Goal

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) petitioned FMCSA to require an Electronic Identifier for every CMV. This study evaluates the effectiveness of this technology to the identification of vehicles in leu of license plate readers and USDOT number readers.

Summary

A researcher will visit 10 weigh stations across the country evaluate weigh station operational behaviors, create process maps, perform limited time-motion studies, and observe the use of technologies currently at weigh stations. Following these visits, the researcher will create a simulation model of weigh stations with adjustable variables of traffic flow, technology in use, staffing, etc. in order to simulate typical weigh station operations. Once developed, the researcher will evaluate the effectiveness of adding a universal electronic identifier to the model.

Impacts

Once the research is conducted, an operational and budgetary evaluation will reveal the proposed effectiveness of universal electronic identification as well as other new technologies as they are produced and offered for weigh station operators.