Two state-of-the-art (late 1989) pavement distress data collection devices were used to evaluate 15 bituminous-surfaced test sections 152 m (0.1 mi) long. The Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) road surface tester was a laser-based system that produced a comprehensive array of rutting and cracking statistics for nominal pavement segments 0.16 km (0.1 mi) long. The PAVEDEX PAS-I system recorded the pavement surface condition on videotape, which was later visually analyzed by PAVEDEX technicians using Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) pavement management system network-level distress identification criteria. Data from the two systems were compared with distresses measured and mapped by KDOT engineering technicians using a ground survey. The average maximum rut depth measured by the IMS laser system provided a relatively precise estimate of rut depth severity. Only one linear correlation between IMS cracking data and KDOT distress data was significant at the 5% level. Given the comprehensive array of ten IMS cracking width and depth measurements, the absence of linear association with KDOT field data was unexpected. PAVEDEX video data generally detected the presence of transverse and fatigue cracking but had difficulty in assigning the correct KDOT severity code because perceived roughness associated with transverse cracking and differences between hairline and spalled fatigue cracking are used as criteria. Transvere cracks with secondary cracking were interpreted to be block cracking. As a general conclusion, the study indicated that the current KDOT distress rating criteria are not compatible with the capabilities of the two distress measurement systems.