INDOT Challenge: How to Maintain Our Highway Infrastructure

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INDOT Challenge How to Maintain Our Highway
Infrastructure

• Mark Newland
• Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Management
• Indiana Department of Transportation
• Thanks to Dr. Darcy Bullock, Purdue University

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Problem Statement Objectives

• Static weigh stations do not appear to be
  effective in enforcing truck weight laws.
• Objective 1 To utilize high-tech equipment and
  communications to more effectively monitor truck
  traffic with the goal of increased truck weight
  compliance.
• Objective 2 Significantly increase the hit
  rate for motor carrier inspectors
• More effective use of scarce resources.

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Pavement Damage Model
100,000-lb truck 6.33 ESALs 65,000 cars
80,000-lb truck 2.44 ESALs 25,000 cars
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I-80/94 Eastbound Lane 3 Projected ESALs
Design Life 30 years
Overweight Trucks
Legal Trucks
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Static Weigh Stations

• Primarily located on interstates entering the
  state
• Screens vehicles entering the state for weight
  and equipment violations

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Statewide Static Weigh Station Study

• Violation data collected at all 8 active Indiana
  weigh stations August-September 2003
• Total Open Hours 3,680
• Weight Violations GVW gt 85,000 lbs
• 14 (1 every 268 hours open)
• Weight Violations are only25 to 30 of activity
• Did not include new I-70
• weigh station.

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Total Violation Summary
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Violation Summary Overweight Codes

• Code 1 Unspecified Violation
• Code 10 Unspecified Weight Violation
• Code 11 Overweight Single Axle
• Code 12 Overweight Drive Tandem Combination
• Code 13 Overweight Trailer Tandem Combination
• Code 14 Unspecified Overweight Tandem
  Combination
• Code 15 Overweight GVW
• Code 16 Overweight Bridge Formula

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14 Trucks Cited over 85,000 lbs at Static Weigh
Stations August-September 2003
Heaviest vehicle 94,220 lbs GVW
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Overweight Truck Problem

• Are there any overweight trucks?
• Examine I-80/94
• east of Chicago
• 8-lanes
• Heavy truck traffic
• WIM Data

(light traffic)
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I-80/94 Class 9 WIM Stats

• 28,660 trucks each day
• 37 trucks over 90,000 lbs each day
• 7 trucks over 100,000 lbs each day
• Static weigh stations only identify 14 trucks
  over 85,000 over a two month period STATEWIDE

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Comments

• Study indicates static weigh stations were not
  effective for identifying weight violations.
• GVW gt 85,000 lbs
• 14 (1 every 268 hours open)
• Could similar inefficiencies exist for
• Equipment?
• Driver?
• Licensing?

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Best Practice

• Use existing WIM infrastructure to screen for
  overweight
• In-Vehicle wireless Data (not video)
• 2000-5000 per site
• 1500 per law enforcement vehicle
• Dedicated Inspection Area

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VWS Data Flow
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VWS Vehicle Hardware
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Virtual Weigh Station Video Snapshot
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First Pilot run I-65 near Lafayette, Indiana.
Observers radioing weights downstream manually.
August 10, 2000 WIM Reading 112,340 lbs.Portable
Scales 111,350 lbs.Legal 73,280 lbs. (short
trailer)
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VWS on US 24 East of Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Enforcement Parking
US 24
WIM
Cabinet
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Ft. Wayne VWS Field Installed Hardware
Modem Panel Mounted inside cabinet
Antenna Mounted adjacent to cabinet
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US 24 Inspection Site East of Ft. Wayne VWS
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Obtaining Static Weights on Certified Portable
Scales at US 24 Inspection Area
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Final Observations

• Static Weigh Stations do not appear to be
  effective for weight enforcement.
• Overweight commercial vehicles continue to be a
  problem.
• Overweight commercial vehicles are a significant
  concern from an infrastructure life expectancy
  and safety perspective.
• Static Weigh Stations are more successful on
  inspection activities
• We believe weight enforcement may be more
  effectively performed by randomly using several
  dozen strategically placed WIMs.
• Purdue estimates VWS program is 55 X more
  effective in weight enforcement than static weigh
  stations.

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Final Observations

• Need to increase risk to illegal trucks.
• Need centralized adjudication process.
• State Police are short on manpower.
• Can use technology to
• Make up manpower shortage
• More cost effective weight enforcement
• Significantly increase risk to illegal trucks gt
  increased weight compliance gt reduced
  infrastructure damage gt reduced highway
  maintenance gt lower costs to ALL customers.

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Future of VWS in Indiana

• Freight issues are now a major focus.
• Created a dedicated INDOT CVO position.
• Will now begin to aggressively address overweight
  problem.
• Working closely with the trucking industry.
• Indiana Motor Truck Association generally
  supports VWS gt Levels the Playing Field.
• Continue to partner with Indiana State Police
  Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.