FHWA Talking Freight Seminar Weigh-in-Motion: the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

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FHWA Talking Freight SeminarWeigh-in-Motion
the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliances
PerspectiveWill Schaefer, CVSA Vehicle Programs
Director
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CVSA

• A non-profit 501(c)(3) trade association
• 70 Members, 400 Associate Members
• Began at industrys urging in 1982 with several
  western states and Canadian provinces
• Why was it initiated?
• Need for uniformity and reciprocity in
  regulation, standards, and enforcement
• After deregulation, safety enforcement
  coordination became challenging
• How does it function?
• Collaboration among federal and state public
  agencies and private sector
• All CMV disciplines at the table and involved in
  setting and maintaining standards
• Clear processes and procedures for input and
  output including established committees
• Open doors from the get-go
• Focused agenda, clear expectations and results

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Who is CVSA today?

• Law Enforcement Officials
• Government Regulators
• Trucking Companies
• Bus Companies
• Truck Manufacturers
• Bus Manufacturers
• Insurance Companies
• Trailer Manufacturers
• Safety Product Companies
• Truck Stop Facilities
• For-hire Fleets
• Private Fleets
• Owner-Operators

• Industry Associations
• Parts/Supplies Companies
• Engineering Firms
• Law Firms
• Law Enforcement Equipment Companies
• Industry Journals
• Research Organizations
• Consulting Companies
• Intelligent Transportation System Companies
• Transportation Software Companies
• Academia

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CVSA

• Charter
• An organization of federal, state and provincial
  government agencies and industry representatives
  from the United States, Canada, and Mexico
  dedicated to improvement of commercial vehicle
  safety
• Vision
• The CVSA will be recognized as the international
  authority on commercial motor vehicle safety and
  security.
• Mission
• To promote commercial motor vehicle safety and
  security by providing leadership to enforcement,
  industry and policy makers.

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CMV Safety -- Unique relationships

• Federal/State/Provincial relationships
• MCSAP in U.S.
• 209M (FY2010) --- 8M in 1984
• Additional 100M in other state grants
• 20 (minimum) State match
• Many states put in MUCH more of their own
• Roadside driver and vehicle inspections, Traffic
  enforcement, Compliance Reviews, Safety Audits,
  Outreach and Education
• Provincial-centric in Canada
• Federal focus in Mexico
• In the U.S. varying agencies, depending on the
  state, have CMV safety and enforcement
  responsibility
• Lead Agency coordinates

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The Challenge

• 2.5 Million Roadway Miles (US)
• 135,000 Interstate
• 545,000 Arterials
• 700,000 Motor Carriers (US)
• 4 Million Commercial Drivers
• 9 Million Trucks
• 15 Million Trailers
• Sensitive shipments
• 361 Seaports (US)
• 6 million containers in US annually
• 750,000 Intermodal Chassis

• 1,400 Fixed Inspection Facilities
• 12,000 CVSA Certified Inspectors
• 800,000 cops
• 4 million roadside inspections/year
• 33,963 fatalities (US, 2009)
• 3,163 involved large trucks
• First time annual large truck fatalities below
  4,000 since data collection began in 1975

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Population and Complexity of Safety
Enforcement of CMVs Will Only Grow
thousands
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Large Trucks Registered in the U.S.
thousands
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CVSA Supporting U.S. DOT Smart Roadside
Initiative

• The Smart Roadside Program allows trucks and
  drivers to be screened using wireless
  communication between the vehicle and the
  infrastructure while traveling at highway speeds.
• Regulatory functions can be employed while not
  interrupting commercial vehicle operations.
• Safety is improved by eliminating stop and go
  traffic.
• Data can provide fleet managers insights into the
  real-time status of their vehicles and cargo.

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CVSA Supporting U.S. DOT Smart Roadside
Initiative

• Smart Roadside vehicle screening would give
  enforcement agencies ability to force multiply
  their finite enforcement resources.
• Weigh-in-Motion is integral to the implementation
  of Smart Roadside.
• Similarly, WIM can allow for more targeted
  enforcement, more efficient use of enforcement
  resources, and increased throughput of vehicles
  and inspections for given resource expenditure.

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State Responsibilities Relative to Vehicle Weight

• CVSA Members are responsible for enforcement of
  the federal motor carriers safety regulations,
  including vehicle and axle loading.
• State agencies are also responsible for the
  protection of the infrastructure through
  overweight/oversize permit programs and active
  enforcement of permits/weight regulations.
• Enforcement programs help provide a check, an
  added incentive, to motor carriers on what is
  expected of them on the roadways to maintain or
  improve safety performance, including operating
  within safe weight ratings for vehicles and
  infrastructure.

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State Responsibilities Relative to Vehicle Weight

• States require coordinated and strategic
  approaches to safety, including federal and
  state/local size and weight regulation
  enforcement.
• Where WIM technology can be implemented and
  integrated as a tool in the overall safety
  enforcement effort, it can add efficiency and
  accuracy while enabling commercial carriers to
  understand and meet expectations.
• The infrastructure must be maintained, managed,
  and protected. The success of a states efforts
  to manage this infrastructurespecifically its
  roadways and bridgesis a direct function of
  careful planning and regulation, informing the
  motoring public, and enforcing the regulations.

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Washington State WIM Experience

• WIM for screening tool
• 12 weigh stations 4 ports of entry, 1 internal
  port, 7 internal scales
• Systems utilize WIM as a screening tool system
  includes
• Vehicle transponders with unique vehicle ID
• Transponder reader
• License plate readers

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Washington State WIM Experience

• Electronic Screening
• Vehicles are equipped with transponders that are
  queried by readers approximately one mile ahead
  of WIM installation (vehicles to be in right
  lane)
• Unique vehicle ID is cross referenced to compare
  shipping manifest weight with calculated WIM
  vehicle weight
• License plate reader also engaged
• Motor carrier safety rating checked
• Vehicle crosses WIM vehicle, axle weights, and
  bridging measured
• Outlier vehicles directed into weight station
  for static weighing

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Washington State WIM Experience

• Enforcement is conducted via static scales since
  WIM systems are limited to 5 accuracy WIM not
  used directly for enforcement but instead to
  identify vehicles to be directed into weight
  station
• Department of Transportation installs WIM
  equipment.
• Washington State Patrol is responsible for
  operating/ maintaining stations and conducting
  enforcement.
• System has been very well received by the
  agencies.

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Wisconsin WIM Experience

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the
  Wisconsin State Patrol worked together to
  establish the states coordinated safety and
  weight enforcement program.
• Wisconsins program includes a spectrum of
  methods and technologies to complement the
  traditional safety and weight enforcement
  program.

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Wisconsin WIM Experience

• Wisconsin carefully evaluated technology and
  system options and undertook the following
• Safety Weight Enforcement Facilities (SWEF)
• Mainline and Ramp WIM
• Changeable Message Signs
• Automatic Vehicle Identification
• Side Fire Camera System
• Static Scale Systems
• In Station Variable Message Signs Signals
• Virtual Weigh Station
• Bridge Monitoring

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Wisconsin WIM Experience

• Wisconsins positive experience with these
  various technologies or systems suggests they are
  all useful and desirable tools in the enforcement
  toolbox.
• Wisconsin also found that a comprehensive plan
  was needed, and that maintenance of the systems
  is crucial.

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Conclusions

• CVSA sees a correlation between weight
  enforcement and safety performance of motor
  carriers.
• WIM systems, when properly implemented, are
  effective at helping enforcement target those
  that need attention.
• WIM systems enable more throughput of vehicles
• By achieving the safety improvement through
  enforcement, we see WIM as cost effective for
  safety.

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Question?

• William Schaefer
• Director, Vehicle Programs
• Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
• 6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 310
• Greenbelt, MD 20770
• 301-830-6154
• williams_at_cvsa.org
• www.cvsa.org