The research presented in this paper develops a procedure for calibrating the Gipps car-following model. The calibration procedure first entails calibrating the steady state car-following model using macroscopic loop detector data. Subsequently, the Gipps vehicle acceleration component is calibrated using vehicle specification data that can be easily obtained from automobile manufacturers. The calibration procedures were demonstrated to be valid using sample light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle field data. Furthermore, the Gipps acceleration model is demonstrated to be consistent with field observations for light-duty vehicle acceleration modeling. In the case of heavy-duty truck acceleration modeling, the Gipps model tends to overestimate vehicle speeds for heavy truck loadings (weight-to-power ratio in excess of 150 kg/kW).