2025 Hall of Fame Inductees

Joe Crabtree

Joe Crabtree

Dr. Joe Crabtree’s connection with transportation began in 1974, when he applied for and received a Kentucky DOT Scholarship to study civil engineering at the University of Kentucky. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in 1978 and his Master’s degree in 1979, he married his best friend, Lisa and was assigned to the Traffic and Safety section of the DOT’s Division of Research. When the Division of Research was abolished in 1980, Joe and his research colleagues became part of the new Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) at UK. Released from his remaining scholarship obligation, and desiring a new challenge, Joe applied for and was accepted for admission to the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate program. He served as a Naval Officer from 1983 to 1987, then accepted a position with Mobil Chemical Company in Illinois. In 1992, he returned to Kentucky and came back to transportation and KTC.

Shortly after his return, Joe was asked to assist with the Center’s early research efforts in intelligent transportation systems (ITS). His first major project was the Advantage I-75 Operational Test Project, the nation’s first corridor-wide deployment of commercial vehicle electronic screening technology, involving 29 weigh stations in six states and a Canadian province. The success of that groundbreaking project established Kentucky as a national leader in commercial vehicle ITS applications, a role that has continued to this day. Joe managed KTC’s ITS research program for 17 years, working closely with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky State Police, and FMCSA to improve commercial vehicle safety and efficiency through intelligent applications of advanced technology. Joe was an early developer and advocate for the concept of Universal ID (placing an electronic identifier on every commercial vehicle in the country), and he authored the petition letter when the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) requested that FMCSA implement Universal ID nationwide.

While managing the Center’s ITS research program, Joe was also able to complete his doctoral studies, receiving his Ph.D. in 2004. In 2010, he was selected to serve as Director of KTC, a position he held until his retirement in 2021. He served as a member of the Conduct of Research Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), as Chair of TRB’s Inland Water Transportation Committee, and as a member of Kentucky’s Water Transportation Advisory Board. He has served on numerous panels for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). In 2020, he received the Outstanding Service to the ITS Industry Award from the Intelligent Transportation Society of the Midwest. He currently serves as a member of the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee and as an Emeritus Board Member of Kentuckians for Better Transportation (KBT). He and Lisa live in Lawrenceburg and have two adult children and three grandsons.