Abstract

This communication provides a detailed review of the lateral‐acceleration experience of six tractor‐semitrailer combinations in real commercial service for approximately one year. Lateral‐acceleration experience is described in histograms of travel time. Influences of speed, load, road geometry, driving style, and longitudinal position on the vehicle are examined. Distributions of both path curvature and lateral acceleration are presented. The six vehicles studied were all five‐axle, tractor‐semitrailer combinations. The semitrailers were cryogenic tankers for transporting liquid nitrogen. The fleet operated from La Porte, Indiana and serviced much of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Data from nearly 10,000 hours and more than 770,000 km of travel were collected and analyzed.