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Center Operations

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Basic

Although all LTAP/TTAP Centers are unique, there are certain functions that all Centers complete as part of their operations.

Training and technical assistance are the cornerstone of LTAP/TTAP. Courses focus on a variety of topics that fall into several key categories — safety, infrastructure maintenance and workforce development.

Centers provide affordable training primarily to the county and local transportation workers that are responsible for maintaining nearly three-quarters of the nation's roadways. The classes that are offered vary by Center and can focus on what are known as "soft" or "hard" skills. For example, a Center may offer training in chainsaw maintenance, work zone safety, time management and asphalt road repair. In each case, the LTAP/TTAP is trying to help local officials do their job more efficiently and safely.

Centers communicate with their customers through newsletters, marketing materials and their websites. Center newsletters are published four times a year, although many Centers are moving towards "E-newsletters" that are distributed electronically. National program marketing materials are available through FHWA's LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse. Many Centers also publish their own materials. This helps spread the word about LTAP/TTAP to stakeholders in their states.

Each year the Centers provide information to FHWA on their operations through the Program Analysis Report (PAR) and the Center Assessment Report (CAR). The PAR includes data on all the classes offered by the Center, including the number of participants, the length of each class and the total number of sessions offered. The CAR is a confidential report completed by Center directors, and is submitted directly to FHWA. Both of these forms are online in the Centers Only Area of the website.

Centers interact with the larger LTAP/TTAP community through service on national committees, the National LTAP Association (NLTAPA) and a series of regional meetings, partner events and the National LTAP/TTAP conference.

Many Centers spend considerable time finding new resources and classes to offer to their customers. A number of LTAP/TTAP partners provide these materials. The FHWA LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse also has an online database of LTAP/TTAP courses and materials, as well as a database of trainers.

Related Links

Intermediate

PAR/CAR Information

  • Why is the PAR so important? Click here to watch a video about the report.
  • Performance measures for the national LTAP/TTAP are defined in each of the four focus categories, and are reported to FHWA in the PAR. This report represents the overall output of Center efforts across their training, technology transfer and information exchange roles. FHWA also relies on an additional, qualitative assessment from LTAP/TTAP staff. In the daily work required to make the program a success, LTAP/TTAP professionals come into continuous contact with various groups and resources.
  • The CAR captures valuable evidence of the health of the program to both assess the impact of the LTAP/TTAP as well as gather success stories to share throughout our community. The CAR also provides an opportunity for Centers to put the raw data of the PAR into context.

LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan

  • The Strategic Plan provides detailed information about the roles and responsibilities for FHWA and LTAP/TTAP Centers. View the LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan.
  • The Strategic Plan is reviewed annually by the ten representatives of the Strategic Planning Committee.
  • More information on the LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan is in the advanced section.

Communications and News

  • Three specific examples of Center newsletters include the California LTAP, a large center, the Missouri LTAP, a medium-sized Center and the Illinois LTAP, a DOT-based Center. Links to these newsletters and others can be found on our Center Newsletters page.
  • The LTAP/TTAP E-news is published four times a year by the LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse, and provides information on Centers, new materials and resources, current issues and upcoming events.
  • National marketing brochures and special program inserts are available to Centers for free from the LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse. View all the resources available from the Clearinghouse. (PDF, 59K) These include a table-top exhibit, banner stands, and special exhibit kiosks. (PDF, 12K)
  • The LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse can also provide technical assistance for creating brochures, flyers, crisis communication planning, research requests, press releases and media planning.
  • Centers can download a template to customize their own brochure or insert to match the national marketing materials. The National LTAP/TTAP Brochure template can be downloaded after logging into the Centers Only Area.

Finding Additional Resources

Advanced

PAR/CAR Information

  • Centers store their data in a variety of formats throughout the year. Some Centers use the online PAR form to keep a running tabulation of classes. Other Centers have created their own database systems in Microsoft Access or a similar format.
  • Instructions on how to upload your training data to the online PAR form, log into the Centers Only Area. Go to the training section of the PAR and click the "Upload Training Sessions Form" link.

Communications and News

LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan provides detailed information about the roles and responsibilities for FHWA and LTAP/TTAP Centers. View the LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan. More about roles and responsibilities is located in the Academy section on program organization.

Strategic Plan History

  • The first program strategic planning effort took place in 1997 and represented a valuable first opportunity for the LTAP/TTAP to work together as a team to consider a collective strategic outlook.
  • In 2004, the current LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan was implemented, building upon the core of the 1997 effort by recasting and clarifying program direction and adding important performance analysis tools.
  • The LTAP/TTAP Program is committed to thinking both critically about our position and strategically about how to make improvements to crucial areas, and a 2008 update to the Plan takes the next steps to further that effort. It integrated additional focus and performance information for the TTAP part of the Program; it also added the latest information regarding the program roles and responsibilities effort to clearly define the work of program stakeholders across LTAP/TTAP operations.
  • The LTAP/TTAP is committed to continuous evaluation of the elements of this Plan as our program matures. Continuous improvement is a critical factor in our success; as LTAP/TTAP moves forward, new performance measures may be devised and present ones discarded. There are no "wrong answers" to the performance questions posed of LTAP/TTAP; the information collected by FHWA informs and stimulates our understanding of what we do and ultimately leads to better understanding of the value we create for our stakeholders and better management of our limited resources.

Strategic Plan Structure

  • The national Strategic Plan defines four key areas that indicate the current program functions of every LTAP/TTAP Center. The four focus areas are Safety, Infrastructure Management, Workforce Development and Organizational Excellence. The first three are focused primarily on external outcomes and processes, and the last is a function of both the internal and external LTAP/TTAP organization. The focus areas are critical to the LTAP/TTAP program and its strategic vision and mission; but they do not alter the flexibility of Centers to provide the services required of their local roads community.
  • The focus areas are designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Individual LTAP/TTAP Centers are involved in efforts to improve surface transportation in their respective states and localities. Though any single thing an LTAP/TTAP Center does may fall into any, some or all of the categories, at least one of these can help explain and define every LTAP/TTAP function. The focus areas are not a rigid set of silos into which every LTAP/TTAP task must be shunted; instead, these categories provide internal information about what and how value is provided to program customers. They also help define the value and importance of the LTAP/TTAP role in the surface transportation community.

Strategic Planning Committee

The LTAP/TTAP Strategic Planning Committee works to insure progress and growth for the national Program by providing analysis and advice to Program leadership. Roles and responsibilities for the Committee include but are not limited to:

  • Provide overall review, analysis and direction on LTAP/TTAP roles, responsibilities and performance for the national Program community
  • Anticipate and respond to the strategic opportunities and challenges faced by the Program
  • Analyze and develop national Program tools to assist Centers in completing the mission and fulfilling the vision of the LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan
  • Monitor implementation of the LTAP/TTAP Strategic Plan
  • Report progress of strategic planning efforts and deliverables to Program stakeholders
  • Garner, facilitate and respond to Center feedback regarding strategic planning initiatives and tools

Specific tasks include but are not limited to:

  • Define, develop and refine reporting tools - such as the PAR, the CAR, and other tools - to analyze and evaluate Program performance
  • Identify areas of focus for future Program national goals and strategic objectives, including eventual additions and amendments to the 2004 Strategic Plan
  • Review and maintain Program progress toward existing goals, including performance measures, status reports, and eventual amendments to program reporting tools
  • Develop strategies, presentations and agenda for national, regional and annual Program meetings and conferences

The Strategic Plan is reviewed annually by the ten representatives of the Strategic Planning Committee. The Strategic Planning Committee is comprised of eight [8] working members. Two are predetermined through their respective roles in managing the LTAP/TTAP; the FHWA LTAP/TTAP Program Manager and the current NLTAPA President. Six additional members representing the broader LTAP/TTAP community are drawn directly from LTAP/TTAP Centers. Chosen by FHWA in consultation with the Program community, each member serves one two-year term. Furthermore, the terms of the six at-large members are staggered to insure the operational and intellectual continuity of the work of the Committee; two new members are selected each year, as two existing members step down.

Special Programs & Topics

  • Many LTAP/TTAP Centers have had to deal with incidents, disasters or emergencies. Several Centers shared their experiences during the 2008 National Conference. Watch the conference videos from this plenary session, held July 16.
  • Construction career days are a popular way to reach out to young students that could potentially be part of the transportation workforce. For information on events across the country, visit the National Construction Career Days Center website.
  • Road Scholar Programs are developed and managed by Centers to provide training in the latest road-related technologies and innovations to all transportation workers. Although programs vary by Center, participation in the Road Scholar Program overall provides an increased knowledge and awareness of how and why road systems must be properly managed. The ideas, knowledge, and skills that participants gain through the workshops and training are an asset to their job development, strengthens agencies across the country, preserves the roadway infrastructure, and ultimately reduces the cost of maintaining roadways.
  • The goal of the Safety Circuit Rider Program is to improve safety on local roadways and make significant progress in reducing the number of crashes and fatalities nationally.

    The SCR program, operated by FHWA, is designed to provide safety-related information, training, and support to agencies responsible for local roadway safety. While the primary focus is on local roads, and therefore local agencies, SCR support also assists LTAP/TTAP Centers, State and local transportation agencies, universities, and safety interest groups.

    SCR programs can take many forms including technical assistance, training, and technology transfer. In that sense, SCR programs are similar to the LTAP/TTAP Centers; however, the difference is the SCR activities focus on safety. Providing this onsite, safety-related support meets two needs. First, safety on locally maintained roads is a significant issue nationwide. Second, many local agencies lack the resources or technical expertise to properly identify, diagnose, and treat traffic safety problems.

    In 2005, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety identified an opportunity to enhance safety services through LTAP Centers by funding safety circuit rider positions at three LTAP Centers (Florida, Kentucky, and West Virginia) and one TTAP Center (Northern Plains). Grants were awarded through competitive process. This initiative was a pilot program developed with assistance from the FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and usefulness of a SCR program. The program was continued for the three LTAP Centers in 2006; in addition, several States have developed their own programs.

    More information is available through the FHWA Best Practices Guide, a presentation from the Florida LTAP Center about their program, and an article from the Iowa LTAP.

Additional Resources

Below are sessions relevant to the operations of Centers that were held at the 2009 National LTAP/TTAP Conference held July 27-30 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Effective Supervision - Parts One & Two

Speaker:

  • Greg Primm, Township Manager, Allegheny Township, West Moreland County, PA

Downloads:

Out of the Classroom and onto the Internet - How Centers are succeeding with online training and the lessons they are learning

Speaker/Moderator:

  • Terry McNinch - MI LTAP

Web Address:

Growing Your Center - Funding Diversification and Strategic Partnerships

Panelists:

  • Ken Skorseth, SD LTAP
  • Patsy Anderson, Kentucky LTAP
  • Jim Grothaus, Minnesota LTAP
  • Elizabeth Hoy, University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation - MI

Videos:

Advisory Committees - Growing, Care and Feeding to best utilize this great resource

Speakers:

  • C.S. Papacostas, Hawaii LTAP
  • Ron Eck, WV LTAP
  • John Habermann, Indiana LTAP
  • Heath Pickerill, Missouri LTAP

Videos:

Website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, managed by the Clearinghouse and - Transportation Development Foundation