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Is AASHTO 2018 available?

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Message 1 of 13
jnelson1071
1881 Views, 12 Replies

Is AASHTO 2018 available?

Looking to see if the AASHTO 2018 handbook is available for Vehicle Tracking?  We have a client that uses this for their standards and another software competitor has this in their system.  If this is available someplace, could someone point me where to go grab those files.  I was looking in the Vehicle Tracking product upgrades and service-packs, but I didn't see it in the readme information.

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Message 2 of 13
Marsay
in reply to: jnelson1071

same question.

Message 3 of 13

This is a bit concerning, as engineers must be confident in the software we are using.

 

I did a very quick comparison review and discovered a couple of quality concerns. While there should be no technical differences between design vehicles in the AASHTO Green Book 6th edition and 7th edition, the fact that Autodesk Vehicle Tracking has not taken the time to confirm that the design vehicle library conforms to 7th edition is troubling. Specifically, there were some errors in 6th edition design vehicles (listed here from AASHTO: https://store.transportation.org/Common/DownloadContentFiles?id=1240), and these errors were mostly corrected in the 7th edition.

 

I did a quick review of the design vehicles in Vehicle Tracking's library, and found that errors were not corrected, this despite the fact that the errata has been made available since 11/2013, around the same time when Autodesk acquired AutoTrack, nearly 10 years ago.

 

In Vehicle Tracking (Civil 3D 2023), the BUS-45 description is as follows:

"Design vehicle - Inconsistent values specified in Handbook. Rear overhang taken from AASHTO 2004 (8.5ft not 7ft). Front overhang 0.2ft too large."

Clearly the values were incorrect, but instead of using values from an older edition of the Green Book, Autodesk's consulting civil engineers should have reached out to AASHTO for a correction/errata, and updated the vehicle library, once the correct values were obtained from the source.

 

My check was limited in scope, but is it possible that design vehicles from other countries are incorrect/not updated?

Message 4 of 13
dwilsonHCY6H
in reply to: jnelson1071

Trying to address all the reasons for not dumping AutoTURN. Why does Vehicle tracking, after 6 years, still not have 2018 AASHTO library? Are others concerned about this? From a user perspective, I prefer AVT but from an industry perspective I don't really know how big a deal this is. 

Message 5 of 13

I am concerned and had met with Autodesk to discuss. I have an engineer working on developing a vehicle library for NYC that we'll submit to Autodesk to include in future releases. It seems to me when Autodesk purchased Autotrack, a European company, they chose to maintained European libraries, since the US/Canada was/is dominated by Transoft AutoTurn. Microstation is used by many State DOTs, so maybe the market volume is not yet there to commit to maintenance for US libraries. It doesn't help that the Greenbook continues to have errors on something so simple. AASHTO caught it in the 2011 edition, published an errata, yet republished the error in 2018 (head banging on wall).

Nathan Selles-Alvarez, P.E.

NYC DOT

Message 6 of 13
hanery435
in reply to: jnelson1071

Yes, AASHTO 2018 is available. It's the 7th edition of the "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets."  

 
  • Online retailers: Like Amazon or eBay  
     
  • Your local transportation department or engineering library

Please note: Some parts of AASHTO may be available for free online, while others might require a purchase.

Message 7 of 13
dwilsonHCY6H
in reply to: hanery435

What we are all looking for is the 2018 AASHTO vehicle library for Vehicle Tracking & not the documents. But if I misunderstood you and the vehicle library is available somewhere, please provide a link. 

Message 8 of 13
jnelson1071
in reply to: hanery435

Since it's been over 5 years now, I didn't know why I was subscribed to this thread! :face_with_tears_of_joy: :loudly_crying_face:

I just installed VT 2025 and thought I'd take a look at what was available with the delivered catalogs of vehicles.  Still not AASHTO 2018 vehicles.  I don't remember what prompted this endeavor, but still looks like this has not been included in the software deliverable.  I'll still consider this an open topic, especially with @nselles-alvarez comment of some issues that was supposed to be resolved.

Just as reference this is what is delivered for US Design Vehicles in VT 2025.
VT2025-2024-09-25_09-08-34.jpg

Message 9 of 13
dwilsonHCY6H
in reply to: jnelson1071

Yes, I checked 2025 as well. Since I still have AutoTURN, I insert the vehicle profile for both 2011 and 2018 and compare them. So far, the vehicles the state requires us to use have not differed but... When you're looking for reasons not to switch to AVT from AutoTURN, this is one. 

Message 10 of 13
hanery435
in reply to: jnelson1071

AASHTO 2018 is likely available, but its accessibility may depend on a few factors:

  • Publication Status: If AASHTO 2018 is a published document, it should be available for purchase or download.
  • Access Restrictions: Some publications may have access restrictions, such as requiring membership or payment of a fee.
  • Online Availability: Many publications are now available online, either through the publisher's website or through online bookstores.

To find out if AASHTO 2018 is available and how to access it, I recommend trying the following:

  1. AASHTO Website: Check the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) website. They should have information about their publications and how to purchase or download them.
  2. Online Bookstores: Look for AASHTO 2018 on online bookstores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or AbeBooks.
  3. Technical Libraries: If AASHTO 2018 is a technical document, it may be available in technical libraries or university libraries.
Message 11 of 13
tamseel8345
in reply to: jnelson1071

It seems the AASHTO 2018 handbook isn't included in the Vehicle Tracking product upgrades or service packs, at least based on the readme details. I recommend checking with Autodesk support or your account representative to confirm if the AASHTO 2018 data is available for integration. Additionally, you might want to look into any third-party libraries or updates that could have the relevant standards included.

Message 12 of 13
dwilsonHCY6H
in reply to: jnelson1071

Not really interested in a third party solution. My concern is that Autodesk isn't supporting Vehicle Tracking, it doesn't look any different than it did 10 years ago. We have AutoTURN which is the third party solution and it works but like most vendors, they're going to a subscription licensing model which is going to end up costing us a lot more. We have AECC licenses so we already have access to Vehicle Tracking. 

Message 13 of 13

Hi All,

 

Just a clarification; there is no change to AASHTO design vehicles between 2011 and 2018 editions of the Greenbook. Please refer to Highway and Street Design Vehicles: An Update (2023), section 1.1, paragraph 3. The concerning issue is that the errors in design vehicle data in Vehicle Tracking have not been corrected. If Autodesk had copied the 2011 data as 2018 data, this would have been an opportunity to incorporate the GDHS-6-Errata, affecting BUS-12 [BUS-40] and BUS-14 [BUS-45]. All other vehicle data is correct: 2011 vehicles may be used for 2018 vehicles.

 

My concern is the appearance of the absence of engineering data oversight for design data. That 2018 data is still missing after 6+ years (even if there is no change in design vehicles) indicates that something is amiss. At the very least, Vehicle tracking could have been released with vehicle libraries as "2011, 2018 (no change)", just to show that there is some oversight, even if it the oversight is lazy. That many European libraries are kept up to date indicates that there is some engineering data oversight, but that it is selective; American data may not be a priority. I truly hope this is not the case.

 

Of course it does not help that AASHTO - after publishing GDHS-6-Errata in 2013 - published the 2018 Greenbook with the same error from 2011 unchanged for BUS-12 [BUS-40]. Concerns all around...

 

On a related note, in Highway and Street Design Vehicles: An Update (2023), refer to tables 36 and 37 for NCHRP's proposal for the next edition of the Greenbook. The changes to design vehicle data will be significant.

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