Based on experience in enforcing operational noise standards for medium‐ and heavy‐duty trucks it is, in certain instances, of interest to prescribe a standard more stringent than the maximum noise level vehicles of that type are capable of producing. By taking advantage of the fact that trucks usually need not operate at full power and/or maximum engine speeds on a level street within inhabited areas a “level‐street noise standard” would require restrictions on the truck operator in order for the vehicle to meet the requirements of such a standard. A twofold measurement program was undertaken with a view of constructing a truck noise model from which the effects of various possible standards on the truck population could be determined. A small number of trucks was subjected to strictly controlled tests in order to collect data on the relationship between noise levels and such operational parameters as engine speed and engine torque. A large number of trucks was subjected to simpler controlled tests in order to determine the statistical distribution of truck noise levels as a function of truck design parameters and vehicle speed. Both sets of data were combined with data in the literature to formulate the level‐street truck noise model.