• Research

  TRB manages more than 500 active cooperative research projects in areas such as highways, transit, airports, and traffic safety. Through its consensus studies, TRB provides independent, evidence-based advice on transportation policy to the federal government. In addition, TRB provides independent reviews and assessments that help inform national research and technology programs.

• Convene

  TRB’s vast network includes more than 100 standing technical committees that explore nearly every aspect of transportation. Its Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. draws thousands of professionals from around the world—the largest event of its kind. TRB also offers weekly webinars and numerous conferences year-round.

• Information Exchange

  TRB publishes nearly 800 peer-reviewed papers annually in the Transportation Research Record. In addition, TRB releases over 100 reports, syntheses, manuals, and guidebooks across a spectrum of transportation issues each year. TRB also maintains the largest transportation research bibliographic database in the world with over 1.3 million records.

Program Units

• Technical Activities

  Through its standing technical committees and Marine Board, the Annual Meeting and conferences, and one of the most cited and prolific transportation journals in the world, TRB’s Technical Activities Division fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange across disciplines and sectors.

  Learn More

• Cooperative Research Programs

  Managing more than 500 research projects at any given time in the areas of highways, public transit, airports, and behavioral traffic safety, the Cooperative Research Programs produces practical research results in the form of manuals, guidebooks, syntheses, and digests.

  Learn More 

• Consensus and Advisory Studies

  TRB contributes to federal legislation and regulation changes and advises U.S. Department of Transportation research programs through its Consensus and Advisory Studies (CAAS) program. CAAS conducts studies on transportation policy and oversees updates to the Highway Capacity Manual, which provides methods for analyzing capacity and service levels of highways, streets, and paths for all users.

  Learn More

• Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2)

  Created to develop strategic solutions to three national transportation challenges—improving highway safety, reducing congestion, and enhancing methods for renewing roads and bridges—the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (2006–2025) produced a wealth of valuable information, including the Naturalistic Driving Study Database.

  Learn More

• Executive Office

  Providing policy and operational leadership for all Transportation Research Board (TRB) programs and activities, the TRB Executive Office oversees committee appointments, report reviews, webinars, staffing, communications, international initiatives, and information technology. The office also supports the TRB Executive and Division Committees and manages the Transportation Research Information Services’ (TRIS’) suite of library, database, and thesaurus resources.