I’m going to go ahead and assume that everyone reading this is properly certified, runs legal freight, runs legal hours, and runs safe equipment with up-to-date inspections. Since you’re following the rules and keeping our roadways safe, you probably stop in at weigh stations when you’re supposed to. Many drivers don’t want to waste the time and risk getting ticketed when they blow on past weigh stations en route to… wherever it is their load needs to be dropped. This is a practice that not only costs truckers hard-earned cash, but can also be extremely dangerous.
A test program is being tried out in Indiana to try to encourage drivers to check in at weigh stations by making the visits quick and painless. FMCSA representatives attended a demonstration of how two new pieces of technology will help to keep the roads safer and keep drivers on the road. Help, Inc., the creator of the new technologies put on the demonstration at a weigh station on I-70 in Richmond, IN.
The first piece of technology, 360SmartView, makes use of high definition cameras to get a truck’s DOT number and license plate number as it enters the inspection station. The program then uses those numbers to access information from over 90 government databases to provide inspection officers with an instant, detailed description of the vehicle and carrier.
“This technology allows law enforcement to work with multiple state and federal agencies and identify non-compliant carriers, which helps enforcement officials get bad trucks and unsafe drivers off the road,” says Jim Poe, deputy commissioner of the Indiana Department of Revenue.
The whole process, which currently takes several minutes, takes only a few seconds when using this system according to Indiana Department of Revenue spokesman Bob Dittmer. So 360 SmartView can vastly reduce the amount of time spent at a weigh station, but the next bit of technology is even better.
It’s basically an upgraded version of Pre-Pass, a system which is already in place at over 300 weigh stations in 31 states. Basically, as a driver is approaching a weight station, in-cab technology sends information about the driver, vehicle and carrier to an above-the-road monitor which relays it to a computer or an inspection worker’s handheld device. If all the information checks out, the driver is allowed to bypass the station entirely.
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Source: usatoday
Louisiana already has a weigh in motion system that allows any truck under gross to bypass the scale entirely. Only if you are close on weight do you need to stop on the static scale.
You know it sounds good but there are so many different things that are so wrong with it. I will give you one example, ” face recognition software ” need I have to say more. More constitutional issues as well. And we the people keep excepting it. I believe if we are going to do anything about it the we get what we deserve. What can we do you ask , for one vote local only two stop voting in the federal level and when they just pick who they want stand up and demand a recount, if no one vote in the federal level( presidential) there is nothing to recount so now we have open the eyes to the rest of the world. Not of what I’m talking about then you are part of the problem cause your not keeping up on your education. Something we all realize today we never stop learning. Hmmmmmm make any sense.
Wow, whats next? Social security number, driver license number , first born child? When is big briother going to stay out of the drivers pocket? Too much information is being transponded with this new system. It sounds like to me that this will stream line the inspection process so that the DOT officers can make even more money for their home state. Why waste valuable time checking the good trucks when an electronic devise can tell you which trucks have issues? Whats next, drivers hours of service transponded in to the scale house as you drive by? Why not? Then they can catch all of the drivers that may be running ten minutes over their hours of service to get to that truck stop at the next exit, well here sir, take this 200 dollar ticket with you. Why not just let those electronic boxes mounted in your windshield take care of all of that and just issue you a ticket as you drive by and debit your bank account all at the same time! Now that would be streamlining the industry and help those poor overworked DOT officers get down to the real business of truck inspections! Give us a break!
What next? Simple hand implants. This is the technology to make it happen!
Perhaps the author can help either California or PrePass, get the west bound I-80 @ Cordelia, CA operational again. It’s been down for 3 years now!!!
All new posts, electrical, in road weighing mechanicals etc, but some dummy forgot to turn the power on.
Called theft of service or some such. Options? Live with it or drop PrePass. Oh well, it’s only one more way in which we are getting shafted…
many states have weigh in motion, but that only weighs you. this new system will identify you, your truck and the company. i wonder how long before they can plot our movements by when we pass weigh stations. it’s getting downright orwellian out here.
i didn’t read anything in the article indicating it will cost a compliant driver anything. if it pulls crappy, broke down, worn brakes trucks and drivers who think they are superman and can drive 24 hrs a day with a cat nap on the steering wheel, then i’m all for it. admittedly some of the safety rules and compliance measures are questionably effective at best, but identifying unsafe trucks and operators at the scale, and removing them, should be job one for the DOT
there is nothing big brother about it, the info the scales would get is already available to any law enforcement offical who wants it. If it saves time (which equals money) then Im all for it. If you are legal, current on your logs, not over your hos than what are you worried about. When you pull into a scale what do you think they are doing while you are waiting on line, I’ll tell you, they are pulling up your info. With this new system it will just go a little quicker, that’s all.
I AGREE CARL, GET THE BAD TRUCKS AND LOUSY DRIVERS OFF THE ROAD, I COMPLY TO THE RULES AND SO SHOULD EVERYONE ELSE.
There’s good and bad in progress..First all the rave and then the bad will predominate..inevitable..If you pride yourself in following all the rules so be it..shut up and don’t worry abut what everybody else is doing..all of us truckers are individuals and not one of us are alike in anything we do..remember that before you go shooting off at the mouth with your bullcrap..i am not golden i mess up out on the road and will never be a goody two shoes..SORRY
I’m not a fan of governing in any form but its the way we all choose to keep things. If u don’t like governing, why do u vote for someone to make decisions for everyone? Since this is the country we all seem to elect, why not streamline it? Not that we don’t mistakenly break regulations, we all do, though I would think they could be overlooked if one showed an honest conscience. Again, I don’t like anything governing but I believe that ppl against the changes are just expressing their fear and unwillingness to adapt to an ever changing system.
That’s a good one. These states individually do not care about highway safety and I’ve experienced 1st hand. It’s all a bunch of bull Honky!
people/fellow trucker
the one that are complaining here I’m sure are the ones that are over on the logs, this is meant to speed up things. And you will get pulled in from time to time, but it will only make the next trip through the koops that much faster next time IF your logs are up to date and your not over. Up here north of the border have had weight in motion for years and it has for the most part worked out. This is only a means to target certain carriers that don’t run legal or have trouble with compliance. It makes the good guys better and the not so good guys accountable, plus it will indeed have an impact on the number of DOT officials manning the koops in the long run. Yes less jobs but more Travel time!
Have you been to Oregon? They do “plot” you from scale to scale.
So if it all about safety and no revenue then why is this being pushed by dept of revenue and not dot or dps and those who think its that wonderful remember its just like prepass so even if you are so perfect if everyone who works for your co isn’t you will be flagged 5% is all its takes so look at your other company drivers they will reflect on you
” ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” Orson Wells was correct in his theories, Big Brother is here. Communism? Police State? Wake up world ! It’s the beginning of the end of America as we once knew it. It’s time to fight back. FMCSA is a corrupt entity of our government which in itself is corrupt. And so are many other sub-governmental subsidaries. OCSE,NICS,FBI,CIA,DOT, ETC.
Watch your back…………………
Communism is here. This is another way for the government to control you. A step closer to to telling you just take the mark of the beast put a chip in you hand. Wake up america how is this gonna make the roads safer ? Think about it if the Department of revenue is involved in this, what do you think this is for? To make them money they don’t give a rats ass about making the roads safe. This is way to much of government control, them knowing where we were 5 hrs ago and controlling that? wake up ppl. I think this goes against our constitution. And i completely agree with Patrick Leddy.
No two drivers are alike so to expect them to drive exactly alike is a form of insanity. I have heard the excuse that it is the insurance industry that is behind the “safety” push but in reality it is nothing more than greed and control. There is no longer room for freedom in the industry, only robots. The independence and toughness that made America great is now a thing of the past or living in the north pasture. When a disaster occurs the HOS are often suspended but the very spirit of trucking that produced the kind of driver that can stand up to diverse situations can be broken and now we wonder why there is a shortage of good drivers and few people want to drive anymore. A trucker drives with his mind and when you imprison his mind he is a broken person and sometimes it takes a long time to regain his freedom. It is a wonderful thing to develop perfect plans but when you can’t control all of the variables the plan is flawed. The Trucking Industry is more flawed than ever…FIX IT NOW! Let the drivers do their job!!!
they all ready do it in WA and they do issue tickets