6The asset management of State DOT fleet equipment is a complex and demanding undertaking. Less well understood are the challenges facing the organizations that manage the equipment that is used to maintain and repair the U.S. and State highway infrastructure. These challenges stem, in part, from the fiscal pressures confronting state highway and transportation departments, and government jurisdictions in general. Compounding these challenges is the fact that equipment management is an inherently complex business, involving the acquisition, deployment, and/or use of a variety of capital assets, infrastructure, human resources, suppliers, business processes, and management systems.
Background:
In September of 2011, NCHRP Project 20-7/Task 309 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH was completed. The project identified equipment fleet management needs whose research results would assist equipment fleet managers in dealing with both the external and internal challenges that confront them day in and day out. The project was requested by AASHTO (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and specifically by the Standing Committee on Highways (SCOH) on behalf of the Subcommittee on Maintenance.
Today, the research topics generated in 2011 have been exhausted and a new NCHRP 20-123(23): Refresh NCHRP 20-7/Task 309, Challenges and Opportunities: A Strategic Plan for Equipment Management Research project is soon to be initiated to refresh research needs topics appropriate to address the equipment fleet management challenges of the next decade.
It is also important to recognize that new equipment fleet management research topics are also developed, supported and realized through the joint collaboration of the EMTSP, the AASHTO Committee on Maintenance Equipment Technical Working Group, and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Fleet and Equipment (AKJ16).
The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) provides and conducts formal research studies in areas affecting highway planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance. It is a cooperative program AASHTO/FHWA and TRB that funds and conducts in-depth research on highway transportation problems. A summary of completed and on-going NCHRP projects can be accessed by visiting Home | NCHRP > NCHRP Projects > All Projects.
Completed and On-going Equipment Fleet Management Projects:
Listing of Formal EMTSP Sponsored NCHRP Research Completed or Working:
NCHRP 13-02 Guidelines for Selection and Application of Warning Lights on Roadway-Operations Equipment Completed
NCHRP 13-03 Decision Making for Outsourcing and Privatization of Vehicle and Equipment Fleet Maintenance – Phase I Completed
NCHRP 13-03A Decision Making for Outsourcing and Privatization of Vehicle and Equipment Fleet Maintenance Completed
NCHRP 13-04 Guide for Optimal Replacement Cycles of Highway Operations Equipment Completed
NCHRP 13-05 Guide for Utilization Measurement and Management of Fleet Equipment Completed
NCHRP 13-06 Guide for the Formulation of Long-Range Plans for Replacement Needs and Budget of Highway Operations Equipment – Phase I Completed
NCHRP 13-06A Guide for the Formulation of Long-Range Plans and Budgets for Replacement of Highway Operations Equipment Completed
NCHRP 13-07 Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicle and Equipment Fleet Completed
NCHRP 13-08 Guideline for Decision-Making for Repair vs. Replacement of Highway Maintenance Equipment Completed
NCHRP 13-09 Maximizing Proceeds from the Fleet Asset Disposal Sales Process Completed
NCHRP 05-24 Guidelines for Vehicle and Equipment Color, Marking, and Lighting Completed
NCHRP 23-40 Optimizing Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Highway Maintenance Fleets Active
NCHRP 20-123 Challenges and Opportunities: A Strategic Plan for Equipment Management Research Active
Listing of Formal EMTSP Sponsored NCHRP Projects Waiting Approval, Funding, Award, or Execution:
Proposed: – Guide to Elevate the Prioritization of Fleet and Equipment Within an Overall Asset Management Strategy Status: Proposed Research Problem Statement submitted Nov. 2025
