Three test sections were placed in the Arizona low desert in 1992 to test the use of the West Coast Asphalt Cement PBA-7 desert specification. After a short hot spell the material exhibited significant rutting compared with the conventional AC-40. The binders and mixes were characterized using performance-related test techniques that were developed within the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). The results indicated that the PBA-7 binder was much more susceptible to permanent deformation in marginal mixes than a conventional AC-40. However, both the rheological characterization of the binder and repetitive creep on the appropriate SHRP PG grade indicated superior performance over both traditional binders both at high and low temperatures and over the PBA-7 at high temperatures.