Frequently Asked Questions
Employers FAQ Drivers FAQ
Commercial Vehicle Employer and Driver Surveys: Employer FAQ
This study is being conducted to assist in the development of a Commercial Service Vehicle Model, which will be used for analyzing commercial traffic demand in northeastern Illinois.
A transportation model can be used to better understand traffic in a particular area while improving planning and decision-making in ways that can relieve traffic congestion and improve traffic flow.
The data collected as part of this study will better inform the work being conducted by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). CMAP is the comprehensive planning organization for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Since 2005, CMAP and its partners have been identifying and implementing long-range strategies that address transportation, economic, environmental, and other quality-of-life issues. As part of our work, CMAP conducts regional travel modeling that includes passenger and freight movement, but a gap exists for commercial service vehicles.
The development of this model will help transportation planners understand the vehicle movements associated with various types of commercial services. This includes vehicles used for utility services, business services (e.g., realtors, door-to-door sales), parcel deliveries, construction vehicles, and public service vehicles.
Information you provide through this survey are essential to help the region better understand the sector and to help CMAP develop a stronger model for commercial service vehicles. Looking ahead to 2050, CMAP and its partners are planning to implement strategies to improve transportation, housing, and other issues that impact the quality of life of people in northeastern Illinois. To thank you for your time, your business will receive a $50 check upon completion of the survey.
CMAP is sponsoring this research. CMAP has contracted the technical support of R.A. Malatest & Associates (Malatest) to conduct the data collection for this study.
CMAP is the designated metropolitan planning organization for northeastern Illinois, serving 8.5 million residents across 284 communities in the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. CMAP is an award-winning regional planning organization that works to implement the vision of ON TO 2050, the comprehensive plan for northeastern Illinois. CMAP's work addresses transportation, the environment, housing, and other regional development issues that impact quality of life. You can visit their website here: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/.
R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. (Malatest) is a privately-owned research firm that specializes in transportation and other research. Malatest has been involved in research and evaluation for more than 30 years. As part of this study, Malatest has been contracted to conduct the data collection, from employers and drivers, that will inform CMAP's future planning and decision-making. You can visit their website here: https://malatest.com/default.htm.
We are interested in learning from businesses with commercial vehicles. Your contact information was randomly obtained from brokers with business listings in the Chicago area. This allows us to gather a broad and representative sample of commercial service vehicles.
The survey will ask questions about your business, including the size and type, trip generation information, frequency of shipments by mode, and the number of employees who are drivers, if any. The survey will also obtain information on everyday goods or service shipped and received from your establishment on the survey date. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
In early August, CMAP mailed a letter to employers to notify them about the study. Malatest is following up by sending employers an email or letter with further instructions on how to participate that includes a unique access code. To participate, you will need the access code to log into the survey found at CMAP.malatest.net. If you have not received the unique access code, please contact Malatest at CMAP@malatest.com. If you prefer to complete the survey in a different language please call 1-855-688-1139 (toll-free).
Yes, you can stop the survey and return to it later. If you close the survey and open it again, the survey will pick up right where you left off. However, if you are going to close the survey, please write down your unique access code. You will need the code in order to return where you left off.
Malatest is bound by contract, as well as by law, to protect your privacy. Any information that identifies you personally or identifies your organization will not be shared outside of Malatest. Survey results will be combined and reported, so that no individual business will be identifiable. You can visit Malatest's privacy policy here https://malatest.com/Privacy.htm.
If you have any questions about the survey or would like more information, you can contact:
- Ivone Duarte, Research Analyst
- R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.
- Toll free Phone: 1-800-598-0161 ext 155
- Email: CMAP@malatest.com
If you wish to contact the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) about this study, please contact:
- Nicholas Ferguson, GISP
- nferguson@cmap.illinois.gov
- Senior Analyst, Transportation Modeling
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Commercial Vehicle Employer and Driver Surveys: Driver FAQ
This study helps develop a commercial service vehicle model.
Transportation models are tools to better understand traffic in a particular area and guide planning and decision-making in ways that can relieve traffic congestion and improve traffic flow. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will use this particular model to analyze commercial traffic demand in northeastern Illinois.
By participating in the study, your insights will better inform CMAP’s work on this project.
CMAP is the comprehensive planning organization for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Since 2005, CMAP and its partners have been identifying and implementing long-range strategies that address transportation, economic, environmental, and other quality-of-life issues. As part of our work, CMAP conducts regional travel modeling that includes passenger and freight movement, but a gap exists for commercial service vehicles.
The development of this model will help transportation planners understand the vehicle movements associated with various types of commercial services. This includes vehicles used for utility services, business services (e.g., realtors, door-to-door sales), parcel deliveries, construction vehicles, and public service vehicles.
Your contributions through this survey are essential to help the region better understand the sector and the movement of commercial service vehicles. CMAP and its partners are working to implement strategies that can improve transportation, housing, and other issues that impact the quality of life of people in northeastern Illinois now and into the future. To thank you for your time, you will receive a $100 gift card upon completion of the survey. You have the option to select your gift card from a list of retailers, including Amazon, Apple, and Bass Pro Shops.
CMAP is sponsoring this research. CMAP has contracted the technical support of R.A. Malatest & Associates (Malatest) to conduct the data collection for this study.
As the metropolitan planning organization for northeastern Illinois, CMAP works to implement ON TO 2050, the long-range plan for the region, while serving 8.5 million residents across 284 communities. You can learn more about the agency and its work by visiting the CMAP website https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/.
R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. (Malatest) is a privately-owned research firm that specializes in transportation and other research. Malatest has been involved in research and evaluation for more than 30 years. As part of this study, Malatest has been contracted to conduct the data collection, from employers and drivers. The data will inform CMAP’s future planning and decision-making. You can visit Malatest's website here: https://malatest.com/default.htm.
We are interested in learning from the drivers of commercial vehicles and their firsthand experiences. Your employer has agreed to participate in this study, and either has sent you registration information or provided your contact information to Malatest to invite you to participate.
The survey will ask you questions about your business vehicle, the vehicle size and type, the fuel type you used and the locations you visit. The survey also will ask you to record a trip diary, describing each of your stops on a single work day, the time of the stops, the locations, and the purpose of each stop. You will have access to an online survey form designed to make answering and recording the questions simple and convenient.
We have mailed a letter to employers to notify them about the study, and invite them to complete it. We have asked employers to inform their drivers about the study and encourage their participation as well.
To participate, you will receive either a unique access code from Malatest or a registration code from your employer to login and access the survey at CMAP.malatest.net.If you have any questions, please contact us at CMAP@malatest.com. If you prefer to complete the survey in a different language please call (toll-free) at 1-855-688-1139.
Yes, you can stop the survey and return to it later. The initial portion of the survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. You can record your trip diary a few minutes at a time throughout your day. The trip diary can be completed either as you make your stops, or all at once at the end of the day.
You also can close the survey and open it again at a later time. However, if you are going to close the survey, please write down your unique access code. You will need the code in to return where you left off.
Malatest is bound by contract and the law, to protect your privacy. Any information that identifies you personally or your organization will not be shared outside of Malatest. Survey results will be combined and reported, so that no individuals or businesses will be identifiable. You can visit Malatest’s privacy policy here: https://malatest.com/default.htm.
If you have any questions about the survey or would like more information, you can contact:
- Ivone Duarte, Research Analyst
- R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.
- Toll free Phone: 1-800-598-0161 ext 155
- Email: CMAP@malatest.com
If you wish to contact the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) about this study, please contact:
- Nicholas Ferguson, GISP
- nferguson@cmap.illinois.gov
- Senior Analyst, Transportation Modeling
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)