"Initially being solely involved in the sharing of information, it has commissioned ad-hoc research since 1950, became more involved in multi-modal transport in the 1960s, and has extended its operations further more recently.TRB fulfills this mission through the work of its more than 200 standing committees and task forces addressing all modes and aspects of transportation; publication and dissemination of reports and peer-reviewed technical papers on research findings; management of cooperative research and other research programs; conduct of special studies on transportation policy issues at the request of the U.S. Congress and government agencies; operation of an online computerized file of transportation research information; and the hosting of the TRB Annual Meeting each January in Washington DC that, in 2020, attracted more than 14,000 transportation professionals from throughout the United States and abroad.