History of NaTMEC
The original concept for NaTMEC spawned from a workshop held in 1974 in Orlando, FL. Following that in 1983, the first National Conference on Weigh-in-Motion was held in Denver, CO. It morphed into the National Traffic Data Acquisition Conference in 1990, and became NATMEC (with a capital A, for “North American”) in 1998, when it was held in Charlotte, NC. In 2020, the conference, now called the National Travel Monitoring Exposition and Conference (NaTMEC), was to be held again in North Carolina; however, the coronavirus pandemic called for a change in plans. Rather than cancel the program altogether until the next regularly scheduled NaTMEC in 2022, this historically in-person event is being reinvented as a virtual one for 2021. Unfortunately, 2022 brought a continuation of issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, necessitating that the event remain virtual for one more year. Then FHWA approved a first - the 2024 event would have the same host. This is the first time a single sponsor organization has hosted two consecutive events, and so NaTMEC 2024 will be hosted in Boise, Idaho.
Previously, this conference was run by state DOTs or the Transportation Research Board. The 2022 NaTMEC was hosted by a partnership between Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans). The conference planning committee, made up of individuals associated with organizations from across the industry work diligently to provide a positive, informative conference of valuable best practices and innovations. All throughout its history, the Federal Highway Administration has also supported, co-sponsored, or otherwise contributed to planning this event.
No matter the lead planning organization or conference structure, NaTMEC has always emphasized information exchange that helps transportation professionals carry out their daily jobs. This isn’t to say research-oriented presentations have no place, but that they should focus on practice-ready research.
2022
2022 Presentation Slide Decks