I have been attending TRB for over a decade and each year it continues to be a rewarding collaborative experience.
The TRB meeting is one of the most important gatherings in the transportation industry, and the 105th Annual Meeting reinforced exactly why.
Connecting Research, Practice, and Policy
TRB is a critical clearinghouse for transportation knowledge. It sits at the intersection of government, private industry, academia, and the public sector. That unique mix makes it a powerful venue for shaping the future of transportation.
Attending TRB gives industry leaders and researchers the opportunity to:
- Influence future research directions by contributing to problem statements and research needs
- Share real-world insights on what data, tools, and methodologies are truly useful in practice
- Build relationships that foster collaboration and help move research from theory into implementation
TRB isn’t just about observing where the industry is headed; it’s also about helping steer it and guide the next generation of transportation professionals.
Recruiting the Next Generation of Talent
Another key reason to attend TRB is access to emerging talent. The conference brings together some of the brightest students and early-career professionals working on the future of mobility, safety, and data-driven decision-making.
For organizations looking to recruit skilled professionals with hands-on experience in analytics, modeling, and applied research, TRB offers unmatched opportunities for direct engagement and meaningful conversations.
The 2026 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge: Bridging Academia and Practice
One of the exciting initiatives spotlighted at TRB this year was the 2026 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge, a public-private partnership launched by INRIX and the Federation of American Scientists to accelerate applied, data-driven transportation research. Announced at TRB, the INRIX x MetroLab Challenge invites teams of university researchers and local government collaborators to tackle real-world mobility, safety, equity, and resilience problems using INRIX mobility data and analytics. Selected teams receive up to one year of free access to a suite of INRIX APIs, enabling them to develop insights and tools directly relevant to community needs and policymaker decision-making.
This initiative builds on past success: the 2025 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge produced innovative research addressing AI traffic modeling, roadway safety enhancements, healthcare access via transportation, and even evacuation planning under emergency conditions. By fostering collaboration across cities and universities, the INRIX x MetroLab Challenge demonstrates the value of bridging academic research with on-the-ground transportation challenges. It reinforces a broader theme I saw throughout the conference: research is most impactful when it moves beyond the classroom and into practice. Encouraging students, professors, and local officials to work together not only strengthens research impact but also helps ensure that data analytics efforts truly benefit communities.
What Stood Out at the 105th Annual Meeting
One of the most noticeable changes this year was the significant committee reorganization. While change can be disruptive, it also creates opportunity. The new committee structures make it easier for professionals, especially those who may not have traditionally engaged with TRB, to participate and help shape transportation research priorities.
Many committees review hundreds of paper submissions each year. Industry participation is essential in this process. Practitioner insight helps separate what is theoretically interesting from what is practically useful, ensuring that the research TRB elevates can stand up to real-world application.
AI: Buzzword vs. Responsibility
Artificial intelligence was everywhere at TRB this year. While it’s encouraging to see innovation, it’s also clear that AI is sometimes being “shoehorned” into research proposals in hopes of securing funding.
At INRIX, we’re proud of the work our data science and engineering teams have done to take a responsible, applied approach to AI. We’ve been using machine learning for years, and our focus has always been on delivering functional, validated models. That commitment led to our work being nominated for presentation this year, highlighting the difference between talking about AI and actually deploying it effectively.
AI will undoubtedly reshape transportation research. It accelerates literature reviews and expands analytical capabilities. However, it does not replace the need for practitioner expertise. Human judgment is still essential to validate outputs, challenge assumptions, and ensure accuracy.
Final Thoughts
TRB remains an essential forum for making connections, influencing research, and shaping the future of transportation. While it’s impossible to be everywhere at once, the conversations happening, across committees, sessions, and informal meetings, continue to move the industry forward.
Being at TRB isn’t just about attendance. It’s about participation, contribution, and responsibility. And that’s what makes it such a valuable experience year after year.