In evaluating structures for their levels of safety, current methods are heavily reliant on load rating techniques. Varying state Department of Transportation's each have their own specific guidelines as to the global method used or even the more detailed loading configuration to be used within the general methods. These differences in load rating methods, as well as the uncertainty in the complex structural analyses required to generate the live and dead load reactions, more specifically for long span structures, can lead to a significant variance in the load ratings of critical members. This has put bridge owners in a difficult position, as they have to consider methods which generate poor ratings even though other methods have satisfactory ratings and has generated motivation for an experimental method to more accurately understand the real dead and live load effects on a structure over time.
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