| Transportation Research Board | |
| Size: | 220px |
| Headquarters: | Washington, D.C. |
| Leader Title: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name: | Victoria Sheehan |
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. TRB's mission is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. For example, committees, researchers, and staff are currently focused on advancing resilient infrastructure, exploring transformational technology, and caring for the public’s health and safety.
As one of seven major divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, TRB research is objective and interdisciplinary. TRB hosts nearly 200 standing technical committees that address specific aspects of transport and the TRB Annual Meeting attracts thousands of transportation professionals.
The Transportation Research Board was established in 1920 as the "National Advisory Board on Highway Research" and changed its name to the "Highway Research Board" from 1925 until 1974, when it was renamed again as the "Transportation Research Board." It has commissioned ad-hoc research since 1950, became more involved in multi-modal transport in the 1960s, and continues to research across various transportation modes.[1]
TRB accomplishes its mission through various activities, including the efforts of volunteers on approximately 170 standing technical committees and task forces along with volunteer panels and consensus committees, and maintains a database of transportation research. It publishes and disseminates reports and peer-reviewed technical papers presenting research findings, manages cooperative research programs, and conducts special studies on transportation policy issues upon request from the U.S. Congress, government agencies, and other public and private sector organizations. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRR) publishes peer-reviewed papers presenting transportation research findings.
Additionally, TRB hosts its Annual Meeting in Washington DC every January, which in 2020 attracted over 14,000 transportation professionals from across the United States and around the world.[2]
TRB's varied activities annually draw on over 8,000 engineers, planners, scientists, academics, and other transportation researchers from the public and private sectors, who volunteer expertise in the public interest by participating on TRB committees, panels, and task forces.[1]
Publications include the Highway Capacity Manual, the Transportation Research Record journal, and a bi-monthly magazine called TR News. A history of transportation research and of TRB was published in January 2020 called The Transportation Research Board, 1920–2020: Everyone Interested Is Invited.[3] Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) offers several databases for researchers:
Although many activities are requested and funded by Congress and federal agencies, TRB and the National Academies do not receive direct appropriations from the federal government. Programs receive support from state transportation departments, the various administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies, industry associations, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
TRB offers selective research funding, notably, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). Each one of these programs has industry leaders who function as references while completing the project.[9]