Analyzing Heavy Goods Vehicle Data Collected on Main Road Network in Greece

Abstract

The work described concerns the first major study on heavy goods vehicles operating on the trans-European links in Greek territory. The study period coincides with a period in which major development in the national road network took place that required the support by specific studies concerning pavement design, road management, and toll collection. Data were collected at seven specific sites on the main axes of the main national roads. A total of about 3,053,116 records at all sites were collected concerning all vehicle categories. Data were collected using permanent weigh-in-motion (WIM) instrumentation with either rigid or flexible sensors. In addition, comparison measurements were taken from high-speed and low-speed WIM systems to examine the validity of the above systems to be used in law enforcement for overloaded vehicles. Analysis of the data revealed that the initial sets included a series of counts that were not reliable. False data were detected by imposing various physical or technical filters. The consistency of the remaining good-quality data was examined by using simple analysis techniques. In the final stage of the work much emphasis was given in the development of a comprehensive database of WIM measurements. This database is unique for the Greek national road network and is a necessary step in order to provide useful information and support future actions in the area of pavement design and maintenance.