NYS Department of Transportation and NYS Thruway Authority
Truck Stop / Rest Area / Travel Plaza Truck Intercept Survey
Purpose/Objective
The purpose of the NYSDOT/NYSTA Truck Intercept Survey is to design and implement a methodologically rigorous and repeatable research study to intercept and survey a subset of truck drivers traveling on the New York highway system. The survey will collect quantifiable data from members of the trucking community to help answer several key questions, some of which include the following:
- Which segments of the trucking community are being served and, are the needs of these different segments being satisfied?
- Are present parking and facility services adequate?
- What types of services and amenities should current and future truck stops, rest areas and travel plazas offer to the trucking community?
- How should future truck stops, rest areas and travel plazas be located to best serve the trucking community?
Benefits to the Trucking Community
Survey participation will provide the trucking community a mechanism to actively participate in the transportation planning process. The data we collect will benefit the trucking community by allowing NYSDOT and NYSTA to better…
- Understand the unique needs of the trucking community and appropriately plan for these needs,
- Identify the preferences of the trucking community to increase their level of satisfaction with rest area amenities, services, parking, and
- Guide NYSDOT in its efforts to meet the trucking community's rest area needs by efficiently utilizing public and private facilities
Survey Protocol
Surveying will take place at each intercept site on one-week day (Monday-Friday) and one weekend day (Saturday-Sunday). Our primary hours of surveying will be from Noon to 9 p.m. Truck driver participation is totally voluntary. We will be offering incentives to participants, but, if the drivers choose not to participate, they will be thanked and our surveyors will direct their attention to other drivers. Our team of trained surveyors will be identifiable by their surveyor badge. Surveyors will be positioned at pre-identified locations at each facility and will be instructed to approach each driver, introduce themselves, and then introduce the survey. At that time, the truck driver will be asked if they are interested in participating, in return for the incentive. If the driver chooses not to participate, they will be thanked and the surveyor will go on to the next driver. If the driver chooses to participate, the surveyor will ask the driver a series of questions on the following topics:
- Tractor/Trailer Characteristics
- Trip Characteristics
- Freight Characteristics
- Route Characteristics
- Opinion about Facility Parking
- Opinion about Facility Amenities
- Driver Characteristics
The average interview length of the survey varies a bit depending on whether or not the truck is carrying freight or empty, but, during the pilot survey, the average interview length was approximately 15 minutes.
