LINCOLN – New technology is assisting Nebraska State Patrol troopers in detecting safety issues in commercial vehicles along with keeping safe commercial vehicles moving.
According to a release from NSP, the goal of the new technology is two-fold.
First, troopers want to identify vehicles that are unsafe, stop them, and make sure that before they leave, it’s safe to do so. The second piece is troopers want to allow companies that are doing a good job, to continue to do a good job and let them move on down the road to get goods and services moved-on to other places around the U.S. This improves efficiency for trucking companies.
The new system includes technology embedded in the pavement of I-80 that detects a flat tire on a commercial vehicle, while the vehicle is moving at interstate speeds. The system then flags that vehicle and requires the driver to exit at the weigh station for the flat tire to be addressed.
A system has been embedded in the concrete that takes a read of commercial vehicle tires as they’re traveling down the road at 75 mile per hour and lets NSP officials know if there’s a flat tire.
The new system also includes cameras that read license plates of commercial vehicles as well as the DOT number of each vehicle before the vehicle reaches the weigh station. The system then checks for safety concerns associated with the vehicle or trucking company. Coupled with existing weigh-in-motion, PrePass, and Drivewyze technology, the system allows most trucks in compliance with weight and safety regulations to continue without stopping at the weigh station.
The system, which is in place at I-80 weigh stations at Waverly and North Platte, was funded through a grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A similar system is scheduled to be installed at the Nebraska City weigh station on Highway 2 in the future.
