Quantitative Analysis Toward Guidance for Implementing E-Ticketing for Asphalt Paving Operations

Previous research efforts into e-ticketing for asphalt paving operations have qualitatively identified benefits and concerns. However, there is minimal academic literature detailing the quantitative impact of e-ticketing in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. This research addresses this gap by gathering information from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) about e-ticketing practices to aid in determining potential implementation steps. Quantitative project information was collected from KYTC projects to compare the traditional weigh ticket collection process with e-ticketing processes for both project engineers and inspectors. The analysis shows statistically significant time savings for field employees but not project management personnel. Further, factors affecting e-ticketing implementation for both project engineers and inspectors were also investigated. For inspectors, the dataset was analyzed to determine how the project type and quality assurance responsibilities of the inspector altered the e-ticketing impact. For engineers, the dataset was analyzed to determine how the project type altered e-ticketing impacts and how e-ticketing affected the engineer reviewing and storing project data. Cluster analysis was completed for both project engineers and inspectors to group project types where e-ticketing impact was maximized, and a decision matrix was created to aid agencies in creating implementation plans. The primary contributions to the body of knowledge include a modified action research methodology applied to electronic bulk material tickets to incorporate practitioner expertise into implementation guidelines and quantitative findings indicating that state transportation agencies should first implement e-ticketing on large asphalt-resurfacing projects, such as interstate rehabilitations, where inspectors have strenuous quality assurance responsibilities to maximize benefit.