If you drive along I-94 in northwest Indiana, you can expect to be part of a pilot program for a virtual weigh station that uses sensors embedded in the pavement.
The Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Revenue, Indiana State Police and Purdue University are partnering with Kapsch TrafficCom to study a new process to weigh trucks traveling on the highway.
The system combines cameras with in-pavement scales to identify and weigh trucks as they pass. This eliminates the need for trucks to slow down to go through a weigh station. When combined with federal and state compliance information, the system can provide a compliance assessment, according to INDOT, to help law enforcement target overweight trucks.
Cameras will capture the DOT and license numbers of passing trucks, allowing law enforcement to access details about a carrier’s’ operation.
Members of the Joint Transportation Research Program at Purdue University will review the results of the pilot program to ensure accuracy of the sensors and provide recommendations for possible legislative changes to enforcement policies.
Indiana lawmakers would have to pass a new law to allow for the collected data to be used to issue citations.