proposal is ue within DOT by December 15, 2010.
Robert Bertini has been added to the agenda for the January 2011 RAC meeting.
FHWA Report: John Moulden/Ivy Harris
The FHWA will have a display on its “Every Day Counts” initiative at the TRB Annual Meeting.
FHWA will be offering tours of the Turner-Fairbank facility during the TRB Annual Meeting (likely on Wednesday, January 26, 2011).
FHWA staff will be meeting with SCOR Chair John Halikowski on December 7, 2010 to discuss the development of a “National Coordinated Research Agenda”.
It was requested by RAC members that FHWA provide a response by the January 2011 RAC meeting on the issue of how SP&R funded projects will be treated in the reporting requirements associated with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA). That is, the issue of whether they will be considered “sub awards” or “vendor payments”, which impacts reporting requirements. It was also requested that FHWA prepare a handout with the response and implications that can be distributed at the January 2011 RAC meeting and posted on the RAC/SCOR website.
2:00New Business
Task Force Updates
For the latest Task Force Updates:
Daniel Yeh – The Funding TF held a conference call in November. The TF is working on developing “Research Funding 101”material that can be used to help educate new DOT leaders.
Dale Peabody – The Value of Research TF is coordinating with NCHRP project on research performance measures. Mara Campbell will make a presentation on high value research to SCOR at their December meeting.
Program Management and Quality TF – On behalf of the TF, Sandra indicated that the TF conducted a conference call on September 16th. The TF has formed subcommittees on (1) communicating and implementing the results of NCHRP reports, (2) intellectual property, and (3) pooled fund projects. She also noted that the TF is developing best practices for identifying and scoping potential research topics. It also has an action item to develop a chart to track task force activities.
Collaboration and Coordination TF – On behalf of the TF, Sandra indicated that the TF held a conference call on December 1st. She noted that TF activities include (1) filling gaps in the RiP database, (2) coordinating activities with the TRB Committee on International Activities, (3) developing a funding guidebook, and (4) partnering with the Value of Research TF to develop material for the collaboration website. It was noted that TF activities are further described on the RAC/SCOR website at
General – Sandra indicated that there is no specific format required for TF material posted on the RAC/SCOR website. Each TF may post information on its activities in whatever format is easiest for the TF.
Summer 2011 RAC meetingJuly 25 – 28 2011, Salt Lake City, UT
– Clint Adler/Cameron Kergaye
The next conference call of the planning committee will be held on December 14th.
The meeting website has been upgraded and can be viewed at the following web address:
Discussions have been held with an AASHTO staff meeting planner to flesh out the meeting schedule. The latest schedule can be found at the meeting website indicated above.
CUTC Liaison Group– Sandra Larson
It was noted that the RAC leaders approved the MOU during last month’s RAC leaders conference call.
Chris Hedges is scheduling a meeting of the RAC and CUTC leadership during the TRB Annual Meeting to discuss the MOU and subsequent work plan.
Other Business – Sandra Larson
Sandra will give a report on the December SCOR meeting on the January 2011 RAC leaders conference call.
2:10 Adjournment
Next Conf Call:Thursday, January13, 2011
RAC Officers Meeting Notes December 6, 2010Page 1