Cambridge Systematics Provides Guidance on Using Virtual Weigh Stations to Improve Commercial Vehicle Roadside Enforcement Operations (May 7, 2010)
With United States commercial motor vehicle inspection resources stretched thin by increasing traffic volumes, staffing cuts, and expanding responsibilities, states are seeking new ways to monitor and enforce truck size and weight regulations. One solution is to deploy virtual weigh stations (VWS). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Cambridge Systematics have collaborated on a feature article about VWS for the Guardian, a quarterly magazine published by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).
The article, titled FHWA Provides Technical Guidance to Support States’ Use of Virtual Weigh Stations to Augment Roadside Enforcement, appears in Volume 17, Issue 2, Second Quarter 2010, pages 20-21, and is based on work conducted by Cambridge Systematics for FHWA. Cambridge Systematics was commissioned by FHWA to develop a VWS concept of operations (ConOps) to support states’ planning and implementation of VWS technology. The ConOps describes the goals, functions, key concepts, architecture, operational scenarios, operational policies, and impacts of virtual weigh stations.
VWS Support Traditional Strategies
As described in the Guardian article, many states, especially those confronted with increasing truck traffic and limited enforcement resources, are looking to VWS to augment their traditional roadside enforcement strategies. A VWS provides a flexible solution that allows states to target their enforcement resources at high-risk commercial vehicles, such as vehicles that are known to be overweight or vehicles that are being operated by a motor carrier with a history of poor safety performance. VWS also offer states an opportunity to extend the geographic coverage of their roadside enforcement programs into areas that do not have sufficient physical space in which to safely conduct a roadside inspection (e.g., urban areas, intermodal ports), routes routinely used to bypass fixed inspection stations, or routes in remote locations that are not regularly patrolled by enforcement personnel.
The article highlights the flexibility of the VWS concept. As depicted in the ConOps, there is a minimum threshold of functionality that must be deployed in association with a VWS, but states can customize their VWS deployments to meet their specific functional needs, operational environment, and communication infrastructure. Basic VWS deployments weigh a commercial vehicle while it is in motion, take a picture of the vehicle in order to identify it, and make this information available to enforcement personnel in real-time so that overweight vehicles can be intercepted, when appropriate. More advanced VWS deployments integrate additional dimensional sensors and past safety performance data into their screening algorithms, and provide a more robust user interface for roadside enforcement personnel.
Additional ConOps Documents Now Available
The Guardian article mentions two other documents completed by Cambridge Systematics in support of the ConOps as part of the same FHWA project, including a State of the Practice for Roadside Enforcement Technologies and an Implementation Plan that recommends strategies to encourage the deployment of roadside technologies to improve truck size and weight enforcement in the United States.
These documents as well as the ConOps can be downloaded from the FHWA Office of Operations web site, listed under Freight Vehicle Size and Weight Publications: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publications.htm#ift.
About Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Cambridge Systematics specializes in transportation and is a recognized leader in the development of innovative policy and planning solutions, objective analysis, and technology applications. Further information can be found at www.camsys.com.
For additional information, contact Steven Capecci at (617) 345-0167 or Cathy Krupa at (609) 897-0914.